Electric supply to external garage

kinger8938 · 26 Jun 2025 at 05:26

A few years ago, we had an overhead cable installed to take power out to our external garage for lighting and a tumble dryer etc.

I believe the install is essentially spurred from a socket it the bedroom, taken up to a board in the loft, then out over head to the garage at the bottom of the garden, in the parking area with use of a tensioned support cable to reduce the sag etc.

Anyway, this has treated us well but we are going on the market and I'm wondering if such an install is "allowed"

It was done by an extremely competent electrician friend of the family but done as a favour, no paper work etc.

I'm wondering if it's just best to get it reversed? Or if it is allowed, leave it up as a selling point

Tesla · 26 Jun 2025 at 19:07

Post a photo of the cable, house-end of cable, garage-end of cable and your consumer unit (fuse board) and I’ll let you know…

kinger8938 · 26 Jun 2025 at 19:13

Tesla said:
Post a photo of the cable, house-end of cable, garage-end of cable and your consumer unit (fuse board) and I’ll let you know…

Thanks for the response.

radderfire · 26 Jun 2025 at 19:22

My understanding is if you’ve had electrical work done since 2005, it must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations, and you should have either an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to prove it.

However, whether you have it or not, you're still allowed to sell your house I believe. You can either pay beforehand to get it certified, to improve your selling prospects, or you can leave it to the buyer. Personally though, I wouldn't want to sell a house unless I knew that the electrics were safe and to standard, or I had made it clear that they must be checked.

kinger8938 · 26 Jun 2025 at 19:28

radderfire said:
My understanding is if you’ve had electrical work done since 2005, it must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations, and you should have either an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to prove it.

However, whether you have it or not, you're still allowed to sell your house I believe. You can either pay beforehand to get it certified, to improve your selling prospects, or you can leave it to the buyer. Personally though, I wouldn't want to sell a house unless I knew that the electrics were safe and to standard, or I had made it clear that they must be checked.

Yeah that's my concern really.

I have got an EICR booked in, estate agent said some solicitors may ask for it so I feel I may aswell just get that done

Just didn't know if this would fly, either way

b0rn2sk8 · 26 Jun 2025 at 21:13

Its supported by a wire, that is the correct installtion method. What I can't tell is if that is an external cable or not (usually round and black), if it is a grey flat cable, that isn't suitable for external use and the insulation will break down under UV.

Presumably it is fused down to 13A somethere between the ring main and the first socket in the garage, if that is the case, you can have unlimited sockets attahced to it in the garage. In my view, it's probably fine (assuming the cable is an external type) and I would not be concerned by it or the lack of certificate (see below).

An EICR isnt suddenly going to supply a certificate for the installation of that cable and if one if required, it is always going to be missing. If the seller kicks up a stink, your only option is imdemity insurance, usually at your cost. However, as far as I am aware, installing a fused spur on an existing circuit with an RCD in a non-special location (bathroom, sauna, swmming pool etc.) isn't notifiable work and is considered minor work so wouldn't need a certificate. Ask your electrican mate to confirm but I am pretty sure this is the case.

As for the selling the house part, (nor is it legal advice) it's up to you to declare and hand over any certificates you may or may not have to the best of your knowledge. You are not considered to be an expert in what is or isn't notifiable work and the form asks you about notifiable work. Secondly the buyer should get their own EICR, its up to them to do their due diligence before buying the property. If they don't, it's not your problem after exchange.

As someone buying the house, I wouldnt rely on an EICR you provided me. For all I know, you could have got your mate round to do it and sign it all off as good or it could even be a forged document. As a buyer, I would only ever rely on a contractor who is working for me. So personally I would cancel the EICR if its not a routine inspection, if the buyer wants one, let them pay for one. Hardly any houses get an EICR every 5-10 years, its totally normal for there not to be one.

kinger8938 · 26 Jun 2025 at 22:28

b0rn2sk8 said:
Its supported by a wire, that is the correct installtion method. What I can't tell is if that is an external cable or not (usually round and black), if it is a grey flat cable, that isn't suitable for external use and the insulation will break down under UV.

