Condition ratings
If the electrics are condition rating 3, has the surveyor completed an EICR?
No. A condition rating is the surveyor’s opinion of the element from a visual inspection. An EICR is an electrician’s test with its own codes. The Level 3 description says the surveyor does not assess the safety of the electrics and does not carry out specialist tests. A rating 3 on services means they think there is something serious or in need of urgent investigation, not that they have tested the circuits.
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?
Sometimes the rating is 3 because the installation looks old or dangerous on sight, and sometimes because it could not be shown to be safe. The sentence next to the rating says which. GOV.UK’s C1, C2, C3 and FI codes are not what the surveyor has applied unless an EICR is attached, and even then those codes are the electrician’s. Do not copy C2 into the survey margin.
The practical step for a rating 3 on electrics is the written quotation or investigation before commitment, which is the rating 3 wording, and that investigation is an EICR or the specific check the surveyor named. The survey fee did not include it. There is no RICS price for an EICR.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you see that justified rating 3, as opposed to NI?
- Are you asking for an EICR?
- Did you test anything electrical at all?
What are the typical next steps?
- Commission the electrical inspection if the rating says the installation needs it.
- Do not tell a lender the survey was an EICR.
- Negotiate from the electrician’s codes once you have them, and from the survey’s reasons until you do.
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
Can electrics be NI instead of 3?
Yes, if they were not inspected and the surveyor is not signalling an urgent concern. Read the words. Do not assume every untested board is a 3.
Does rating 3 mean the house will catch fire?
It means the surveyor thinks the matter is serious or urgent to investigate. It is not a fire report. The investigation is what tells you the actual fault.