Am i overreacting about a lack of electricity on viewing? WWYD?

Doozergirl

ejury said:

I don't think your over-reacting. When we bought our first property we were told the seller didn't want the electrics or hot water turned on. We naively thought ok, fair enough. 
Once we moved into the property we discovered lots of issues. If we had insisted they let us turn them on we would have discovered before we offered.

That could happen with any house if you don't commission a proper survey on the condition of the electrics. 

On the flipside, we bought a flat where the electric was switched off and there was nothing wrong with them.  

Caveat Emptor, always!  

Chandler85

Ask permission to break into the cupboard?

I bought a property, sold as seen, that had a garage and a shed with no keys.  The vendor (remote and didn't want to come to the house) agreed to let me break the padlocks as long as I replaced them and left the keys in the house.  Which I was happy to do, could have been anything in the garage or shed!

Section62

martindow said:

No I don't think you're over-reacting.  Unless this house is being sold as something to be demolished and a new house built on the plot, no electricity is pretty basic. 

I disagree - a house not being lived in for 2 years could have the electric turned off/disconnected for a whole host of reasons.  There's no particular link between having working services and whether or not a property is in a state where demolition is a likely outcome.

I purchased a repossession - it had neither electric or gas, the previous owners hadn't paid the bills so the gas meter had been removed and the supplier had pulled the main fuse on the electric.  Both could have been restored on the day I completed, if I'd wanted.

Equally I know of buildings that needed demolition which had a fully functional electrical supply/installation.  The problem there was getting the power removed before anyone got hurt.

The OP just needs to do a viewing in daytime, with decent torches to see any darker bits.  Then make further enquires about what exactly happened with the electricity, and what it will cost to get the lights back on.

jonnydeppiwish!

The last 2 houses I bought had no electrics on as they were empty. Factored in any potential costs into offer.

ProDave

If the "cupboard" is a standard outside meter box, you just need the standard triangular key that you can buy for pence if you don't have one.

SiliconChip

ProDave said:

If the "cupboard" is a standard outside meter box, you just need the standard triangular key that you can buy for pence if you don't have one.

There is no "standard", if there was then hardware shops wouldn't sell keys with 4 different ends to them (I bought one just last week to leave at my late mum's house when it finally sells). But even that doesn't always work, the electricity box at the house is actually opened by a real key, which we don't have now and I'm not sure was present when the house was bought 12 years ago, but it's easily opened with a flat head screwdriver.

canaldumidi

What does the Land Registry Title show? £3 here.

Is your 'seller' the named owner? If not they might be Executors for a deceased parent etc

What date was the last registration? How long have the sellers owned?

I've never put in an offer without checking the Title first. And Title Plan. Indeed any property I'm really intersted in I'd download the Title before viewing.

eddddy

Could there be a misunderstanding....

Is it a cupboard key that's missing - or is it a prepaid meter key?

With some prepaid meters, you have a key which you take to the Post Office or Paypoint, then you hand over payment and it gets added to the key as credit.


The seller should be able to get a replacement meter key, but I believe you have to set up an account with the supplier first - and a standing charge becomes payable, and is deducted from the credit on the key.

Marvel1

The vendor doesn't have a key for the electric? If you want a report on the electrics, how are they doing to do that?

Sistergold

As a FTB it’s less nerve wrecking to buy a house which can be viewed “in the right light” I think. Other than that make sure you have a good emergency fund for what lurks behind the shadows.