Presumably it is fused down to 13A somethere between the ring main and the first socket in the garage, if that is the case, you can have unlimited sockets attahced to it in the garage. In my view, it's probably fine (assuming the cable is an external type) and I would not be concerned by it or the lack of certificate (see below).

An EICR isnt suddenly going to supply a certificate for the installation of that cable and if one if required, it is always going to be missing. If the seller kicks up a stink, your only option is imdemity insurance, usually at your cost. However, as far as I am aware, installing a fused spur on an existing circuit with an RCD in a non-special location (bathroom, sauna, swmming pool etc.) isn't notifiable work and is considered minor work so wouldn't need a certificate. Ask your electrican mate to confirm but I am pretty sure this is the case.

As for the selling the house part, (nor is it legal advice) it's up to you to declare and hand over any certificates you may or may not have to the best of your knowledge. You are not considered to be an expert in what is or isn't notifiable work and the form asks you about notifiable work. Secondly the buyer should get their own EICR, its up to them to do their due diligence before buying the property. If they don't, it's not your problem after exchange.

As someone buying the house, I wouldnt rely on an EICR you provided me. For all I know, you could have got your mate round to do it and sign it all off as good or it could even be a forged document. As a buyer, I would only ever rely on a contractor who is working for me. So personally I would cancel the EICR if its not a routine inspection, if the buyer wants one, let them pay for one. Hardly any houses get an EICR every 5-10 years, its totally normal for there not to be one.

I really appreciate the length you have gone to here, great information and it's kind of put my mind at ease a bit so thanks for that.

Regarding the fuse, he did install one in the bedroom below where the work was done in the loft. This sort of thing

In the garage we have a light, and 1 double socket which we have used for a tumble dryer and the lawn mower on occasion. Nothing major.

I think my real concern is if it's allowed from a council/building reg stand point.

At the time I didn't really think much of it, our mate suggested it and was happy that it would be fine but tbh he would say that

I think if we find the incorrect cable has been used, i.e. not suitable for external use, then we will just get it down and reversed. Tbh I'm thinking that may just be the way to go anyway.

Just doesn't make sense to have these decent sized garages that have such limited use without the power. So part of me thinks a buyer may see the benefit too

NetMan · 26 Jun 2025 at 22:54

b0rn2sk8 said:
What I can't tell is if that is an external cable or not (usually round and black), if it is a grey flat cable

If you use your browsers zoom on the pic where it comes out the wall you can see that it is flat twin and earth.

Tesla · 26 Jun 2025 at 23:46

It’s of poor design (a fault with the garage supply would potentially take out half of your house sockets and lights) and the installation method is a bit unsightly with all that unistrut stacked up.

Use of twin & earth cable outside would be a “recommend improvement”, unless already deteriorated in which case it’s “potentially dangerous”.

There are also considerations around exporting the supply earth to an outbuilding and measurements / disconnection times based on this but won’t get into that as you’ve an EICR booked which should include evaluating this and testing from inside the garage.

If it checks out ok I’d not push to spend money on it in order to sale your house.

b0rn2sk8 · 27 Jun 2025 at 09:30

kinger8938 said:
I really appreciate the length you have gone to here, great information and it's kind of put my mind at ease a bit so thanks for that.

Regarding the fuse, he did install one in the bedroom below where the work was done in the loft. This sort of thing

In the garage we have a light, and 1 double socket which we have used for a tumble dryer and the lawn mower on occasion. Nothing major.

I think my real concern is if it's allowed from a council/building reg stand point.

At the time I didn't really think much of it, our mate suggested it and was happy that it would be fine but tbh he would say that

I think if we find the incorrect cable has been used, i.e. not suitable for external use, then we will just get it down and reversed. Tbh I'm thinking that may just be the way to go anyway.

Just doesn't make sense to have these decent sized garages that have such limited use without the power. So part of me thinks a buyer may see the benefit too

The only ‘issue’ is the incorrect cable type being used. It will need replacing at some point but in practice, it will take many years to break down.

