Advice following EICR

[davidp40]

The buyer of my house has had an EICR done. I have anonymized and attached. Also the associated quote for remediation.

I am wondering:

• surely the smoke detectors are nothing to do with it (plus, this is not a rental property anyway)
• it's not clear to me why the CU has to be replaced
• a lot of the proposed work seems to lack an explanation in the report. Do these reports normally have no explanatory notes?

Also, there is no underfloor heating as far as I know.

I'm thinking I might get a "second opinion" EICR from another qualified electrician. Then ask for a quote separately.

I'd be grateful for any opinions.

 

[pc1966]

That looks very poor. Some things are genuine C2 problems like a cracked socket, but the lack of testing and no explanations is not impressive. I don't know the sort of prices charged in your area, but it also looks a bit expensive to me.

I would definitely get a 2nd option and maybe there is someone on this forum near you who can offer services.

As background reading, the free download for Best Practice Guide #4 has a lot of useful guidance and is mostly understandable to non-electricians:

Best Practice Guides | Electrical Safety First

Electrical Safety First produces, in association with other industry bodies, a range of Best Practice Guides which provide definitive information and guidance on a range of technical subjects.

www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

 

[snowhead]

I wouldn't bother with another EICR.
The report will be / is being used as a bargaining tool to get a price reduction.

It's all down to how much are you prepared to reduce the price, at the moment the buyer will want £2500.
How desperate are you to sell, how many other offers have there been, has this buyer made an offer?

Are they then going to have the heating system surveyed and want a new boiler and radiators (if it is gas heating)
Or Extra insulation and the house making airtight to current building regs and want even more discount?

If you had another EICR and quote that came in at say £1200, then the buyer is going to be suspicious and still want £2500 or close and you'll have spent the extra cost of the EICR.

 

[littlespark]

The quote is poor as well. It shouldn’t have all the C2 and C3 bundled into one price.

The biggest cost is a new CU, and that’s not needed, only recommended.

The smokes… you could buy your own and fit them to the existing bases. But you are right in saying they don’t actually come under the remit of an EICR.
They should, however, have been noted on the circuit chart as equipment vulnerable to damage when testing.


Someone will buy at the price you want, in the state it’s in now. They’ll be wanting you to pay for the EICR they ordered as well, no doubt.

 

[Vortigern]

So what? Why are they showing this to you anyway? Looks like they have a lot of work to do when they have completed the purchase. Personally I would not entertain such a gambit to get a reduction. I would stick to the price, take or leave it. Caveat Emptor!

 

[Dustydazzler]

As Above

the price is the price 'sold as seen'

no discount , no money off

 

[davidp40]

The buyer of my house has had an EICR done. I have anonymized and attached. Also the associated quote for remediation.

I am wondering:

• surely the smoke detectors are nothing to do with it (plus, this is not a rental property anyway)
• it's not clear to me why the CU has to be replaced
• a lot of the proposed work seems to lack an explanation in the report. Do these reports normally have no explanatory notes?

Also, there is no underfloor heating as far as I know.

I'm thinking I might get a "second opinion" EICR from another qualified electrician. Then ask for a quote separately.

I'd be grateful for any opinions.

Many thanks for the replies so far.

Can anyone clarify why a replacement CU is needed, and whether this is a C2 or C3? Is this the C2 at Part 10 8.3? If so, what's wrong with the enclosure?

 

[pirate]

Don't waiver! The price is the price, and the value of the property is "as is".
I know...surveyors don't know much about electrics, but the fact remains that if the purchasers want the house, they should pay whatever price they deem appropriate without using external reports like an EICR to drop the price. Sure, if there is a mining report that damns the place, that is completely different, and should have been reflected in the asking price, but relatively minor stuff should be ignored.
In a previous life when I was involved in property in a number of ways, I was constantly bombarded by prospective purchasers saying they wanted to put in a new bathroom/kitchen/double glazing whatever, to "bring it up to our standards", so thus they wanted to offer £20k less than the asking price. Basically, they wanted the seller to pay for the improvements, even though it was them, the buyers, who would actually get the benefit of the works. I always said that the valuation was based on the property "as is" and if it had had all those works done, the price would have been correspondingly higher.
One time, a guy I was representing had bought an old miners cottage which had an ancient solid-fuel heating system. He complained within the then normal timescale of 7 days , that the system didn't work and it was condemned by a heating engineer. The old couple who sold the house were in their late 80s and had moved into care. My guy insisted that I pursue a claim for compensation, and after many letters to the sellers' solicitors they eventually agreed to pay £500 towards a new heating system. I called my guy with the good news and said "Now you can get a new system installed, so that's good!"
He said "Ha! No way was I keeping that old system...I had a new one installed 2 days after I got the keys! I just thought it was worth trying to get some cash from the sellers!"
I sent him the cash, less my fees and VAT for the course of correspondence, phone calls etc, and IIRC the cheque I sent was for about £17...served him right, IMHO!
OK, it's fine to haggle a bit, but to do so when you have already factored the cost of improvements into your final offer price, please don't take the pi$$...
Rant over!

