Buying House - advice needed on full rewire

[oksamurai]

Hi all, I would really appreciate some advice, I have had a survey done on a property I want to buy, and the Surveyor has advised that even though all the sockets and lighting work perfectly, I should get an electrical inspection done as the electrics look old and dated. From the picture I've included what are peoples opinions, are the electrics that bad ?

Anyway, moving on. I'm reluctant to pay £250ish for a PIR or ECIR inspection as I get the feeling any electrical inspection will just state a full rewire is recommended due to the dated electrics in the property, so I'd rather bite the bullet and put that amount towards the cost of getting the whole house rewired for my own peace of mind.

My problem is, as there is a detached garage on the property with electricity, if I opt for a full rewire does it mean I automatically have to update the electrics in the Garage as well in order to comply with any regulations, as Ideally I would prefer to leave the garage well alone to save a bit of money. If anybody knows the answer that would be great.

Thanx all in advance.

 

[telectrix]

the answer is impossible to give on a forum. you'd need at least a visual inspection with a few tests being done to determine the state of the cables etc. if it were me, i'd do an EICR for around £150 -£200. this charge would be deducted from a full rewire cost if i was doing it. a discount of part of the cost if it was a CU change and a bit of upgrading.

 

[oldtimer]

Save your money get a full rewire as it looks really old plus its the best time to bring the house up to standard ie buy it and whilst its empty get it sorted get extra power points and then forget about it

 

[robsparky1975]

Looking at that 1 picture alone,it would appear that the wiring may be 1970s maybe older in parts,without doing a test on it we can only assume,if its empty then perhaps would be a good time to rewire,the wiring may still have some years in it yet,just some upgrading perhaps.If you are not prepared to pay for a check to be done then i would just advise a bit of haggling of the sale price with the vendor with any money you are able to get down put towards upgrades/alterations.

 

[Engineer54]

Beggars belief on here sometimes!! I bet you've already planned/scheduled in a new kitchen, costing in the thousands, so why not include a full rewire in that cost. Don't scrimp on safety, it has a bad habit of coming back and biting you're arse??


If the electrics are that bad, the mortgage lender won't give you the full mortgage value until such work is completed. As such, it's in your best interest to bring this subject up with the vendors, as being a justified reason for renegotiation of the properties asking price...

 

[driverman]

If surrounding properties are of the same age as your property, ask your neighbours if any of them have had rewires etc. Best to get all sorted out now whilst house empty and done to your needs/ requirements. Why get all settled in decorated etc. then discover problems later and have to undo everything. Get ECIR done, refund if work carried out.

 

[Octopus]

So why don't you spend £200.00 on a proper EICR, and IF it recommends a rewire, then you could arrange a discount off the price you have agreed of say £2K??

So back to the OP, allow at least £1K per bedroom to approx cost the rewire, plus more for fancy LED downlights etc.

By the way where is "The Shire"?

 

[Steve Mann]

Tbh any property I buy where the wiring is over 30 year of age I rewire as I like to bring the install to my own spec and requirements many people spend thousands decorating and having fancy kitchen , bathrooms to find a few years later the need a rewire or want lots of additions ie lots more sockets light ect always pays to have this done before any projects you have planned .

 

[Tiny Spark]

The "Shire" Usually refers to Shropshire but can apply to any shire I guess LOL

 

[MDJ]

looks very dated, however as 2 or 3 of the established members here suggested I would consider a check which should be around £150-£200, you may find that a DB change is all that's required, However do not be surprised if a rewire is recommended.

 

[brman]

I'd be having a word with the people selling the properly. Suggest they drop the price by £xxxx to help cover your costs in rewiring it. When they object then suggest they could always pay for a electrical condition report to prove to you that it isn't necessary

Either way, whether a report suggests a rewire of not it should clearly say what is wrong with the installation, along with severity so you can make your own mind up whether to take the advise or just fix the things that are necessary (basically all the C1 and C2 observations).

 

[brman]

The "Shire" Usually refers to Shropshire but can apply to any shire I guess LOL

there was me thinking it was where the hobbits live.......... :lol:

 

[telectrix]

kamikazi will know this for sure.

 

[Stuuk1]

Just get it re-wired.

Get a sparky around to price it up (free estimate). Dangle the carrot anyway and the estimate should be free...

Whatever the estimate is, get it knocked off the price of the house, then it hasn't cost you anything.

 

[davethsparky]

That sounds like a good idea. I personally love taking the time to properly discuss and estimate a job only to find at the end of it the client was just 'dangling the carrot' as you put it.
Nothing like a good timewaster to pay the bills.

 

[Farmelectrics]

Yes try and get the people selling it to get an eicr done as part of the sale

 

[Dcf]

That sounds like a good idea. I personally love taking the time to properly discuss and estimate a job only to find at the end of it the client was just 'dangling the carrot' as you put it.
Nothing like a good timewaster to pay the bills.

Yes indeed. There is enoughs time wasting arses out there already, thinking you should be grateful for the chance to even quote.

