Selling my Property

[Anthony Lewis]

Hi Sorry if this question is long winded and please tell me to leave the group if I am not supposed to be here.

I am selling my property at the moment the property is 9 years old.

The buyer has had an electrical survey done on the property of which as yet I have not seen the report.

Every correspondent he has made since the survey he has mentioned that the electrics are a risk and unsafe and says that £2000 would fix it. As yet he has not asked for £2000 to be taken off the property but I can see where it is going and believe that at some point this will happen.

Is there any information that will say that you do not have to retrospectively meet government guidelines and that just because a property is not current it does not mean that the property is unsafe.

Any website or direction for my to find information about this would be gratefully recieved.

Many thanks

 

[Pete999]

Personally, I think your 1st course of action would be to ask to see, or even ask for a copy of the assumed electrical problems with your House, it maybe true that you have some defects, but until you can see the evidence in the form of an EICR Electrical Installation Condition Report, which by rights would be signed by the Electrician undertaking the EICR.

It may be that the installation does not comply with the current IET Regulations Requirements for Electrical Installations BS7671:2008.

This does not mean that your installation is unsafe, judging from your post, your house was buit therefor wired in 2007 wired in tune with the 16th Edition BS7671, and therefor deemed compliant with that Document, ask to see the report, and take it from there, good luck.

 

[Wilko]

Hi Anthony, welcome to the forum. Pete has said it all. Most likely a negotiation try on.

 

[Midwest]

Depends on if anybody has been 'meddling' with the electrics since the house was built! That said, some small properties can be rewired for £2000, so fixing something for £2000 seems a lot. Whilst waiting for the EICR, you could post a picture of your fuseboard as a starter.

 

[Anthony Lewis]

Thank you everyone I have also been in contact with the IEE and although he could not send me a copy he read a couple of paragraphs from BS7671200 amendment 3 which seems to say it all. which basically says that older properties will not be unsafe.

 

[Midwest]

:mamazed:
Sorry, didn't see the 'not' unsafe

 

[Anthony Lewis]

thats okay but can't find the standard online are they not allowed to be published

 

[Flanders]

You can not fail and electrical installation quoting regulations that were made after the electrical installation was designed , but you can quote improvements that can be made , but you should still get a satisfactory report, unless the installation was not installed correctly in the first place or alterations have been made that are unsafe, if you have the original electrical installation certificate that may help

 

[telectrix]

if you house was built prior to 2008, i't's probable that cables buried in walls < 50mm deep have not got RCD protection. this came in with 17th ed. 2008. it would not give rise to an unsatisfactory EICR. any road, upgrading a couple of things to meet later regs. won't cost anywhere near £2000 unless ther eare serious defects.

 

[Pete999]

The Standard you refer to, is BS7671 I assume that is what you are referring to, this document cost around £70 and is used mostly by Electricians, not something you can just pick up and find the answer, most Electricians sometime have difficulty in navigating it, get hold of the EICR and post it on the forum, someone will be able to pass judgment.

 

[Anthony Lewis]

Pete999 sorry I did not fully read your original answer sorry been a stressful day thank you that sounds like the answer I was looking for.

 

[The Ghost]

Is your house under NHBC scheme ?

 

[Risteard]

which basically says that older properties will not be unsafe.

It absolutely does not state that. How could it?

It states that an installation wired to a previous Edition of the Regulations MAY NOT necessarily be unsafe. But it also might be. That's where the periodic inspection and testing comes in.

 

[Risteard]

You can not fail and electrical installation quoting regulations that were made after the electrical installation was designed

I don't agree. If there is a serious safety defect which is now known about then it is in no way relevant that it was allowed at the time it was installed. That's why there are differing severities of observations depending on how severely it will adversely affect the safety of the installation.

Do you believe that fusing of the neutral conductor is acceptable if it was installed at a time when this practice was permitted?

 

[Anthony Lewis]

he is stating that we are not compliant with current British standards and that because of this we are unsafe. he has said that the £2000 would bring the electrics back to current standards. He said never said they are faulty.

 

[Risteard]

he is stating that we are not compliant with current British standards and that because of this we are unsafe. he has said that the £2000 would bring the electrics back to current standards. He said never said they are faulty.

Without knowing specifically what aspects of the current British Standard 7671 he is stating is not complied with then we cannot give a definitive answer. I would suggest to the prospective buyer that you wish to see the Report if possible. (Although I suppose there is no obligation for him to oblige.)

 

[telectrix]

bet he's condemning it for a plastic CU, and non-compliance with 522 .6.101. if that's all, it's a C3 at worst.

 

[FatAlan]

If it not unsafe he's just trying to knock the price down. Depends how much he wants to buy and how much you want to sell. I'd want to see the report before putting a valuation on any work.

 

[Pete999]

Pete999 sorry I did not fully read your original answer sorry been a stressful day thank you that sounds like the answer I was looking for.

You are welcome mate no worries, sounds to me as if your buyer is trying to get £2K off the asking price, call his bluff and ask for the EICR certificate, bet he hasn't got one.

 

[Midwest]

Think its called 'negotiation'. Most estate agents ( ) will tell you to offer £XXXX under the asking price, just cos the property been on the market for few weeks too many. Depends on impatient you are to sell and how eager the buyer is to complete.