How do decide whether to rewire a house?

[1000bicyclesinNanjing]

We are buying a semi-detached built in 1960s. We've been advised to get the consumer unit replaced as it is the original one, but we aren't clear whether we should rewire too or not. If the wiring is unsafe, we would definitely like to rewire, but we don't know how to find this out.

Would this be advised by the surveyor?
Or should we commission an electrical safety check? Who do we contact for this?
Are there any things we could look out for that would suggest whether we need to rewire or not?

If we get the consumer unit replaced and don't rewire and there is an electrical fault, will the new consumer unit stop it being dangerous? In terms of fire or electrocution?

If we don't rewire now, is there any age at which we 'should' rewire routinely?

Also if we are going to rewire should we do this before moving in?

When they put the new consumer unit in, they'll check the wiring to make sure the new flippy fuse switches won't be tripping out all the time.
It's one of the electrical jobs you get an elecsa certificate for with details of all electrical 'features' of your house that don't meet modern standards - is you oven isolator switch in the right place etc...

Make sure you do get a certificate. When I had mine changed the electrician did not give me a certificate and when I chased him, he said it would be an additional £100. The same happened when I had a new kitchen with new electrics.

I’d get an electrician to check it out. If it does need rewriting then do it before you move in. It makes a mess and you’ll probably need a plasterer to make good afterwards.

Does the wiring look modern or is it the old rubber wiring, if it is the old rubber wiring it will most likely need doing but the newer pvc wiring lasts much longer

We recently had a new consumer unit and some additional wiring done and the wiring which was in the house from about 1990 was fine and didn’t need replacing.

I have re wired two different houses both built in the 1970s.

Pros

Loads of sockets for all the things you need sockets for and all in the right places and all with usb connections.

No need for extension leads any where.

Now much easier for us to extend and put in a new kitchen etc

Cons

The dust, the dust, the dust. If you can move out or don't move in!

The cost it can be expensive.

It is so worth it, I re wired and re plastered and the house looks great.

When they put the new consumer unit in, they'll check the wiring to make sure the new flippy fuse switches won't be tripping out all the time.
It's one of the electrical jobs you get an elecsa certificate for with details of all electrical 'features' of your house that don't meet modern standards

Do we book an electrical assessment first and who do we book this with?
Is this something we can do prior to Exchange, or should we wait until we have bought it and then do this before moving in?
We are definitely wanting a new consumer unit, but we aren't sure how to get an opinion on whether new wiring is recommended.
We did get a quote from an Electrician for rewiring and new consumer unit, but he didn't say whether rewiring was recommended or not, just how much it would cost.

Does the wiring look modern or is it the old rubber wiring, if it is the old rubber wiring it will most likely need doing but the newer pvc wiring lasts much longer

How do we find out what the wiring is prior to moving in? Would it be commented on in the survey?

Yes, get an electrical inspection prior to exchange. If the house requires a full rewire you should negotiate over the price, unless it’s already being sold as needing full renovation. An electrical inspection should only be about £100. You will want to have the rewire done before you move in.

I’d get an electrician to check it out. If it does need rewriting then do it before you move in.

We had a quote from an Electrician for new consumer unit and rewiring, but he didn't say whether it was needed or not.

And if it is needed is that from a safety perspective? Or a 'this will malfunction soon and be a faff to fix after you've moved in' perspective?

A friend who has done up a couple of properties said that a modern consumer unit protects you from harm from faulty wiring, but he may have a different approach to risk and safety than us!

@ColonSemiColon

Yes, get an electrical inspection prior to exchange. If the house requires a full rewire you should negotiate over the price, unless it’s already being sold as needing full renovation. An electrical inspection should only be about £100. You will want to have the rewire done before you move in.

Thank you. What kind of professional would do an electrical inspection - a regular electrician? Or is there a specific profession/ company to get this assessed properly? Where to get a good local recommendation from - the surveyor, the agent?

The survey will probably recommend an electrical inspection

Just a normal electrician can do it. The estate agent might be able to make a recommendation or try asking friends locally?

Ask whether they did an electrical condition report whilst they were looking at the consumer unit. This tells you if the wiring is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If unsatisfactory they give you a list of what needs correcting.

If the house was built in the 1960s and has never been rewired it is possible that the insulation on the wires is rubber. This perishes and needs to be replaced for your safety. PVC insulation become common in the late 60s and might still be fine 50 years later. Get an electrical inspection. Of course other regulations and standards have changed; before the mid 60s, for example, you weren't required to have an earth on lighting circuits.
If you don't need to rewire you can get an electrician to install loads of new circuits with relatively little damage and disruption.

