consumer unit replacement

[JohnW2]

JohnW2: I think you have answered that very well indeed. I think people get a bit carried away by what a surveyor writes in his report an installation may be perfectly safe but because the chap with the clipboard writes words to the effect of "Wiring old and out of date" Johnny house-buyer thinks this is an automatic means of getting a few grand off the asking price.

Indeed - and it's the surveyor with a clipboard, commenting on things (s)he is not qualified to comment on, which creates the problems. An electrician (and I'm not one, so no axe to grind) would distingusih between dangerous things which need attention and things which were perfectlyt reasonable, but simply not of 'current standard'.

Personally I have never given in to such stupidity and I'm not afraid to tell prospective buyers that. If I gave into that what next? they send in an interior designer who reports "Old curtain rails", "no picture rail", "White sockets & switches rather than the "in" satin & chrome" and soon they'll want another grand knocking off for that - another 'preference' not a need.

Indeed. As I've written here before, I've had a very clear policy when selling houses. I tell prospective buyers that I am aware of the condition of the house, and also aware (they've always been old houses) that there will probably be issues of which I'm not aware, but that I have taken that all into account in arriving at an asking price. I therefore tell them that they're free to commision whatever surveys and inspections they may wish, but that I am not going to entertain any requests for a price reduction on the basis of whatever those surveys/inspections reveal. Albeit in times of very different 'market conditions', that's worked so far!

BTW I'm still seething at the thought of paying £5k for a rewire though unless it's a very large 8 bedroom house! - make that VERY large!

Again reminding you that I have no axe to grind, it's really a matter of the length of a piece of string, so no-one can expect meaningful estimates from people who haven't seen the situation. It's not genereally the 'electrical' work in the true sense that can drastically alter the amount of time, hence cost - it's more issues of access, cable routing, chopping holes in walls etc. etc. An empty, soon to be totally refurbished/ redecorated house is a totally different kettle of fish from an occupied and carpeted/floorcovered one, recently decorated and full of furniture.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I think people get a bit carried away by what a surveyor writes in his report

They do, but then most people can't cross the road without help.
Also, even if he's an actual surveyor, he's not an electrician.

an installation may be perfectly safe but because the chap with the clipboard writes words to the effect of "Wiring old and out of date" Johnny house-buyer thinks this is an automatic means of getting a few grand off the asking price.

It's becoming known as the fluorescent jacket syndrome.
Apparently people will do what you tell them if you are wearing one.

Personally I have never given in to such stupidity

Good for you, nor I.

and I'm not afraid to tell prospective buyers that. If I gave into that what next? they send in an interior designer who reports "Old curtain rails", "no picture rail", "White sockets & switches rather than the "in" satin & chrome" and soon they'll want another grand knocking off for that - another 'preference' not a need.

Here again, according to tv 'experts' your house is more likely to sell if your toilet paper matches.

BTW I'm still seething at the thought of paying £5k for a rewire though unless it's a very large 8 bedroom house! - make that VERY large!

No point seething because you have saved two or three grand.
However, it is VERY cheap. It does make me wonder.

 

[Paul_C]

That's true, and of the ~8,000 fires classified as 'electrical', most will probably be due to electrical appliances, rather than the actual electrical installation.

Not to mention the ones with are attributed to "an electrical fault" merely because the investigation reveals no conclusive evidence of the fire starting in some other way.

 

[Paul_C]

Accidental duplicate.

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

I think the reason why surveyors like to offer such comments on the electrical install may often be mis-understood.

Rather than it being a way to have unsuspecting punter pants pulled down to the tune of £5000 (or £1289+VAT) i think it has more to do with the surveyor distancing him/herself from any subsequent defects being found and the competence/worth of the survey being called into question.

After all, it would look rather poor if a surveyor's report said something along the lines of 'nothing wrong with the house' then the day after the sale something goes wrong (insert own example e.g. fire/electrocution etc)

BTW, these new regs may be a licence to print money for some people (the authors?) but i doubt many practicing sparks would agree with that.

 

[JohnW2]

I think the reason why surveyors like to offer such comments on the electrical install may often be mis-understood. Rather than it being a way to have unsuspecting punter pants pulled down to the tune of £5000 (or £1289+VAT) i think it has more to do with the surveyor distancing him/herself from any subsequent defects being found and the competence/worth of the survey being called into question.

I'm sure that's true - but it would surely be a good reason for them not commenting on the electrical installation at all, and making it clear in their report that the scope of their surveyor did not include the electrical installation (about which they are not qualified to comment, anyway.

Indeed, I would have thought that the present practices would, in the manner you describe, be quite dangerous for them. If they do make some comments about an electrical installation (thereby implictly bringing it within the scope of their survey), but fail to mention something dangerous which an electrician would have detected, would they not be increasing, rather than decreasing, the potentyial risk?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[pyounger]

Especially when you consider what surveyors do not include. The last survey I got on a pre-purchase contained such interesting notes like: "First floor flooring - unable to inspect due to fitted carpets". - well, the woodworm needed a bit of comfort to keep them warm and lets face it, those split floorboards do look unsightly if not covered by 'fitted carpet'.

So maybe keeping your 'professional gob shut' might be the way for them to go.

 

[securespark]

You can get a BMW for £100.

Edit - Just noticed the date - welcome and good first post.

Not really:

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/search...7gw/radius/1500/quicksearch/true/price-to/500

PS. That postcode is of a house I used to live in many years ago.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Not really:

Well, you can. My point to the OP being that it won't be much good.

I didn't understand those ads.

 

[securespark]

The ad said there was a beemer for sale for £75 but in the text of the ad the asking price was much higher.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

The ad said there was a beemer for sale for £75 but in the text of the ad the asking price was much higher.

What's that all about then??