 

[oksamurai]

Thanx for your reply, just to quickly quiz you on something, as there is a detached garage on the property with electricity, if I need a full rewire, does it mean I automatically have to update the electrics in the Garage as well in order to comply with any regulations, as Ideally I would prefer to leave the garage well alone to save a bit of money.

 

[telectrix]

if the electrics in the garage are safe for continued use, then they can be left alone, as long as RCD protection is there to comply with current regs ( this RCD can be part of the house rewire )

 

[oksamurai]

Thankyou for your help. Good to know. It's really hard knowing what's allowed and what's not allowed under regs.

 

[oldtimer]

Thanx for your reply, just to quickly quiz you on something, as there is a detached garage on the property with electricity, if I need a full rewire, does it mean I automatically have to update the electrics in the Garage as well in order to comply with any regulations, as Ideally I would prefer to leave the garage well alone to save a bit of money.

Dont take this the wrong way but your attitude of saving a bit o money reflects the mentality with the general public who would rather spend £50 a month to valet the car or buy that 50" TV than get their electrics sorted so do yourself a favor and negotiate money off from the sale of the house and invest it back in to getting the place rewired properly and remember cheap does not mean best

 

[Gaz82]

OP, did you manage to renegotiate the price with seller? If any use I had the same issue as you and basically gave mine the option of sorting out the rewiring themselves to bring the house up to regulatory standards and made safe for habitation or dropping the price accordingly to reflect me taking it onboard and seeing to the problem. Also you should get the garage sorted as well at the same time, get all of the work factored into the quote now.

Maybe you can try this route as I found offering options put me in a favorable position.

 

[oksamurai]

OP, did you manage to renegotiate the price with seller? If any use I had the same issue as you and basically gave mine the option of sorting out the rewiring themselves to bring the house up to regulatory standards and made safe for habitation or dropping the price accordingly to reflect me taking it onboard and seeing to the problem. Also you should get the garage sorted as well at the same time, get all of the work factored into the quote now.

Maybe you can try this route as I found offering options put me in a favorable position.

Thanx a lot for your advice and interest, at the moment everything's caught up in red tape due to the mortgage valuation. Will need to get that sorted before deciding how to proceed with the electrics.

 

[danzor]

Thanx for your reply, just to quickly quiz you on something, as there is a detached garage on the property with electricity, if I need a full rewire, does it mean I automatically have to update the electrics in the Garage as well in order to comply with any regulations, as Ideally I would prefer to leave the garage well alone to save a bit of money.

I don't know what garage you have but I'm guessing a couple of sockets, light and a switch? In the whole grand scheme of things is a couple of extra hundred ££'s going to really rock the boat?

One should never assume I guess

 

[Dalf]

I've the same. Just brought a house. Survey come back with electrical check needed. Luckily I'm an electrician and questioned how this has been picked up. Brand new dual rcd fuseboard all bonding up together. In fact I went round and did a test so I could do a cert and the vendor said he didn't even open the cupboard to look at fuseboad, yet he advised they keep a £2.5k retention.

 

[Guitarist]

Most electricians will be able to tell you the general state of the wiring without a full EICR. You may have to pay for some testing, but it doesn't have to be hundreds.
Regarding the garage, if I'm rewiring a property, it all gets done. No point doing half a job.

 

[bigbaddave]

Suggest they pay for the EICR or at least go halfers.. A decent good quality EICR will tell you a lot about the instalation... And if you shop around dont go for the £80 jobs from bill from the pub.. You may as well stick the £80 up your bottom for what it will tell you..

 

[Guitarist]

With the greatest respect to all you guys, I wouldn't have to carry out a full EICR before deciding somewhere needs rewiring.
I know it's hard to find the right electrician, as some will inevitably be touting for work, but a visual and some basic testing by a good and experienced electrician will give you a very good idea whether it's that bad.

 

[Stuuk1]

That sounds like a good idea. I personally love taking the time to properly discuss and estimate a job only to find at the end of it the client was just 'dangling the carrot' as you put it.
Nothing like a good timewaster to pay the bills.

Life goes on.

 

[sparky351355]

So why don't you spend £200.00 on a proper EICR, and IF it recommends a rewire, then you could arrange a discount off the price you have agreed of say £2K??

So back to the OP, allow at least £1K per bedroom to approx cost the rewire, plus more for fancy LED downlights etc.

By the way where is "The Shire"?

its in middle earth not for from rivendale and a couple of days by elvish horse from mawdor, One does not simply walk into mawdor.

 

[sparky351355]

With the greatest respect to all you guys, I wouldn't have to carry out a full EICR before deciding somewhere needs rewiring.
I know it's hard to find the right electrician, as some will inevitably be touting for work, but a visual and some basic testing by a good and experienced electrician will give you a very good idea whether it's that bad.

lets all be honest here , looking at that pic , 3036 fuses probably getting up to 40 years old it looks like a rewire all day long but a quick half an hour by any decent spark will verify this.!