UK Home Survey question?

[Dunceg]

There's a similar but perhaps more clear cut version of this issue in this thread below:

B

Thread 'My supplier says my meter is installed illegally, how do I rectify this?'

Jan 15, 2025

While in communication with my electricity provider, Octopus, about fitting a smartmeter, and providing photographs, I have been told that my electric meter has been illegally boxed in. The kitchen was professionally fitted 4 years ago with the resulting boxing in of the meter.

Please could you advise the minimum I need to do to make it legal again as I wish to have a smart meter installed, as I am concerned that the current meter may be expired and unsafe.

The shelf that obstructs access is currently easily removable, it rests on a few removable pegs.

How far do I need to cut back the...

• benawhile
• installed meter supplier
• Replies: 14
• Forum: UK Electrical Forum

I don't fully understand why a surveyor working for you should be so insistent that you need to take action on this, unless you are hoping to use his report to inform buyers prior to a sale.

I don't believe there would be anything illegal in you leaving the issue unresolved. It's not as if you are personally responsible for it having arisen. The surveyors reasoning seems to be based on "in case the buyers want to put in a new kitchen". What if they don't? What if they did and their new kitchen fitters were happy to carry on with the existing arrangement (which is likely!).

Since the Surveyor is working for you, I would discuss with him the downside of leaving the installation as it is. Is it really going to put someone off purchasing if they like the house? You can always haggle price, but it seems rash to commit £5K or whatever to rectify something that others may not perceive as a problem.

There's a similar but perhaps more clear cut version of this issue in this thread below:

B

Thread 'My supplier says my meter is installed illegally, how do I rectify this?'

Jan 15, 2025

While in communication with my electricity provider, Octopus, about fitting a smartmeter, and providing photographs, I have been told that my electric meter has been illegally boxed in. The kitchen was professionally fitted 4 years ago with the resulting boxing in of the meter.

Please could you advise the minimum I need to do to make it legal again as I wish to have a smart meter installed, as I am concerned that the current meter may be expired and unsafe.

The shelf that obstructs access is currently easily removable, it rests on a few removable pegs.

How far do I need to cut back the...

• benawhile
• installed meter supplier
• Replies: 14
• Forum: UK Electrical Forum

I don't fully understand why a surveyor working for you should be so insistent that you need to take action on this, unless you are hoping to use his report to inform buyers prior to a sale.

I don't believe there would be anything illegal in you leaving the issue unresolved. It's not as if you are personally responsible for it having arisen. The surveyors reasoning seems to be based on "in case the buyers want to put in a new kitchen". What if they don't? What if they did and their new kitchen fitters were happy to carry on with the existing arrangement (which is likely!).

Since the Surveyor is working for you, I would discuss with him the downside of leaving the installation as it is. Is it really going to put someone off purchasing if they like the house? You can always haggle price, but it seems rash to commit £5K or whatever to rectify something that others may not perceive as a problem.

our issue is different. We are having to sell our late parents home. We’ve accepted an offer and the buyers surveyor has done the survey. On returning the keys to the estate agent it was mentioned a few issues that will go on his report. This one being the biggest issue it seems. The estate agent said we might be keen to sort it?!. I’m assuming the potential purchasers weren’t aware at that point and no further communication as yet has been made (it’s only been a day).
Just putting some feelers out for some advice as to whether we will be forced to change it or not to get this or any other sale through. Obviously my parents have lived with this situation for around 40years and a few kitchens later where the meters position hasn’t ever changed but the cupboards have. So we’re none the wiser there would likely be any issue. I know my parents wouldn’t have been happy to let something go that’s wasn’t legit and more than once. My uncles kitchen has the same placement of the meter.
The post you’ve linked is about access, ours is more that the original backing board which the meter is attached to is attached to a cupboard and not a solid wall, although the cupboard is secure. The original wall (a coal store) was taken down about 40years ago and a kitchen put in its place. The surveyor is concerned in case the new buyers want to change the kitchen. But like you say, maybe they won’t

 

[plugsandsparks]

IMHO, if thats the biggest issue, then the buyers should be delighted for a house of that age. I guess
a. You dont want to alter the kitchen to expose the original service head and meter as was originally installed
b. You dont want to pay for National Grid and meter company to move their equipment somewhere else and also an electrician to connect the tails back to the consumer unit.

I dont believe you are under any obligation but ask your solicitor, if i was buying it would not put me off regardless as to whether i had new kitchen intentions or not.

Storm in a teacup

 

[Avo Mk8]

our issue is different. We are having to sell our late parents home. We’ve accepted an offer and the buyers surveyor has done the survey. On returning the keys to the estate agent it was mentioned a few issues that will go on his report. This one being the biggest issue it seems. The estate agent said we might be keen to sort it?!. I’m assuming the potential purchasers weren’t aware at that point and no further communication as yet has been made (it’s only been a day).
Just putting some feelers out for some advice as to whether we will be forced to change it or not to get this or any other sale through. Obviously my parents have lived with this situation for around 40years and a few kitchens later where the meters position hasn’t ever changed but the cupboards have. So we’re none the wiser there would likely be any issue. I know my parents wouldn’t have been happy to let something go that’s wasn’t legit and more than once. My uncles kitchen has the same placement of the meter.
The post you’ve linked is about access, ours is more that the original backing board which the meter is attached to is attached to a cupboard and not a solid wall, although the cupboard is secure. The original wall (a coal store) was taken down about 40years ago and a kitchen put in its place. The surveyor is concerned in case the new buyers want to change the kitchen. But like you say, maybe they won’t

OK. Thank you for the background.
The post I linked to was really to show how bad access needs to get before it becomes a problem. I don't think your parent's property is in the same position.
There's a list in the NGED customer guidance document in that thread of 'where a service head/meter should not be installed', but in my opinion it doesn't explicitly identify your situation as non-compliant.

Hopefully you feel a little more informed, though as always there's a spectrum of opinions here.
I wish you well with negotiations.

 

[Dunceg]

OK. Thank you for the background.
The post I linked to was really to show how bad access needs to get before it becomes a problem. I don't think your parent's property is in the same position.
There's a list in the NGED customer guidance document in that thread of 'where a service head/meter should not be installed', but in my opinion it doesn't explicitly identify your situation as non-compliant.

Hopefully you feel a little more informed, though as always there's a spectrum of opinions here.
I wish you well with negotiations.

Thanks for your reply and the info. I’ll take a look at NGED document.

 

[Dunceg]

IMHO, if thats the biggest issue, then the buyers should be delighted for a house of that age. I guess
a. You dont want to alter the kitchen to expose the original service head and meter as was originally installed
b. You dont want to pay for National Grid and meter company to move their equipment somewhere else and also an electrician to connect the tails back to the consumer unit.

I dont believe you are under any obligation but ask your solicitor, if i was buying it would not put me off regardless as to whether i had new kitchen intentions or not.

Storm in a teacup

Thanks for your reply. The kitchen layout doesn’t lend itself to putting back as original. The original position was once a coal store. Some people popped a door on the opening which was inline with the front of the house. This created a small utility room behind the door with an internal door to the house the other end. Others (the majority of this style of house - ex council ) popped in a window at the front of the house and then a lintel the other end so to open the space up and fit the u shaped kitchen in. It made sense when people no longer used a coal fire to heat the house. So it’s not possible to put it back as was.
And correct. Don’t want to pay out anymore money (which could end up vast) to correct something that any new owner may not want to change anyway. Obviously if it wasn’t done correctly in the first place and should never have been done that way and should be condemned or is dangerous then that’s different. If every house sold had to be up to date with every regulation no one would buy a house more than a few years old.