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Electrics and gas

What should you do with an FI code on an EICR before you treat the report as finished?

FI means further investigation required without delay, in the classification GOV.UK describes for electrical reports. The item has not been given a clean code. You need the investigation the electrician named, and the EICR is not complete for that item until they have done it. It is not a RICS condition rating, and it is not a C3.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

GOV.UK’s guidance for rented homes lists C1 danger present, C2 potentially dangerous, C3 improvement recommended, and FI further investigation. An unsatisfactory report is the inspector’s conclusion when the codes require it. FI is the code that says they could not finish that point. Treating FI as “minor” is how buyers skip the only part that was unfinished.

Ask the electrician what they need to open or test. Ask whether the outcome could become a C1 or C2. Do not ask the home surveyor to convert FI into a condition rating. If you are negotiating, wait for the result unless your solicitor agrees otherwise. There is no GOV.UK fee for an FI follow-up. The firm who wrote the code should price the extra visit.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Which item is FI, and what access did the electrician lack?
  • Does the report call the installation unsatisfactory because of this code?
  • Who will do the follow-up, and is it the same firm?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Do not file an FI report as “electrics passed”.
  2. Book the follow-up before you rely on the paper with a lender or a seller.
  3. Keep the home survey’s “not tested” sentence separate. They are two documents.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Is FI the same as a RICS “further investigation”?

No. One is an electrical code. The other is a surveyor’s recommendation. They can point at the same house and still mean different inspections.

Can you ignore FI if the rest is C3?

No. C3 is improvement recommended. FI is unfinished. They are not a single mild category.

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