What does a Code 1 on my EICR certificate mean and how urgent is it?
Quick answer
A Code 1 (C1) on your EICR certificate means Danger Present - a condition exists that poses an immediate risk of injury or death from electric shock or fire. It is the most serious classification on an Electrical Installation Condition Report. You must not ignore it. A qualified electrician should make the installation safe before you continue using it, ideally on the same day the fault is discovered. C1 findings may require the circuit or installation to be isolated immediately until remedial work is completed.
🏠Homeowner view
Finding a Code 1 on your EICR can be alarming, but understanding what it means helps you act quickly and safely.
What a Code 1 actually means
A C1 code stands for Danger Present. The inspector has found a fault or defect in your electrical installation that could cause electric shock, burns or fire right now, without anything else needing to go wrong first. It is the highest severity code used on an EICR in the UK.
Examples of things that get a C1 include exposed live conductors that can be touched, cables that have had the insulation burned away or severely damaged, an earthing conductor that is completely missing on a circuit where it is essential for safety, or a consumer unit that poses an immediate fire risk due to severe overheating.
What you should do right now
Do not use the affected circuit or appliance if the electrician has told you which one is involved.
Contact a qualified electrician as soon as possible, the same day if you can.
If the inspector isolated the circuit or installation before leaving, do not switch it back on until the work is done.
If you are a tenant, your landlord is legally obliged to arrange repairs within 28 days under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020, but a C1 should be treated as far more urgent than that.
Can you stay in the property?
In many cases yes, especially if the dangerous circuit has already been isolated. However, if the C1 relates to the main earthing or the entire installation, your electrician may advise you not to use electricity at all until it is fixed. Follow their professional judgement.
What happens after the repair?
Once the remedial work is done, the electrician should issue you with a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate or a full Electrical Installation Certificate for larger jobs. Keep this with your EICR. In rental properties, the landlord must provide a copy of the completed remediation evidence to the local authority if requested.