External garage electricity wrongly connected to neighbours supply

[Ematthews]

I have found out that my electricity supply in my external garage is wrongly connected to my neighbours electricity unit in their house and their supply for their garage is connected to the unit in my house.

This seems to have been the case since the house was built in 2005 but it has only become apparent now due to their faulty freezer using about 1 months worth of electricity in one day. We then tested our supplies to the garage and when they switched the RCD switch for the garage it cut power to my garage and in my house I cut the power to their garage.

I don’t know the best way to resolve the issue, the garages are leasehold so we have a management company but I’m not sure they will see it as their issue (I have asked the question).

We are a semi detached house and our electricity boxes in the houses are on either side of the same wall. Same in the garage, they are separated by a wall.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.

 

[westward10]

Is it just the garage.

 

[Vortigern]

as your units are either side of the same wall it sounds easy to swap them, if I have understood you correctly?

 

[Ematthews]

Is it just the garage.

Yes just the garage, no other supply is affected, thanks for your reply

 

[westward10]

Sounds like someone has chucked a couple of cables the wrong side of the wall. Should have been spotted at the testing stage if testing actually took place.

 

[Ematthews]

as your units are either side of the same wall it sounds easy to swap them, if I have understood you correctly?

Yes hopefully, I guess it would mean going through the wall in either the garage or the house?

 

[Ematthews]

Sounds like someone has chucked a couple of cables the wrong side of the wall. Should have been spotted at the testing stage if testing actually took place.

Yes Berkeley Homes built it in 2005 can’t have been tested correctly. They won’t accept any liabilities now it is 18 years since it was built.

 

[westward10]

Yes hopefully, I guess it would mean going through the wall in either the garage or the house?

How are the cables run can you see them or are they dropping in the wall cavity.

 

[Ematthews]

How are the cables run can you see them or are they dropping in the wall cavity.

The cables in the garage are running up the wall from the power sockets to the electricity box. The ones in the house are within the wall cavity

 

[westward10]

So the cables actually run from the sockets to the consumer unit yet they are connected into next door?

 

[Ematthews]

So the cables actually run from the sockets to the consumer unit yet they are connected into next door?

It’s a strange one, the cables run to the consumer units in the garages, however when they have connected that up to the units in the house, they have mixed them up and the wrong garage is connected to the wrong house.

 

[brianmoooore]

Easiest is to swap garages.

 

[catdog1121]

Easiest is to swap garages.

Or swap houses hahaha.. No seriously though you would have all sorts of issues having to sort out land registry etc, will be easier just running two new cables..

 

[westward10]

Doubt you will need new cables it it probably easy to swap, how they never realised what had happened is beyond me.

 

[littlespark]

Hopefully you get along with your neighbour.

Best plan would be to get an electrician in to have a look… it might not be as easy as just moving a couple of cables.

I can’t fathom out how they did it. At no point should the cables from one property enter another.

The number of issues I found just on my street (built 2007) I think I can categorically say that no testing is ever done on a new build.

 

[westward10]

I'm looking at it simplistic that if they are surface wired they must pass through the correct consumer unit through the back and into the other but maybe it isn't that straight forward. Maybe it was done as a joke at the wiring stage hoping it would be noticed when it was tested it just seems too bizarre to be an error, maybe so if all the cables dropped down the same cavity but they don't, they are surface wired.

 

[Mike Johnson]

It’s a strange one, the cables run to the consumer units in the garages, however when they have connected that up to the units in the house, they have mixed them up and the wrong garage is connected to the wrong house.

From your description it would tend to indicated you have a separate unit (CU) in the garage and another (CU) in the house, this would tend to indicate that the mix up was an identification of the supply to the individual garage in the cavity, if so its a simple enough fix.

 

[Ematthews]

Hopefully you get along with your neighbour.

Best plan would be to get an electrician in to have a look… it might not be as easy as just moving a couple of cables.

I can’t fathom out how they did it. At no point should the cables from one property enter another.

The number of issues I found just on my street (built 2007) I think I can categorically say that no testing is ever done on a new build.

Yes get along with them well luckily, we are going to call an electrician today, thanks for your reply

 

[Ematthews]

From your description it would tend to indicated you have a separate unit (CU) in the garage and another (CU) in the house, this would tend to indicate that the mix up was an identification of the supply to the individual garage in the cavity, if so its a simple enough fix.

thanks for your reply, really helpful

 

[Ematthews]

From your description it would tend to indicated you have a separate unit (CU) in the garage and another (CU) in the house, this would tend to indicate that the mix up was an identification of the supply to the individual garage in the cavity, if so its a simple enough fix.

Yes that’s exactly right, thanks for your reply, it’s been very helpful