Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018 changes how the FI classification code is treated on an Electrical Installation Condition Report. Historically an FI made the overall result unsatisfactory. Under Amendment 4, FI does not. This note is for landlords and homeowners in Wrexham and Chester. It is practical information as of 31 August 2026, not legal advice.

Stewart Rawson Electrical is an NICEIC approved contractor, founded in 2010, based at Jubilee Manor on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. Sources: the NICEIC Amendment 4 page and NICEIC’s householder page on Electrical Installation Condition Reports. The five-year Welsh rental interval is already on our EICR page. This post does not invent a Renting Homes (Wales) change.

What the codes still mean

Every observation on an EICR is given a classification code. The overall result — satisfactory or unsatisfactory — follows from those codes. Read the summary page of the report in your hand.

  • C1 — Danger present. Immediate remedial action is necessary.
  • C2 — Potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action is necessary.
  • C3 — Improvement recommended.
  • FI — Further investigation is advised. The inspector has seen something that could not be fully identified within the agreed extent of the inspection.

C1 and C2 still make the overall assessment unsatisfactory. That has not changed.

What Amendment 4 changed about FI

NICEIC describes the change in intent of FI as one of the key changes in Amendment 4. The observations section of the EICR is now in two parts.

  • C1 and C2 observations affect the overall outcome and require the result to be unsatisfactory.
  • C3 observations and FI do not affect the overall outcome.

The wording of FI has also changed. It previously said further investigation “without delay”. Amendment 4 drops “without delay”. The code now reads that further investigation is advised.

Historically, and still on reports issued to the previous version (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024), an FI made the installation unsatisfactory. Under Amendment 4 that is no longer the case. C3 never made the report fail. FI now sits with C3 for the purpose of the overall result.

NICEIC tells contractors who issue EICRs to make clients aware of the change, especially during the transition. An FI is still advice to investigate. It is not the same as a C2.

The transition until 15 October 2026

Amendment 4 was published on 15 April 2026 and can be used immediately for periodic inspection and testing. Until 15 October 2026 both versions of BS 7671 are current. From 15 October 2026 the previous version is withdrawn. New EICRs must then be to Amendment 4. From that date NICEIC-certified businesses must also demonstrate access to Amendment 4.

You may still receive a report, issued to the previous version, on which an FI makes the outcome unsatisfactory. You may also receive an Amendment 4 report on which the same code does not. Always go by the satisfactory or unsatisfactory box on the document you hold, and by the version of BS 7671 printed on it. Dates and the wider amendment are in BS 7671 Amendment 4 2026: what it means in Wrexham and Chester.

Welsh rentals and existing pages

Private renting in Wales already requires a valid electrical condition report during each period of occupation. The usual interval is five years from the inspection, or any earlier reinspection date written on the report. That existing duty is already covered on the EICR page and on smoke, heat and CO alarms in a Welsh rental. This post does not add a new Welsh statute, interval, or copy-of-report deadline.

If you let in Chester, that is England: do not copy a Welsh rule onto a Chester tenancy. Estate agents who need a listing checklist can use electrical services for estate agents in Wrexham and Chester.

A satisfactory Amendment 4 report that still carries an FI is not the same as a report with no observations. Ask what needs investigating, and on which circuit.

Get a quote

For a quote on an EICR, call Stewart Rawson Electrical on 07789 264398 or 01978 664757, email info@stewartrawsonelectrical.co.uk, or use the form on our contact page.

Stewart Rawson Electrical, Jubilee Manor, Sun Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9RW.