Owning your own home

now they want metal encased consumer units and blah blah so it was no longer up to code.

EICR Myths

A consumer unit made from combustible materials needs replacing

If a consumer unit is made from combustible material (e.g. plastic), BPG 4 recommends that the presence of a plastic consumer unit is worthy of a note, but does NOT warrant a classification code. If the consumer unit is located under a wooden staircase or within a sole route of escape from the premises, a C3 classification code is recommended.

Either way, this would not result in an unsatisfactory outcome.