House I’m purchasing failed EICR, what now?

[User69371527]

I haven’t got the detailed report yet from the electrician- am assuming I’ll get more than was on the invoice which reads -

DESCRIPTION AMOUNT
Carried out EICR. Connected main bonding to water.
The installation has not achieved a satisfactory certificate.
I would make the following recommendations
Replace all old downlights,
Replace worn fittings,
Secure electrical fittings,
Upgrade consumer unit
Further investigate outside floor lights which currently trip electric if used
Reconnect light fittings
Estimate to carry out this work is £1600+VAT

the house is 1980s. The rest of the main survey was ok with just a few minor things that I wasn’t going to quibble about. Wasn’t planning to renegotiating if possible as the vendors are being generous leaving all window coverings and freestanding appliances which will save me considerable money.
but this is a significant outlay to make it safe.
would you ask the vendors to knock it off? Meet halfway? Leave it?
I will phone electrician tomorrow to get more detail but it doesn’t sound good does it

Most electrical safety regs change every 5-10 years so not surprising that something from 1980s isn’t up to current standards. It’s a lot of money, but I’d just suck it up and wouldn’t bother negotiating. Unfortunately this is the reality of home ownership.

Doesn't sound too bad IMO. I remember our report saying the downstairs lights probably wouldn't kill us but the upstairs ones might. As PP said, the standards improve year on year so older properties are destined to fail to pass some things.

Very few owned homes would pass an EICR check- that is normally used only for landlords. I agree with @Wigtopia.

I would negotiate this - I'd request half at the very least. This is a safety matter and they should be selling a safe house to you. Otherwise, it's an unsafe property you're agreeing to.

I'd be surprised if you get a mortgage on a house that is not safe. I'd ask for half to be paid by the vendors and pay half yourself. I think that's fair.

My buyer asked for money off from a failed EICR, and I met them half way and paid half, a bit begrudgingly as it was already 30 year old wiring and they were aware of that when they put in the initial offer. So it can’t have been that much of a surprise.

Although I had an EICR certificate from only a couple of years ago, that had only minor work recommended (which I had done). So much change in a couple of years!

EICR is based on current regs. Virtually no older houses, even if well maintained, meet current regs.

As a landlord I would expect a bill of that order in a well maintained house that had not previously had an EICR. It would not mean that the electrics were in a bad state. Simply that regulations keep getting tougher.

I am surprised you are needing to do one before a sale.

Doesn't sound that bad to me. Full rewire is surely the one you need to watch for as that costs £££££.

I would ask them what needed to be done in order for it to pass, rather than what they recommend should be done.

For example, I think in new builds the modern regs is to install a metal consumer unit as they are more fireproof. But the majority of houses I think are fitted with plastic ones. My guess is a lot of electricians will recommend you upgrade plastic to metal.

Replacing the consumer unit is likely to be a big chunk of that £1500. It may be necessary if you want to let the house out and gain an EICR but not necessarily necessary if you want to live in it. It depends why you want the EICR. I would check the regs and talk to the electrician.

Thanks all
i didn’t have to get an EICR, I chose to get an inspection for peace of mind as (understandably) the electrics hadn’t been checked for over 10 years, and my level 2 homebuyers report picked up on some issues with older downlighters and recommended the check.

I spoke to the electrician today and asked which of the things he’d listed would’ve been a fail on their own. All of them would apart from the consumer unit which he said was on the small side and could do with being updated but was okayy. He also said as far as inspections go it was pretty good, didn’t need a rewire or anything.
He said the consumer unit would account for about £800 so half the quote.

I’ve shared the results with the estate agent and asked if the vendors would be willing to contribute to the cost of the work. I’m hoping they’ll offer something, even if it’s less than half.
the downlighters are definitely dangerous with exposed wiring etc he said and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the house to be in a safe state. Ultimately though if they say no I will have to suck it up.

I wouldn't expect any money off, as explained by PP, regulations change continually.

I’d certainly not contribute to that if I was the seller and would feel it was ridiculous. You want to move it to pass for current regs, that’s a personal choice and completely unnecessary. There is no need to spend this money,.most houses would fail no one just randomly brings their house up to current regs , that’s why the government doesn’t make them retrospective.

why didn’t you just have a check see if it was safe and not dodgy and liable to fail?

if you want to do this, you pay for it, as it is totally unnecessary

Why do you need to suck it up? Even the consumer unit is fine. Only the downlighters need removing or replacing.

Was it unreasonable to ask?
A couple of earlier posters on here had situations where they went halves.
I thought I was doing the right thing by asking but now worried I might have p*ssed them off.

And I mean suck it up as in accept them saying no. Now the electrician has recommended it I will feel I want to get at least the essential things done. I’m buying the house as a single parent with 3 kids and want to peace of mind about fire risk.

But other than the downlighters being made safe there is nothing essential on that list, that’s the point. It is totally unnecessary to bring it up to current regs. No one does that. Even your electrician told you the majority of the cost was a consumer unit which wasn’t necessary.

I wouldn’t haggle for that. It’s safe but doesn’t meet current regulations. It’s an 1980’s house with an 1980’s electrical installation.

My only concern on that report would be the outside light tripping the electrics.

Other than that down lights and fittings can be replaced at minimal cost

We had an EICR survey done on the house we are buying simply to see if it needs rewiring. As it's doer-upper we weren't angling for a discount, it's just a lot easier to rewire an empty house.

I also got one done on my house before it went up for sale because I didn't have the correct certificate for some work I'd had done some years ago. That too listed a few items as unsatisfactory, including the consumer unit (which is only ten yers old). My buyers are happy because there's nothing unsafe.

The reports are often quite technical and as PP have said 'Unsatisfactory' doesn't mean imminent failure or fire - it's a rather provocative word. Anything actually unsafe would have been described as such.

£1600 sounds a lot for what appears to be pretty simple basic stuff. Most of what you've listed can be legally be done by a competent handyman.

The vendors don't have to sell you a house that meets current regs. That's not how the property market works. You offer the amount you think is fair for the property in the condition it's in. When you viewed the house, did you think the electrics had recently been upgraded to be compliant with modern standards? It's unlikely other similar properties will be better, so I wouldn't see this as a reason to renegotiate.

Was anything a C1?

C1 means that it’s actually dangerous. You’re definitely going to need to get C1s looked at with some urgency. You may be able to get a contribution from the seller for these.

C2s and C3s can be dealt with at your leisure. They’re usually things which are safe but not up to current regs. I wouldn’t even try to get a contribution.

Either the vendors know theres an issue. Or they believe you're trying to delay or renegotiate price.

You can't say youd not renegotiate if it needed a full rewire.

So you can only be honest - "I like the house. I want to get everything sorted out ASAP, to get DC & myself settled again. I understand the wiring won't meet current regs, but I want to confirm that there are no safety issues with it".

This thread is from January, so I imagine the problem is solved by now!

So I see! I wonder why it showed up so high in my feed. Thanks.