Surveyors flag electrical installations for further investigation as a matter of routine, because testing is outside their scope. If the wiring's condition affects your offer, the only way to know is a proper inspection before exchange.
What to look at on a viewing
You can learn a surprising amount in five minutes without touching anything.
- The consumer unit: rewireable fuses, or modern protective devices?
- Socket count and whether extension leads are everywhere
- Round-pin sockets, braided flex or brown bakelite accessories
- Any certificates the vendor can produce, and their dates
- Evidence of DIY additions in garages, lofts and gardens
Commissioning a pre-purchase inspection
A pre-purchase electrical inspection gives you a condition report with test results. If it comes back unsatisfactory, you have a costed basis for renegotiation instead of a vague worry. If it comes back satisfactory, you have removed an unknown.
Budgeting for the first year
Common first-year items are a consumer unit change, additional sockets so the house suits how you live, and lighting updates. Knowing which of these are safety-driven and which are preference is exactly what a report gives you.
Common questions
- Can you inspect before exchange?
- Yes, subject to the vendor granting access and the supply being on.
- Will the report help renegotiate?
- It gives you documented, costed findings, which is a far stronger position than an estimate.
- Is a rewire always needed in an older house?
- No. Plenty of older properties have been partially rewired and test well.
- How long does the inspection take?
- Typically half a day for a family home, subject to access.
Booking before exchange is tight but usually possible — tell us your timeline.
Related guides
- Electrical Condition Survey: What It Is and When to Get OneWhen people ask for an electrical condition survey, what they almost always need is an Electrical Installation Condition Report, the formal inspection and test of existing wiring.
- EICR Codes C1, C2, C3 and FI ExplainedFour codes decide whether your report is satisfactory and what you must do next.
- Rewiring Period and Character PropertiesIn a period property the wiring is the easy part; getting to it without damage is the job.
- What Affects the Cost of a Consumer Unit UpgradeTwo identical-looking boards can be very different jobs once the cover comes off.