If you own your home how often do you do an electrical inspection? Is that even a thing?

[Bagelsandbrie]

I went to read our electric meter today and I noticed on the electrical board that there’s a little sticker saying next inspection due Jan 2021. We’ve lived here since 2011 and had the electrics tested / checked when we moved in but it never occurred to me that we’d need to do it again - I thought you just fixed things as and when you needed to. But the little sticker has got me wondering. Do people really do this? Or is it just if you’re a landlord type thing?

People probably don’t. Landlord need eicr before letting. Not sure when, you will soon need an eicr before selling.

You could arrange a test with an electrician if you want one.

@DustyMaiden

People probably don’t. Landlord need eicr before letting. Not sure when, you will soon need an eicr before selling.

You could arrange a test with an electrician if you want one.

Thank you, as I suspected then.

I don’t really want to have to pay for one, but I want to be safe. I wondered if it was like an annual boiler service type thing (which I do) as in needing to make sure the house doesn’t explode type thing.

I’m guessing by the lack of replies most people don’t bother…!!

I've got a similar sticker (newish build - eight years old) and when I got an electrician in to do a job very recently I asked him about it. He said it probably wasn't worth doing unless the system hadn't been installed properly in the first place. He wouldn't just inspect the consumer unit in isolation to the rest - he'd have to check the electrics in every room and it would cost abut £200. He gave the impression that it seemed superfluous to normal requirements. I expect it's due to Health and Safety regulations.

@prettyteapotsplease

I've got a similar sticker (newish build - eight years old) and when I got an electrician in to do a job very recently I asked him about it. He said it probably wasn't worth doing unless the system hadn't been installed properly in the first place. He wouldn't just inspect the consumer unit in isolation to the rest - he'd have to check the electrics in every room and it would cost abut £200. He gave the impression that it seemed superfluous to normal requirements. I expect it's due to Health and Safety regulations.

Thanks very much.

We've just done ours. Our flat is 14 years old and we're on the market so wanted to make sure everything was in working order (mostly with the fire alarm system).

I think the check was £320 for us (London) but he needs to do some work from what he found.

We have to every 10 years for insurance purposes

You don't have to do it, there's nothing that needs periodic servicing or inspection like there is in a boiler or a car.

There is a requirement to have it checked every 10 years (according to the electrician who rewired our house last year). I don’t know how strict a requirement this is, but it might have insurance implications I suppose. So I’ll be checking ours in 9 years from now.

Curious!

I’ve checked our home insurance documents just now and there’s nothing in there about it. (The replies made me worried I’d missed something). So maybe it’s just for specific insurance companies / policies. Or maybe it’s just an assumption that you’d do it?!

If you have British Gas Homecare Option 4, they can inspect/check electricity in your house for free

You are meant to have it done every ten years but I don't think it's widely known and is only a recommendation and it isn't in our house insurance but is likely in some. Usually it's something that comes up when house is for sale unless you have to have electrical work done for any reason.

I had ours done when the date on the 10 year sticker came round. It was £200 for the whole house. Worth it for peace of mind really, although nothing major came up (just that the fire detectors needed to be replaced as they were 10 years old)

We have a fairly new consumer unit, I didn't know there was a sticker on it, I must have a look, it is in a small low cupboard though so probably hard to spot.

It’s not a thing that’s done as routine

It’s not something I would think of doing. But this is the sort of thing my husband does and thinks is important. So we had one a few months ago. Turns out the guy who did it. Labelled everything which has made everything easier.

My dh always does services on a car where I wouldn’t bother