Is this usual?

[GalileoHumpkins]

Our house is sale agreed, the buyer has viewed the house twice and offered well above the asking price (there was a bidding war!). She's had a survey done and it came back with no issues (the surveyor was very thorough) we've had a lot of work done so it's all up to standard. However, she now wants to come around with a friend who's an electrician to inspect the electrics because she thinks they've been there since the house was built in 1890. We've clarified that isn't the case, especially in the extension that was built five years ago! We've agreed that she can come around with the estate agent but I'm worried that this is just the first thing she will want to inspect and nitpick.
Is this a usual thing to request as a buyer?

The surveyor may have suggested that an electrical check is made.
Sometimes they ask that a 'drain test' is made (to see that water flows away quickly)
I think it is quite normal.

It is normal for the survey to essentially exclude any real check of the electrics and recommend that the buyer commissions their own separate electrical survey. As it's an older property I wouldn't be worried about her motives just yet

If you are confident , let her come. Have you set out all the guarantees, warranties etc ? We usually offer to let buyers inspect these when we have accepted their offer. Sometimes the sight of the tidy pile is enough reassurance.

In this market, do everything you can to hang on to the sale, and better not to second guess ( think the worst) of people.

Ok, glad to hear this isn't unusual. I've never sold a house before so I'm stressing at every little thing!

It’s a very peculiar assumption that nobody has touched the electrics since 1890, but perhaps the buyer was looking online at building control and couldn’t see anything.

I just recently learned myself that some tradesmen don’t pay for schemes like FENSA for windows because they charge quite a large annual fee! But that doesn’t mean to say other tradesmen’s work is dangerous. In fact I think a former survey misled us when it said “the windows do not appear to have a British kite mark and therefore may not be safe” - I don’t think that’s fair.

I imagine it’s the same with electrics. Some electricians still do good work but don’t pay whichever organisation it is that lets you upload stuff online an annual fee.

A house we were looking to buy recently had all windows and electrics done from top to bottom, but there was nothing at all on online portals. Also, hetas for stoves. When I looked into that recently it turns out there are about five different safety schemes for stoves, it’s just that hetas seems to be all buyers and surveyors know about.

If the electrics were done 5 years ago, the Part P of the regulations will be out of date - every surveyor will say this and advise an electrics check.

Do not accept any suggested reduction in price if the electrician friend says the electrics do not meet Part P regs - they only need to meet the regulations of when the work was completed.

An electric check to gain a EICR certificate normally costs about £100 and is a sensible action to take by any buyer of a house unless brand new. The caveat of my previous paragraph should apply though in this case.

Got to love the idea of the electrics dating to 1890. That would suggest you've got electrics that predate the Electrical Grid by over 30 years! You must have a fantastic antique hydraulic generator in the back garden or something 😁

I did raise an eyebrow when I read the estate agents message!

electric regs change so often that most houses over say 5 years are out of date in some way.