 

[snowhead]

Can anyone clarify why a replacement CU is needed, and whether this is a C2 or C3? Is this the C2 at Part 10 8.3? If so, what's wrong with the enclosure?

Re the C.U, it's stated on the Quote as C.3 and not to current regs, so advisory more than anything

 

[James]

part 10 8.3 is probabley the damaged socket

it is a poor report with little in the way of explanatory notes. so anyone's guess really.

I cant figure out what is wrong with the socket that is shown off the wall with the cables looking neat and well terminated.

 

[snowhead]

I cant figure out what is wrong with the socket that is shown off the wall with the cables looking neat and well terminated.

Is it something to do with ITEM 15 No earth bonding for metal clad accessories throughout - Bonding required.
Earths not linked in socket, if required and or is it a type of socket where the faceplate is only connected to one earth terminal or??

Can't be no link to backbox.

 

[James]

Is it something to do with ITEM 15 No earth bonding for metal clad accessories throughout - Bonding required.
Earths not linked in socket, if required and or is it a type of socket where the faceplate is only connected to one earth terminal or??

Can't be no link to backbox.

with the quality of the report, it could be any or none of them, i suspect it is just a bit of bull and they are showing no fly lead to back box.

 

[James]

and circuit 2
3 radials off a 16A breaker
C2, potentially dangerous????

why is it that none of these poor EICR reports ever have the guy that did it pipe up in the thread and justify why they have coded it as such?

 

[freddo]

That's quite poor only testing 2 of the circuits with such a small consumer unit. I would have aimed to test most of that installation with as few limitations as possible.

The dude has quite a unique name and a search bought up his website quickly. He appears to had been working in the trade for some years now. I was expecting newly qualified looking at that inspection certificate.

 

[Markyd]

part 10 8.3 is probabley the damaged socket

it is a poor report with little in the way of explanatory notes. so anyone's guess really.

I cant figure out what is wrong with the socket that is shown off the wall with the cables looking neat and well terminated.

I think the Lone Ranger sorry i meant Sparky is saying that the sockets need a fly lead to back box yippeee kiii aaaa

 

[Markyd]

I dont suppose there was any chance he was related to the Buyers

 

[swaRRR]

So what? Why are they showing this to you anyway? Looks like they have a lot of work to do when they have completed the purchase. Personally I would not entertain such a gambit to get a reduction. I would stick to the price, take or leave it. Caveat Emptor!

100% this. To me, getting the EICR done is just to know what you're going to have to do to the place once you've bought it.

People do try to use it as a bargaining tool but i'd tell them to sling it.

If they are bothered enough that they've had this done and then make an offer, play hardball. They're not going to not buy their dream home for say £200k because they've got to spend £2.5k on a rewire at some point.

The price for my house was £X. I didn't try to negotiate 10 grand off for the windows that needed replacing, or 8 grand for the new kitchen i've had to put in, or 2 grand for the bathroom, or the grand for the rewire. You buy it, your problem as far as i'm concerned.

I put my Mondeo up for £650. Some guy on facebook offered me £400 straight away. I accepted. The car was in a mess, bodywork very poor covered in dents, scrawps, scrapes, dings. Brakes needed doing. Exhaust was rattling and needed pinning back up. All this was in the advert and i told him about it in the message before he came to get it.

He gets here, test drives it, and then tries to knock me down to £200 because of 'all the stuff i've gotta do to get it right' it's like howay mate you're gonna break it you're not reselling it as a driveable car.

He walked off after i told him the condition of the car was taken into account when i accepted £400 and i wouldn't budge. 10 mins after leaving he messaged me and paypal'd me the full lot.

When someone wants something enough to warrant making an offer, play hardball, they will most often not walk away.

 

[UNG]

Why is it that some people doing EICR's don't apparently proof read them before releasing them to the customer as you never know where they will turn up

That is one very poor and meaningless EICR and I would have to question whether the person carrying it out has the necessary knowledge and experience to be doing EICR's and the quote with no price breakdown of the individual items makes it look like the final figure was plucked out of the air to be somewhere close to a nice round figure

It is definitely a 50% EICR
There are 9 "see observations and pictures" yet there are only 4 pictures appended to the document
Only 3 circuits shown on the schedule of circuits and tests and only 2 tested
Did he do this with only one eye open as well

Although he is registered with the NICEIC I was wondering why he was using green certs but he is only registered as a domestic installer which may explain the lack of competence displayed

 

[loz2754]

but he is only registered as a domestic installer

Good point. The NICEIC rules don't allow domestic installers to do EICRs using their branding and logo.

 

[kropaske]

Good point. The NICEIC rules don't allow domestic installers to do EICRs using their branding and logo.

They do but additional assessment is needed (more money). You will then be listen on Rented Sector Scheme and CPS as able to do inspections.
Of course that does not change the fact that this eicr is full of carp