First Time Buyer - Should I ask the vendor to fix the electrics?

TanDiy

Hi, would appreciate some advice please. I am just purchasing my first home and had an Electrical Condition Report done as suggested by the surveyor who completed the Home Buyers Survey. This has raised a number of C2 issues which need sorting to bring the electrical installation up to satisfactory condition.

1 The fuseboard needs changing because there is no RCD and there is an electric shower
2 Find and repair fault on socket circuit
3 Provide earths to metallic light fittings (front room ceiling and outside light)
4 Install new thermostat with thermo cutout on the water heater
5 Install correct size fuses in spur units for under counter lighting (kitchen)
6 Replace bathroom light which is not suitable for bathroom
7 Replace unswitched sockets with double switch outlet sockets

The report also stated that the built in oven had a fault that needed a repair or replacement. There are a few other recommendations but these are related more to bringing things up to date rather than immediate problems. I have been quoted around £800 to complete the work above to bring the installation up to satisfactory condition.

The Homebuyers Survey said that the roof should be wind braced and strapped (around £300), that the water tank support should be changed from chipboard to marine ply and that a manhole cover in the front garden needed to be changed immediately as it was unsafe (around £200). I was not too bothered about the roof but I would like the electrics to be safe and usable. I am wondering whether I should be going back to the vendor to ask them to sort the electrics or whether I should just be dealing with this when I have moved in. I am not too sure how you normally go about these things and would appreciate any information or advice. I should also add that I have the mortgage offer. Thanks

davidmcn

If you want any of this done, do it yourself after you move in. Asking the seller to do it means you've got no control over which cowboys they employ and is only going to delay the transaction (being a FTB, you've presumably never tried to get tradespeople even to turn up to provide an estimate, never mind come back to do the job!).

And if you're doing electrical work you might want to add other improvements rather than merely fixing the faults.

TanDiy

Thanks for the advice. The company that did the Electrical Condition Report said I should negotiate a discount with the vendor to cover the cost but I do not want to lose the house and I am not sure if this is normal. The surveyor who did the Home Buyer Survey said I could ask for a discount but it would only cost around £1300-£1400 to put everything right and this would not really affect the value of the house. Thanks again

G_M

Perfectly normal to ask the vendor to reduce the price to reflect unexpected issues.

The vendor may or may not agree.

But getting /aking the vendor to get the work done is, as said above, a bad move. They have no incentive of interest in getting the job done well.

Wait till you've completed, get 3 or 4 quotes for each job, and arrange the work yourself with your preferred contractor, to your own specification.

ProDave

What is the age of the property?

No earth on light fittings is the one that rings my bell. That could mean the wiring dates from the 1960's when it was common to wire lighting without an earth, when all plastic fittings were in common use.

If that is the case, then definitely do not get the vendor to patch it up. It might very well be a full rewire is a better option. That will give you the chance while it's being done to get sockets where you need them and enough of them for instance.

Definitely just push for money off the purchase price and get it sorted by an electrician you trust or one who comes highly recommended when it's yours.

AnotherJoe

ProDave wrote: »

What is the age of the property?

No earth on light fittings is the one that rings my bell. That could mean the wiring dates from the 1960's when it was common to wire lighting without an earth, when all plastic fittings were in common use.

If that is the case, then definitely do not get the vendor to patch it up. It might very well be a full rewire is a better option. That will give you the chance while it's being done to get sockets where you need them and enough of them for instance.

Definitely just push for money off the purchase price and get it sorted by an electrician you trust or one who comes highly recommended when it's yours.

^^^^^ all this. Plus a full rewire will give you the opportunity to add or change things - position of lights switches, electric sockets, new lights and so on and you also know who did it and can get them back to fix issues No point if vendor gets a cheap job done that looks ok on the surface and then you change things anyway and the electrician you employ has to do rework,

TanDiy

Thanks for all the info. The house is a modern design built mid 80's and doesn't need a complete re-wire. The electrician that did the testing has quoted £800 to sort it all (the list in my first post). There is earth to the lights but it has just not been connected to the metal housings. I fully trust the electrician and would get them to do the work.

(1) Bring electrics up to safe condition (£800)
(2) Wind brace and strap the roof (approx £300)
(3) Move the water tank onto better support (?)
(4) Replace a dangerous drain cover on the front lawn (£200)

So there is probably about £1400 or work.There is only 2 of us in the chain and I do not want to lose the house. Should I ask for a reduction in the asking price to cover this or just accept that I will need to pay for it. I already have the mortgage offer. Thanks

GraceF125

It's pretty usual to have to upgrade electrics when you move into a new (old) house - even one built in the 1980s is now 30-odd years old and electrical standards have changed since then.

I personally wouldn't ask for a reduction, most of the items are safety improvements which the vendor won't have been aware of if they've lived there for many years.

juniordoc

Yes definitely it's worth asking for a reduction.
Maybe show them the estimates you've given and say you are willing to negotiate and share the costs? For example you could ask them to take £800 off the agreed price since that is what it would cost to bring it up to a safe standard, which I don't think is an unreasonable expectation when buying a house, it should at least be safe!
Best of luck with your house buying.

ProDave

If it's a 1980's house then as above it probably does not need a rewire, just some upgrading. the no earth on the lights is a cowboy DIY replacement from someone who does not know what they are doing. Treat ANY switches and sockets that have been upgraded to fancy new ones with a great deal of suspicion and caution.

A new CU and a thorough check should sort out all the issues.

Red-Squirrel_2

Show them the quote, but be prepared to meet halfway. Some of it is fair enough, but some of it should have been taken into account in your original offer, such as the sockets not being the most modern etc.

Its normal to have to do some work or to have some aspects that are less than perfect but that you live with for a bit when you buy a house. Unless its a new build there isn't any obligation by the sellers to make it perfect and bang up to date. When you make an offer you take into account the age and general condition of the house, and you should only really be renegotiating for things that come up on survey etc. that you couldn't have predicted from a viewing.