Does this consumer box need replacing

ipbr21054 · 2026-07-13T07:11:01+0100

Hi,
I am in the process of selling my property & awaiting buyers surveyors to come & do their inspection.

In my property there is the main consumer unit in the bedroom but i also have this separate consumer unit in my converted garage / office whihc is connected to my property & supplies power for some sockets, lights & an outside socket for the lawn mower.

Will it be flagged up as lets say "Out of date / not complient" or is it ok.
Ive lived here 16 years & never an issue with it.

If its out of date etc can the items with the on/off switches be changed to then make it all ok & above board.
I mean ive seen some which has a small trip push button.
Obviously not my field hence asking here

Please advise.
Many Thanks.

securespark · 2026-07-13T07:34:45+0100

It is not compliant with the latest regulations, but I would not worry unduly about it.

Some of the circuits in that board do have a trip button (the ones marked in Sharpie), the others don't.

If a basic home buyers report, now level 2, the fly-by inspectors tend to just look at the board and if it isn't metal, mention that in the report and that it should be changed and that rewiring may be necessary.

If you have a level 3 survey or an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report), then that should go into more detail.

ipbr21054 · 2026-07-13T07:41:58+0100

Thanks.
As you can guess my goal is to not get it replaced for say £600 if i can swap out the ones that dont comply with ones that do hence not being flagged up/
I would rather spend say £100 & swap them out as opposed to him going back to buyer which think the worst & demand it be chaged at my cost or knock off silly money.
So the ones that are GREY are fine but BLACK & RED are not.

Should i replace them so he then doesnt say anything.

If you advise to say change them can you advise where / what i need to purchase.

From memory i think i changed the GREY ones a few years ago, easy enough job

Space isn’t great so if they are changed can I get some with a button as opposed the GREY ones which are higher so same size as what’s there but with a button below the on / off switch face.

ericmark · 2026-07-13T08:05:19+0100

When I moved in here 5 years ago, I had to make the decision do I want a cheap two RCD box where the RCDs are likely to trip and cause me to lose half the house, or an all RCBO box where if something trips, there is no urgency to find out why and correct it.

And as the new owner I went for the latter, and also SPD fitted, but it was to my advantage to do so.

So better for the new owner to decide what is required, anything you do could be then ripped out, so not worth doing a thing.

ipbr21054 · 2026-07-13T08:08:57+0100

This has been here since i moved in 16 years ago.
I dont want surveyor to say its not up to date then cost me ££££ where i can make the change now so he doesnt flag it up.

Never tripped at all so the new owner can just continue rather then let him choose at my cost

securespark · 2026-07-13T08:24:24+0100

In terms of compliance, there is more than just the RCD protection.

And presumably, you have more than just this board.

So, there will be potentially other things mentioned in the report.

If you really wanted to fix all the issues to prevent a potential buyer using them as leverage, you could get your own EICR done and take it from there.

But if you do this, I would make it clear to the person you engage that you will not be using them to rectify any issues they find.

Personally, I wouldn't bother.

How much are you expecting all this to cost?

Against a property worth how much?

What if there are other issues with the house that they try to knock money off for?

Myself, I would say, this is the house, this the selling price, if you don't like it, jog on!

JohnW2 · 2026-07-13T08:46:43+0100

securespark said:
Myself, I would say, this is the house, this the selling price, if you don't like it, jog on!

Quite so. I would think it's fairly obvious, even to a 'lay'person, that that CU (and quite possibly other aspects of the electrical installation) is pretty old and could probably do with being replaced fairly soon ... so if it were me I would say that I knew tall hat, and had therefore already taken it into account when deciding upon the asking price- so that I was not going to entertain any attempts to knock the price down further because of that issue!

ericmark · 2026-07-13T10:39:37+0100

I remember my fathers-in-law's house, before he died, we did a lot of work, after he died house sold, and new owners did all sorts, ripping out all we had done. So only way is sold as seen.

Murdochcat · 2026-07-13T11:33:12+0100

Leave it for the purchasers to sort out. Unless they ask for thousands off

JohnW2 · 2026-07-13T12:23:02+0100

Murdochcat said:
Leave it for the purchasers to sort out. Unless they ask for thousands off

If they ask for thousands off, one just says 'goodbye'

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Does this consumer box need replacing

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