You will need an EICR mainly because any electrician replacing a consumer unit will need to take on responsibility for those circuits and they will be tested after. Your certificate will cover things like rcd trip times but also earth loop impedances and insulation resistance testing and ring impedances. The electrician wont issue the certificate unless these are good.

I rewired my own house (then got an electrician to certify it by testing the circuits and fitting a new consumer unit) and it is messy you want to do it when you are redecorating the whole house. Dont expect all sockets in the same room to be linked logically. And it is expensive.

If 1960's and original wiring check for green goo in the sockets likewise get a full EICR done so you know where you stand. Likely i would rewire before decorating.

Do it before you move in. MUCH dust.

1960's will not have enough sockets, and will probably have no earth on the lighting circuit.

It might not have a separate lighting circuit for each floor, and a separate socket circuit for each floor, and a separate kitchen circuit, which I would now consider essential.

Any old switches and sockets will be due for replacement. It may have junction boxes in hidden places.

Outdoor sockets and lights are probably unsafe

The earthing and bonding are probably unsatisfactory

The cable may be rubber or lead, and long overdue for replacement.

it probably has a multiplicity of DIY upgrades and modifications, some of which may be acceptable.

You would do well to get on with having it rewired now. It will be much harder once you have decorated and carpeted.

If (when) defects are found during replacement of the CU, they will all have to be rectified, so you would do better to have the work planned in advance.

Remember to get more sockets and appliance outlets in the kitchen and utility than you could have believed possible.

We were in the same position, a modern main board would just flip all the time so it’s rewire or nothing.

The mortgage company wanted a retention based on a rewire and a few other things but then backed down when we offered to just increase the deposit to cover the retention or go elsewhere (the other things were bonkers).

We will rewire the place but not until getting a load of other work done simultaneously.

We had our house rewired in February. What kicked it all off was trying to get an LED light wired into the loft but the Spark couldn't make it live because there were too many faults.
Do a bit of research into local companies who also do full residential rewires and get one of those companies to do the EICR. If they determine it needs a full rewire (or a partial rewire) then you can invite them back to quote for the job. Having done the EICR they will know the property already and hopefully give you an accurate price. Get at least 4 quotes and ask around for recommendations. Choose one that has a lot of good reviews on different trusted trader type schemes. It is expensive but worth it to spend a bit extra on a company that will do it quickly and correctly. Make sure to confirm whether the quote includes plastering. You may have to source a plasterer yourself which will add expense and another day or so plus drying time before you can redecorate.

And I cannot emphasise just how much dust and upheaval a rewire causes. We are still hoovering dust out of places and belongings even though we covered and sealed everything. Doing it while the property is empty is the best for everyone concerned!!

@PigletJohn Has given the best advice yet. Don't underestimate the number of bodges, spurs and DIY hacks over the years.

I wish this had been nearer the top of our list! Not all our wiring is chased in, and I hate it. We have managed with more acceptable looking quarter round plastic trunking, but it's something I wouldn't overlook again.

We've had a new consumer unit and the walls replastered, so it's not really an option for us. We've had the wiring checked, and its "acceptable" if unusually done, but I wish it's something we'd sorted properly initially.

We have had an Eicr done recently and it passed. (a new circuit board
was fitted 2 years prior to that) Eicr valid 5 years
The reality is that with 1960.s electrics the electrician told us that
when the property is sold it would have to be rewired ideally.
The main problem we found is getting a decent electrician
Even the registered ones try it on.
Avoid Checkatrade

We had our 1969 house rewired almost 2 years ago. The original wiring consisted of 1 socket in each room and green goo leaking out some of the sockets as the wiring was breaking down. I was quite shocked when all 3 electricians that came to quote said easiest way to do it was to take down the downstairs ceilings! Drastic, but they were right. Downstairs had awful 80's style artex anyway (we had this tested for asbestos prior to removing) As we were living in the house at the time, taking the ceilings down meant less disruption upstairs, as we didn't have to move furniture to lift carpets. They basically put all the cables in the ceiling cavity, went up to fit all the upstairs sockets and down for the downstairs ones. Downstairs lighting ring done at the same time, upstairs lights rewird in the loft. We then had minimal repair work to do upstairs, downstairs we plasterboarded the ceilings ourselves, they had everywhere replastered.

Cannot tell you how messy the whole process was, it was tough to live with, if you can, do it before you move in. The plus side, is we now have lovely smooth ceilings downstairs, plenty of sockets, usb sockets, led lights, house is much more user friendly and future proof.

The pics give you an idea of the day we took down the ceilings, we did this over the weekend, the electricians started on the Monday. And also the downward channeling out.