FTB - HomeBuyer Report Findings - Gas and Electricity

harshitguptaiitr

I have received my homebuyer report with following 2 major findings

Electricity

The meter is in the outside meter box. The consumer unit can be found in the hallway. The consumer unit contains older type wire fuses to protect users should there be a defect with the installation. Where visible, the installation has been wired in a mixture of older type plastic covered cable. We do not know if there is a current test certificate for the electrical installation. There is no up-to-date test certificate for the electrical installation. The electrical installation is dated and in disrepair. The meter is an old unit. The consumer unit contains no modern cut-off devices. The light fittings in the property are of some age and may well be defective. This could lead to a fire and damage to the property. This is a risk to the building and to persons.

Gas

Natural gas is connected and the meter and stopcock are located in an outside meter box. The gas supply was on during the inspection. We do not know of any service agreement or current test certificate for the gas installation. This could lead to ill health and damage to the property. This is a risk to the building and to persons. The installation appears in fair order with no significant defects evident. However, as much is hidden from view and as such systems require specialist knowledge, we are unable to advise on its serviceability or safety.

How much should I read into these comments:

• RICS surveyer has listed some findings to cover themselves
• The findings should be corrected by the seller due to safety regulations.
• If I chose to proceed, then I should be prepared to pay money for repairs and safety due to these findings.
• Something else...

I will really appreciate your advice and guidance please....

ReadingTim

Very little.

Unless it was built literally yesterday, it won't meet modern standards. Doesn't mean it's dangerous, any more than an E type Jag is dangerous and worthless just because it doesn't have airbags. Therefore, unless it's a new build property, this is standard @rse covering.

Yes, things may be defective, and could lead to damage. In the same way that one's eyesight or hearing may be defective, and this could lead to being hit by a bus...

Red-Squirrel_2

How old is the house?

The gas sounds fine, just not modern standards.

If the wiring etc. is clearly very old and you were planning to do DIY/redecorating anyway then it might be a good time for a rewire. It's messy but not super expensive.

harshitguptaiitr

Thanks for the prompt replies

How old is the house?

Approximately 42 years old.

If the wiring etc. is clearly very old and you were planning to do DIY/redecorating anyway then it might be a good time for a rewire

I wasn't planning to do any redecorating as I am satisfied/happy with the way it was when viewed.

Interestingly, I had asked following 2 questions to the estate agent and their answers in red

1 - When was the property last re-wired?
MEB checked 4 years ago

2 - • Are the gas and electrical safety check certificate available? When was these checks last done? Yes

Red-Squirrel_2

A 42 year old house with its original wiring is heading to the age where it could do with a rewire, but in the meantime you could get a new consumer unit perhaps and put up with it for a good few years until you're ready to redecorate or are doing other jobs at the same time.

I've no idea what MEB check means, but if you want to know exactly what's going on and how safe it is today you'll need to pay for your own inspection.

harshitguptaiitr

Thanks for the reply!

Could I possibly ask the vendor to drop the price by £2000 to account for the maintenance/rewiring required due to electrical safety concerns raised in the HomeBuyer report?

My feeling is NO because I suspect the vendor might simply walk away for this request...

G_M

I would look to upgrade the consumer unit from the old fuse wire type to a modern type with trip switches. It sounds like you may need to re-wire as well, but the best way to tell is to pay an electrician for an electrical report.

The gas gives no indication of any issues, but if you are concerned, pay a GasSafe engineer for a report. Or just go round with a CO alarm. Place it next to the boiler and then do some basic checks yourself. Turn the heating on/off up/down - does the boiler switch on/off appropriately? Do the radiators heat up? Does hot water come out of the taps?

And did the alarm go off while doing any of this?

The findings should be corrected by the seller due to safety regulations.
If I chose to proceed, then I should be prepared to pay money for repairs and safety due to these findings.

The seller does not have to do anything, but you could use the electrical findings here (or better still the report from an electrician) to try renegotiating price. Seller may or may not agree

Red-Squirrel_2

harshitguptaiitr wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

Could I possibly ask the vendor to drop the price by £2000 to account for the maintenance/rewiring required due to electrical safety concerns raised in the HomeBuyer report?

My feeling is NO because I suspect the vendor might simply walk away for this request...

No, not really, because if you go to view a 42 year old house and it still has seventies style light switches and plug sockets, you should know it will have old electrics and be factoring that in to your offer if it's an important factor.

DumbMuscle

harshitguptaiitr wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

Could I possibly ask the vendor to drop the price by £2000 to account for the maintenance/rewiring required due to electrical safety concerns raised in the HomeBuyer report?

My feeling is NO because I suspect the vendor might simply walk away for this request...

What was the surveyor's valuation of the property? That will have taken into account any work required (i.e. the surveyor thinks it's worth that despite the faults identified). If the valuation matches the offer price, you don't have much leverage to negotiate

harshitguptaiitr

Thanks again for valuable insights.

What was the surveyor's valuation of the property?

Same as the offer price. The reinstatement cost was higher though probably because of cost of materials and labor cost over the years.

The property had an integrated microwave and cooker. Can I assume this work was done post 2005 and hence there will be some electrical installation certificates available?

DumbMuscle

harshitguptaiitr wrote: »

Thanks again for valuable insights.


Same as the offer price. The reinstatement cost was higher though probably because of cost of materials and labor cost over the years.

The property had an integrated microwave and cooker. Can I assume this work was done post 2005 and hence there will be some electrical installation certificates available?

Ask the sellers when they were installed? Or try to get a model number, which will give you a reasonable estimate. There's no particular reason to think they're under a decade old AFAIK. (My parents have an integrated cooker which was there when they bought the property in 2006, and has run with no problems since, so it's quite possible for it to be older than that).

In any case, all that will tell you is that the cooker/microwave was probably installed properly - the wiring between there and the outside world could have literally anything wrong with it.