Electrical certificate

slambos

HI, I'm after some advice please. I suspect nothing can be done now as it's way too late but I'll explain regardless...my elderly mother purchased a property in 2019. I did all the paperwork, dealing with solicitors, etc. on her behalf. The seller was an electrician and provided an electrical certificate with no problem. (With hindsight, I realise I should have got one one independently) I had a survey done but it didn't include the electrics and the sale went through. After a few months the electrics kept on tripping so I called the previous owner (we were on friendly terms) and he came round to fix it. Things were okay again for a while then it happened again so he came back round and did a bit more work. Everything seemed ok then for a few of years but then things went wrong again so I called him but he said he was no longer working as an electrician. This was last year and the first electrician I got round said he whole place needed rewiring and there was nothing else he could do. Another, however said he could do some fixes, enough to make sure it 's safe but he could not provide a cert if I wanted one - in his words, 'the electrics are a mess'. I'm now wondering if I have any leg to stand on when it comes to taking action against the seller, due to the elec cert not being valid?    

sammyjammy

Electric certificates are not required for house sales, only rentals.  You are very lucky they helped you at all.

TheJP

There is no obligation for the seller to provide any certification or testing regarding the electrics, it's your responsibility to undertake due diligence before you complete the sale. You have no 'leg' or even the right to take action against the seller. 

I would move on and get the required works done at your own expense and learn from this.

Alderbank

Have you ever heard the saying,'The cobbler's children have no shoes'? There is a lot of truth in it.

But taking action against the seller after 6 years - zero chance for several different reasons.

You might take a little comfort from reflecting that even if everything had been fully compliant back in 2019, that certificate would be out of date and worthless now. 
Since 2019 there have been not one but two updates to BS7671 (formerly known as the IEE wiring regulations), in 2020 and again in 2022.

born_again

Regulations have changed a lot in 6 years.

user1977

Apart from anything else, how would you prove what condition the electrics were in six years ago? 

Albermarle

born_again said:

Regulations have changed a lot in 6 years.

Yes that is true, but I thought an electrical safety certificate can still be issued, even if the wiring is 40 years old as long as it was basically safe .

ansaryon

Albermarle said:

born_again said:

Regulations have changed a lot in 6 years.

Yes that is true, but I thought an electrical safety certificate can still be issued, even if the wiring is 40 years old as long as it was basically safe .

They can and do. I wanted an EV charger installed in 2022 and knew my 70s Wylex fuse board would need replacing. One thing led to another and after £2K of work everything from a new earth rod, bonding, new light fittings and 30m of armoured cable to the shed - everything was up to spec, and I had a shiny EICR certificate to prove it.

The internal wiring still dates from the 70s, mind you!

Mr.Generous

Even a EICR doesn't give a full picture, nowhere near in fact. And as they are valid for 5 years 6 years later ...

They have to check 1 item per circuit as a minimum, then at least 10% of items - so 1 in 10 sockets and lights. Although they check wiring it can fail and insulation break down over time - so 6 years later that could be what has happened.

The seller came and sorted problems FOR FREE after the sale? And you want them to do more now?

Bigphil1474

Just to clarify, the EICR lasts for as long as it lasts - can be anything from 1 to 7 years. 5 Years is typical but not always the case. It usually says when the system needs re-examining on Page 1.