If it gets flagged during the buyers due diligence, you are talking about a £200 - £300 defect. That’s mostly labour, the cable itself is £10’s.

As a seller I wouldn’t offer any kind of reduction on such a minor defect (assuming there are not others that add up cumulatively) but buyers can get every so petty over the smallest things.

Just remember the house isn’t required to meet current electrical regulations, it’s required to meet the electrical regulations in force at the time of the installation. A surveyor will probably flag your consumer unit is out of date (looks plastic, current regs require metal), but that doesn’t mean it’s a problem that needs to be rectified.

As Tesla said, ideally the garage would be on its own circuit with its own MCB/RCBO so if there is a fault, it is isolated to that circuit. But that also doesn’t mean a fused spur off an existing circuit is a problem, it’s just not ideal.

You are also limited to how much power you can draw out there to basically 1 appliance and some LED bulbs.

Retrofits are hardly ever ideal and it’s usually a case of making the best of what you have to minimise costs. Installing an additional circuit would have certainly been a lot more work (which would have also need to have been certificated).

My own garage is on a fused spur (as built by the builders 25 years ago). I’m in the process of putting in a dedicated circuit so I have more power. It requires digging a 10m trench through block paving before an electrician can come and do their thing, hence why it’s still only being thought about and hasn’t actually been done

.

kinger8938 · 27 Jun 2025 at 09:43

b0rn2sk8 said:
The only ‘issue’ is the incorrect cable type being used. It will need replacing at some point but in practice, it will take many years to break down.

If it gets flagged during the buyers due diligence, you are talking about a £200 - £300 defect. That’s mostly labour, the cable itself is £10’s.

As a seller I wouldn’t offer any kind of reduction on such a minor defect (assuming there are not others that add up cumulatively) but buyers can get every so petty over the smallest things.

Just remember the house isn’t required to meet current electrical regulations, it’s required to meet the electrical regulations in force at the time of the installation. A surveyor will probably flag your consumer unit is out of date (looks plastic, current regs require metal), but that doesn’t mean it’s a problem that needs to be rectified.

As Tesla said, ideally the garage would be on its own circuit with its own MCB/RCBO so if there is a fault, it is isolated to that circuit. But that also doesn’t mean a fused spur off an existing circuit is a problem, it’s just not ideal.

You are also limited to how much power you can draw out there to basically 1 appliance and some LED bulbs.

Retrofits are hardly ever ideal and it’s usually a case of making the best of what you have to minimise costs. Installing an additional circuit would have certainly been a lot more work (which would have also need to have been certificated).

My own garage is on a fused spur (as built by the builders 25 years ago). I’m in the process of putting in a dedicated circuit so I have more power. It requires digging a 10m trench through block paving before an electrician can come and do their thing, hence why it’s still only being thought about and hasn’t actually been done .

Thanks again

Yeah I get what you are saying, sounds like it shouldn't really cause an issue as it is. I think there's some sort of board he had it running to in the loft that he installed at the time but not sure I'll poke my head up.

He installed loft lighting too at the time... And we literally never used it

don't even have a ladder

Are there any rules about having the wire up in the air then as it leaves our garden and reaches out to the garage.

Technically it's a shared garage (mine and neighbour) and ours is the furthest so it passes over head of theirs to get to ours if that makes sense.

Doesn't go over any road or drive access, just over a garden walkway kind of

b0rn2sk8 · 27 Jun 2025 at 09:50

As long it is of sufficient height to not cause a hazard, it’s fine.

From a ‘do I have the right to do this’ standpoint, if it is not going over land you own, that is an another matter. Unless a 3rd party who’s land you have gone over makes an issue of it, not a problem. It’s ultimately a private agreement between you and them and it’s up to them to defend their property rights.

kinger8938 · 1 Jul 2025 at 15:09

I've decided it's best to get it taken down/reversed as I feel it's a bit of a grey area and I'll just feel better selling without.

Appreciate all the advice here