Survey Electrics Question

[tntcoder]

Hi,

A survey I had done stated the following regarding the house's electrics.

- Installation may not be in strict accordance with current regulations - normally advised that an installation is inspected every ten years.
- No evidence seen of any current inspection certificates
- The wiring to external lights around the corner of the house is protected in plastic ducting but the ducting is significantly deteriorated and should be replaced.

Is this something I should be concerned about? External lights are no big deal, but I have no idea how significant an inspection certificate is? Can it cause insurance problems?

House is late 1920s - I guess probably original wiring.

Thanks

 

[russ9898]

It is indeed advised to have the electrical installation inspected and tested every ten years however this rarely happens unless the consumer unit (fuse board) has been upgraded at some point.

I'd be surprised if the wiring is the original 1920's wiring, if it is then it will definitely need rewiring. I would recommend that you have a electrical condition report/periodic test carried out on the installation. Any questions about the feedback you get on the report post back on here and either myself or one of the other forum sparkies will be able to give you some advice im sure.

 

[Nightglow]

Hi,

A survey I had done stated the following regarding the house's electrics.

- Installation may not be in strict accordance with current regulations - normally advised that an installation is inspected every ten years.
- No evidence seen of any current inspection certificates

House is late 1920s - I guess probably original wiring.

Could be a number of things, like fuse board & fuses not meeting 17th edition, earthing under sized,etc.

Normally there is a sticker with the date of inspection & initial of tester stuck to fuse board.

Unlikely to be original, if it's black rubber cable then some when in the 60's or earlier.

 

[tntcoder]

Ok thanks a lot, I haven't quite finalised the property purchase yet. I guess I was wondering if I should ensure that an inspection is done before sealing the deal. If it's likely just a matter of a few hundred quid at some point in the future then i'm not too bothered and would rather not delay things.

 

[Nightglow]

It is indeed advised to have the electrical installation inspected and tested every ten years however this rarely happens unless the consumer unit (fuse board) has been upgraded at some point.

I know houses built in 1970, have never ever been tested.

Went to one country house a few years ago, they still had wooden fuse boxes with ceramic wire fuses, which was protected with a cover which had a glass window in it.

The wiring was rubber covered with a cloth sheathing, in the attic it had rotted & was completely bare iconductors in places, live & still in use.
Amazing the house never burnt down.

 

[Nightglow]

Ok thanks a lot, I haven't quite finalised the property purchase yet. I guess I was wondering if I should ensure that an inspection is done before sealing the deal. If it's likely just a matter of a few hundred quid at some point in the future then i'm not too bothered and would rather not delay things.

I certianly would want a full report on the state of the electrics, will cost more than a few hundred for a complete rewire.

 

[£15]

Our surveyor said something similar: electrics don't meet current regs. Recommend they're checked out.

Surveyors are like GPs - they're not qualified to comment on specifics like electrics, gas, damp and will always recommend you get a specialist in.

It doesn't mean there's anything wrong, per se, they're just covering their own backs. Meeting current regs is not necessarily anything to worry about either. Unless a house had a full refit shortly before the surveyor visited, no house will ever meet current regs.

We had the electrics checked out by a local electrician to make sure they were safe and it cost us less than £50. An Electrical Periodic Inspection Report will probably cost a couple of hundred. Our new house will need a full rewire eventually, but the house was priced to reflect this and we now know it's safe enough to move in and live there.

We also had a gas man check out the central heating. Similar price.

The damp inspection cost more as it was a real, independant expert and not a contractor. It cost £130.

There's a school of thought that than rather than pay several hundred pounds for a survey (excluding basic valuation for mortgage purposes) and then get the trades in, ditch the survey and just get the tradesmen in to check out each service. You'll get a better idea of what needs doing and it'll cost less.

The house I'm buying doesn't have certificates and the house I'm selling doesn't. No problems with insurance.