AFDD EICR - unsatisfactory report landlord

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

We are new landlords and have just got an EICR done. The building is only 5 years old so I am shocked that remedial work has been noted as necessary/mandatory. Apparently AFDDs needs to be fitted as the building is over 6 story’s high (it’s a 4th floor one bed flat) due to a regulation that came in a couple of months ago? Does this sound right to you? It’s thrown a massive curve ball as we are meant to have tenants moving in tomorrow but there is no way we can get this remedied in 24 the next hours. Please tell me we aren’t being scammed into work we don’t need? I was so surprised because I asked the electrician before he left and he said everything was fine! But the report I received a few hours later says otherwise. What am I looking at cost wise to fix this? I’m heavily pregnant and so stressed by this. I did so much research into what was required for landlords but never came across this new regulation I had a report booked to be done sooner as well but we were let down by the electrician and had to rebook elsewhere at short notice

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

Mike Johnson · Nov 4, 2022

Regulations are not retrospective, so if your installation conformed to the regulations at the time of installation then they do not need up-dating.

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

Mike Johnson said:
Regulations are not retrospective, so if your installation conformed to the regulations at the time of installation then they do not need up-dating.

Thank you. Things I am reading online are saying that in order to pass an EICR we would now need AFDDs. Is that not the case? If so, why has this company provided us with an unsatisfactory report

Mike Johnson · Nov 4, 2022

EICR's are made against the latest regulations, they can not comment on an installation that was done under an unknown regulation time period.

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

So in that case we will need AFDDs? Because we have to have a satisfactory EICR in place for this tenancy.

Mike Johnson said:
EICR's are made against the latest regulations, they can not comment on an installation that was done under an unknown regulation time period.

SJD · Nov 4, 2022

My understanding is you have to have an EICR done (outcome satisfactory or unsatisfactory), with 28 days allowed for remedials - so a tenant can still move in prior to the remedial work being completed (if it is even needed). However, some letting agents don't understand it that way.

Pretty Mouth · Nov 4, 2022

Hi Smem18.

An EICR will compare the electrical installation to the current edition of the regulations, and will 'code' any non compliances. C1 and C2 are immediate or potential danger, C3 improvement recommended. Any C1s or C2s will need correcting for your rental property.

The current edition of the regs came into full effect at the end of September, and now mandates AFDDs for certain properties, including yours, so this had to be coded. Whether lack of AFDDs is a C2 or C3 is for the electrician to decide, it's up to their judgement. Industry guidance hasn't been updated yet for the latest edition.

In this case (s)he has decided C2, so it will need correcting, I'm afraid.

timhoward · Nov 4, 2022

You have two choices - get it inspected again and discuss the AFDD situation in advance, or get them fitted. The price of a re inspection would/should be higher than getting this work done.

The good news is that it’s a Hager board and AFFD modules are available - for some this would need a completely new consumer unit.

(I’d go ahead and move tenants in myself. AFDDs haven’t been around very long and the idea that not having them suddenly makes an installation potentially dangerous is a stretch for me personally.)

It’s a fairly quick job to fit 2 or 3 modules to a consumer unit and retest those circuits. I’d imagine you are looking at a couple of hours labour plus the price of the AFDDs (roughly £120 each)

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

timhoward said:
You have two choices - get it inspected again and discuss the AFDD situation in advance, or get them fitted. The price of a re inspection would/should be higher than getting this work done.

The good news is that it’s a Hager board and AFFD modules are available - for some this would need a completely new consumer unit.

(I’d go ahead and move tenants in myself. AFDDs haven’t been around very long and the idea that not having them suddenly makes an installation potentially dangerous is a stretch for me personally.)

It’s a fairly quick job to fit 2 or 3 modules to a consumer unit and retest those circuits. I’d imagine you are looking at a couple of hours labour plus the price of the AFDDs (roughly £120 each)

Thank you. I am inclined to just get the work done even if it costs extra, rather than trying to wheedle out or circumvent the system as it will likely only cause problems is years to come every time we need to renew the certificate. I was reading new consumer units are £2k+ and stuff so your message is reassuring. I am not an electrician so I do not know from looking at our consumer unit what the cost is likely to be?

davesparks · Nov 4, 2022

Mike Johnson said:
EICR's are made against the latest regulations, they can not comment on an installation that was done under an unknown regulation time period.

An EICR can and should comment on installations carried out to previous versions of the regulations where items affect safety.

One of the reasons an EICR is carried out is to identify areas of an installation where changes in regulations and technology mean that safety improvements can be made.

The outcome of an EICR doesn't change based on the age of an installation.

newfutile · Nov 4, 2022

GN3 say that we test against the current regs ,however BS7671 also states the regulations are not retrospective. I think guides like best practise guide 4 (still not updated) allow for the fact the places were wired in the past. We would not code no rcd on domestic lighting as a C2 ,i discussed possible future coding of BPG4 at my last NICEIC assessment ,he said afdd in HRRB would most likely be a C3 .
having said this its up to the inspector to code and im sure its good to protect your property from cheap white goods as i suspect is the job of Arc Fault Detection Device (AFDD). I wonder if SPD’s are fitted and that attracted a C2 code ?

Rockingit · Nov 4, 2022

There's an interesting aspect to this....... So they've picked on AFDD's as non-compliant for a HRRB, but not use of AC type RCD's in a domestic. So much inconsistency here.

Smem18 · Nov 4, 2022

Rockingit said:
There's an interesting aspect to this....... So they've picked on AFDD's as non-compliant for a HRRB, but not use of AC type RCD's in a domestic. So much inconsistency here.

Interesting. I suppose one of the things I am worried about is that these new regs have come out and there will be companies eager to jump straight to labelling this issue C2 and handing out expensive quotations for fixes. It’s clear reading this thread there are differences in opinion on this matter between electricians, making it very hard to navigate.

Rockingit · Nov 4, 2022

For what it's worth...... if this was me, I'd be giving a C3, because......

Is it imminently or potentially dangerous = No
Is it currently compliant = No
Can it / should it be corrected in the future = Yes

AFDD EICR - unsatisfactory report landlord

Smem18

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