Think I upset a 1st time home owner ....

[Octopus]

I had a call from a new home owner today ........ they've just bought their first home. Knowing the area well, I asked them what type of report, if any, they had done before buying (the home probably cost over £375K if not more).

The answer was a visual inspection

Q. what did it say ?

A. It doesn't have an AMD3 fuseboard, and a variety of old and new sockets and switches.

The road was built in the early 1960's so I recommended they had a full survey, specifically to establish the condition of the cabling AND whether or not the lighting circuits have CPC's

oh hum ........... they are about to move in and are planning decorating and furnishings

I turned down the opportunity to go and take a look as I have my hands well and truly full ATM.

So they spend £375K and don't have advice that a full inspection for £250 isn't a sensible idea on this age of property.......... madness.

 

[rolyberkin]

I had someone last week who had an old ceramic fuse board, when I asked to look at the CU they said it was all okay as they had a specialist electrical report done (Probably by Ray Charles Electrical) when they bought it two years ago? No RCD, no bonding present to water or gas, and they were told it was all okay!?

 

[KEV 1 N]

Just tell them to keep spare rolls of wall paper and/or emulsion paint for the rooms they’re gonna decorate, then if/when rewired they can patch up where the chases have been made!

Seems to be a common occurrence, new house, can’t wait to get in and decorate, make it look nice then wonder
“oooh! The lights don’t work properly! And why’s each room only got one socket in?”

 

[pirate]

Ah KEV 1 N, that takes me back to a former life...
estate agents' schedules always commented on the number of sockets in each room...oh, 20 years ago maybe.
2 single sockets=probably needs rewired
10 double sockets=DIY bodge!
The buyers always want to decorate first, rather than start with the dirty, basic, important stuff.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Funniest story I have been told about first time buyers is from a local agent, the couple bought a typical 3 bed semi that was full of hidden issues... old wiring,
it turns out the house had old rubber cables and a lot of original electrical fittings. so to be clever and improve its appeal the seller left the existing old board in the cupboard and put a panel in front, on this panel he mounted a metal CU he bought somewhere with nothing connected to it at all, he did label it i gather... he went round and put new sockets, switches etc on the walls, in some case not even connected anything, just so it looked nice...
he stuck smoke alarms on the ceilings and about the only thing he put up that worked was the light pendants!
the new owners found out as when they went to turn the breaker off for the cooker circuit, it did nothing what so ever and the new cooker didnt come on! the actual cooker outlet was behind some plasterboard in the kitchen...
i gather they tried to sue the seller, but he was very cunning in what he put on the paperwork, and as the house had working power albeit very old cables. I doubt they got far is its buyer beware.. they had no survey... not sure what came of it... Agent said the seller had packed up on gone back to pakistan with his family.

 

[rapparee]

Just tell them to keep spare rolls of wall paper and/or emulsion paint for the rooms they’re gonna decorate, then if/when rewired they can patch up where the chases have been made!

Seems to be a common occurrence, new house, can’t wait to get in and decorate, make it look nice then wonder
“oooh! The lights don’t work properly! And why’s each room only got one socket in?”

So they spend £375K and don't have advice that a full inspection for £250 isn't a sensible idea on this age of property.......... madness.

You have to remember, the average first time buyer is a bit green.

He can't wait to get moved in, so him and his new wife no longer have to pay rent in their current accommodation.

He may also be buying a £375k house, but it isn't as if he is buying it with a ball of cash. He will be in debt to the eyeballs for the next 30 years.

Whenever they choose to buy a house, they aren't looking for sound electrical installations, they're looking for somewhere to raise kids and grow old together.

He is also only starting out on life's journey of negotiating with the big bad world of responsibility and home ownership, probably still needing guidance from both sets of parents.

 

[pirate]

He probably bought the house on a Scheme 1 walk-round valuation too...
Still, why pay a few hundred quid to check it out when you're spending £375k?
Don't start me...you know what I'm like when I speak my mind!

...and for anyone who thinks Gavin JH might be exaggerating, trust me, it's copy-book stuff, right down to the ....

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

...and for anyone who thinks Gavin JH might be exaggerating, trust me, it's copy-book stuff, right down to the ....

HaHa you have similar up your way then do you? fair play to the guy though... I will try and find the guys details as he was wanted in connection with some merry go round vat fraud thing moving stuff around numerous firms to claim the money back.. doubt he will ever step foot back in the uk with his ill gotten gains

 

[pirate]

You won't see him back here in UK...but, oddly enough, his "brother" may turn up at some point...

 

[Squid]

£375K pfffft you need higher achieving customers who can afford a decent electrician like yourself.

 

[Rob99]

It always astonishes me how little time and effort people put in when buying a £400k house. They've probably only been inside twice at most, less than half hour total. They spend more time choosing a new jumper!!

And whilst they'll happily cough £1,000 for the lenders "valuation" because they don't see it as hard cash as its just added to the mortgage, they moan like anything and refuse to pay a few hundred quid for a proper building survey and electrical inspection report.

In the same way that you have to have an MOT on vehicles I think sellers should have to provide a proper report on electrics to confirm its safe.

 

[johnduffell]

So they spend £375K and don't have advice that a full inspection for £250 isn't a sensible idea on this age of property.......... madness.

To be honest you only need a report before hand if you might pull out of the purchase based on the result. Otherwise you're wasting everyone's time/finding excuses to drop the offer.
And if you're spending that much, the electrics would have to be pretty terrible for you to pull out based on something you can't see for yourself.
More important to check for subsidence, illegal loft conversions etc because they can knock >10% value off a house. Bad electrics would be <1% value.

 

[marconi]

Mortgage companies and home insurers should insist on a full installation report before lending or providing cover so they properly assess the risks. After Grenfell, I reckon these requirements are likely to be strong recommendations, certainly for dwellings like blocks of flats with many folk living there.

 

[Octopus]

Anyone buying a pre 1980's house needs to understand that a full EICR is an absolute MUST.

And by FULL I mean a circuit by circuit IR test, none of this global IR carp....

 

[123]

To Be Honest anyone buying a 2018 New Build from the big building companies should get an EICR as a must