Electrical Test on house I'm buying

glasgowdan

Is there specific reason for you wanting an electrical test? If it throws up costs you'll be doing them regardless, and as a seller the house is being marketed at the price it is WITHOUT new wiring,... sold as seen (i.e. a mixed, part 70's, probably part newer, electrical system).

If the buyer's agent don't want to send someone out, at their expense, to take up over 2hrs of staff time for your own benefit, I don't blame them.

Consider just getting the test done once the house is yours. I wouldn't pull out of a purchase over this.

SuzieSue

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

I don't see how that contradicts my advice at all, I assume nobody was electrocuted?

No, not yet, but the electrics were dangerous as someone has messed with them so who knows what would have happened. Just because someone hasn't been electrocuted yet does not mean that the electrics are safe enough for the OP. The electrical check said that they weren't safe. They might be safe enough for you if you don't care about your safety, but the OP does so I doubt they would be safe enough for him and you were replying to his thread. If you had said safe enought for you then, yes my post does not contradict your advice but you didn't.

AnotherJoe

purpleparrotuk wrote: »

Hello. I'm nearly at the stage where I want to get an electrician in to carry out electric testing on a property I am purchasing. It takes 1 and half hours for the testing and another 1 and half hours for the writing up (which he can do at home). Problem is the estate agent has to be there every time we visit the house, I have never seen the owner and there is no way they will want to wait around why the guy does his tests.

Well if they dont want to wait, they can go away and come back when he's done.

purpleparrotuk

Thanks for the replies. The comsumer unit was replaced a few years ago when the kitchen extension was done. It's the new style with trip switches. I have one in my current 15 year old house. The sockets and switches are a mixture. The switches look like normal ones but they can easily be replaced anyway. The sockets look a bit dated but didn't look at all of them. Maybe I will wait to see what certificates or paperwork is supplied to the solicitor when they ask for them. I assume this will come out as one of their checks.

Browntoa

It's standard survey stuff

Roof may leak

Boiler is old

Electrics are old

Plumbing is old

societys_child

SuzieSue wrote: »

. . . the remedial work will cost £450.

The electrician said that a previous occupier had messed around with the electrics.

Nice little earner . . .

ProDave

purpleparrotuk wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. The comsumer unit was replaced a few years ago when the kitchen extension was done. It's the new style with trip switches. I have one in my current 15 year old house. The sockets and switches are a mixture. The switches look like normal ones but they can easily be replaced anyway. The sockets look a bit dated but didn't look at all of them. Maybe I will wait to see what certificates or paperwork is supplied to the solicitor when they ask for them. I assume this will come out as one of their checks.

Ask for a copy of the EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) issued when the new consumer unit was fitted. you are supposed to do a number of tests and some updating when fitting a new CU. If it was done properly and the electrician did indeed issue an EIC then I would say you have nothing to worry about.

On the other hand (as is quite likely) a kitchen fitter put the new CU in, with little or no testing or updating, and no paperwork then it's anybody's guess what state the wiring is in.

As others have said, the reason for a test is so you know the state of the wiring. Unless you are expecting to use the results as a way to knock the price down, then it may well be pointless, particularly if you were intending to rewire anyway?

SuzieSue

societys_child wrote: »

Nice little earner . . .

Yes, it could be, who knows. But the electrics are almost 30 years old so it won't do any harm getting them updated any way.

purpleparrotuk

ProDave wrote: »

Ask for a copy of the EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) issued when the new consumer unit was fitted. you are supposed to do a number of tests and some updating when fitting a new CU. If it was done properly and the electrician did indeed issue an EIC then I would say you have nothing to worry about.

On the other hand (as is quite likely) a kitchen fitter put the new CU in, with little or no testing or updating, and no paperwork then it's anybody's guess what state the wiring is in.

As others have said, the reason for a test is so you know the state of the wiring. Unless you are expecting to use the results as a way to knock the price down, then it may well be pointless, particularly if you were intending to rewire anyway?

Looks like an electrician was involved according to the councils building control website.
I do not want to push the price down unless it's condemned! :-)

cjmillsnun

Browntoa wrote: »

By not getting a pointless electrical check done

I've never had one done on any property I've bought , you can almost guarantee that unless it's a new house it will "fail" current standards , it means nothing

You haven't seen the electrics on the place I've just bought. They'd fail the first edition, let alone the seventeenth.

The report was an important bargaining chip for us as we knocked a couple of grand off towards a rewire, which this place needs as the previous owner was luck not to set the place on fire with his electrical bodging.