FTB electrics check question

timmyt

First wrote: »

Hi,
I'm a FTB and would like some advice on how to check some electrics on a house we've put an offer in for. The HIP said that the electrics were last checked in 2009 but there was no report. When asked the owner said that his dad was a retired electrician so had done the electrics for him. It's a 1930s end terrace, all sockets and light fittings are modern and there's a modern fuse box installed.

The owners have been in the house over ten years and it's in good condition. They've done the house up a lot - conservatory added, newish kitchen and bathroom, they all are well built - the boiler is also relatively new and is British Gas certified and serviced so nothing else suggests a slap-dash approach. But needless to say before we agree to buy we want the electrics certified, but I'm not sure how to go about this.

The mortgage providers offer a Homeowner survey for £500 (which I know won't cover the electrics in any depth) and a structural survey for £1000, but I'm not sure how far that will go. Should I specifically pay for an electrician to do a check then just have the Homeowner survey if it passes, or should the 'full' survey include an in-depth electrics check?

I want the electrics looked at for my peace of mind, but also how do I know the electrician won't suggest a full re-wiring even if it's not needed? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

your lawyer must ensure a report is seen, otherwise, the electrics are in potential breach of regulations and so he should demand sellers to get them inspected as a safety precuation for you. had they done nothing then he dopesn't have that argument- weird I know.

but potentially tampering with them, and making it obvious by saying 2009 works were done without a report is a rabbit in a headlight.

if the sellers refuse, then the lawyer may have to report this to the lender if you won't pay...as there could be unsafe wiring.

now that sounds a bit like the hooro story you were after.

so many 'conveyancers' would do it slap dash and say 'ah its alright. i won't

G_M

This is absolute tosh.

your lawyer must ensure a report is seen, otherwise, the electrics are in potential breach of regulations

Why? a) just because a report is not seen does not mean there is a breach!
b) just because electrics are not configured to current Building Reg standards does not mean there is a breach (otherwise we would all be constantly trying to keep up with new regs my god we'd be exhausted and bankrupt!)

he should demand sellers to get them inspected

If OP decides he wants them inspected, he should get them inspected (just like a survey) not 'demand...'!

the lawyer may have to report this to the lender

Sounds like scare-mongering; lender might take this attitude if the surveyor indicated a problem and required an electrical inspection. Lenders tend to be guided by surveyors on property condition issues, and solicitors on legal issues.

sounds a bit like the hooro story

What exactly is a 'hooro story?'

As RLH33 sensibly says:

don't be alarmed if the house is not up to the current regs as they have changed quite a lot recently. It is quite probable that the house is not up to the 2010 regs but are perfectly safe so it may be worth discussing this with the electrician so that you are clear whether any extra work is really necessary.

Kavajo

By all means get an electrician to test the wiring. Another poster gave good advice, use NICEIC, cost around £70 + vat, assuming no remedial work is necessary. Put it down as cost of buying, along with survey, changing locks and everything else. If nothing else, it will put your mind at rest.

I got mine checked after moving in and wished I had done it before, then I could have got previous owner to pay for the corrective measures. On mine there was an electric shower installed without an rcd, and a mistake on the bathroom light circuit where it had joined the upstairs sockets and downstairs lights. This meant the circuits were still live unless both fuses were removed so very dangerous. This was despite nice new sockets / light switches, which are superficial and don't tell you anything about safety. A new fusebox is more promising, as it should have been installed / checked by qualified person.

Wiring problems seem to be fairly common, but can go unnoticed for a long time. My wife owned a flat before we got married, and she had an electrical fire started by dodgy wiring on her immersion heater. I would certainly recommend getting it checked. Afterall the outlay isn't much when you think of the risk.

First_2

Thanks for the various replies. It certainly seems to be a good idea for me to get the PIR that has been mentioned, if only for my peace of mind. £70 +VAT is not much given the amount of money I'm going to be spending and could have to pay if my paranoia is founded.

timmyt

G_M wrote: »

This is absolute tosh.


Why? a) just because a report is not seen does not mean there is a breach!
b) just because electrics are not configured to current Building Reg standards does not mean there is a breach (otherwise we would all be constantly trying to keep up with new regs my god we'd be exhausted and bankrupt!)

If OP decides he wants them inspected, he should get them inspected (just like a survey) not 'demand...'!

Sounds like scare-mongering; lender might take this attitude if the surveyor indicated a problem and required an electrical inspection. Lenders tend to be guided by surveyors on property condition issues, and solicitors on legal issues.


What exactly is a 'horror story?'

As RLH33 sensibly says:

GM - you really are aggressive. Just help OP.

I am a conveyancing solicitor (and who are you? in the food industry by chance?) well versed in the regulations (electrics ae now under similar regulations to alterations and building control...all legal issues now I am afraid), so OP, please feel free to private message if you wantanswers.

First_2

timmyt wrote: »

your lawyer must ensure a report is seen, otherwise, the electrics are in potential breach of regulations and so he should demand sellers to get them inspected as a safety precuation for you. had they done nothing then he dopesn't have that argument- weird I know.

but potentially tampering with them, and making it obvious by saying 2009 works were done without a report is a rabbit in a headlight.

timmyt what do you qualify as 'works'? The vendor admitted he got his dad to do some electric, but that could have been years ago. My date of 2009 is just from the HIP which asked when was the electrics last 'checked'.

I need to ask the seller to clarify on what has and hasn't been done and when.

timmyt

First wrote: »

timmyt what do you qualify as 'works'? The vendor admitted he got his dad to do some electric, but that could have been years ago. My date of 2009 is just from the HIP which asked when was the electrics last 'checked'.

I need to ask the seller to clarify on what has and hasn't been done and when.

who checked them in 2009? I get worried when works (of whatever nature as we do not know what were done) were done, and possily by someone not allowed by the legislation to do them. If so, they may not be sound. YOu are on notic of thi potential.

If only the Seller had said they were not checked.

'Works' - well the law states what does need to be done by a competent person and that which does not. I cannot list them without researching tthem, but if you are told then your lawyer can check on the prescribed list.

You are on notice so the choice to proceed without your own inspection which I would direct to the selling lawyer to have paid for by their clients because of my argument above and which I find meets with acceptance usually.

keith969

timmyt wrote: »

GM - you really are aggressive. Just help OP..

G_M seems eminently sensible to me and is hardly aggressive. And he can spell and compose a grammatically correct answer...

timmyt

keith969 wrote: »

G_M seems eminently sensible to me and is hardly aggressive. And he can spell and compose a grammatically correct answer...

i dont care about spelling when I am giving free advice on a free website, so long as what I say is right.

do you have anything to add to help OP?

DVardysShadow

timmyt wrote: »

who checked them in 2009? I get worried when works (of whatever nature as we do not know what were done) were done, and possily by someone not allowed by the legislation to do them. If so, they may not be sound.

.... But you are OK with works done by people allowed by the legislation to do them. And you don't stop to think that works done by people who are allowed by legislation may not be sound?

Somehow, I think that people being killed by faulty electrics correlates better with whether the works are sound than with whether the person doing the works was allowed by legislation. But then you are a conveyancing solicitor and I am not. So I would sleep easy once I knew the works were sound and I could not care less about proving who did them. Presumably, you sleep easy when you have proved that your clients are not buying houses with works done by people who are not allowed.

Funny old world.