Could electrictian have lied on certificate?

[Zamboni]

HI there
I am new here and wanted to get thoughts. Last year we bought our first flat, in a 1960s building. One of the delays in the process was that the consumer unit needed replacing but that was done and we got the relevant electrical certificates with all of the other paperwork. The certificate said that the electrics were about 10-15 years old.

When we moved in we noticed that the light fittings had been changed to basic plastic ones but didn't think much of it as the old ones were ugly so would have been changed anyway.


Several months later when we had builders in, one of the small jobs (of an overall much bigger job) was to move a socket and the poistioning of a light fitting. When all of the refurb was done one of the site guys mentioned that the electrics did not have an earth.

What we have found subsequenlty is that while most of the electrics in the kitchen (though not the main light) and a few sockets here and there are newer, many are unearthed...and so very very old.

We are very new to all of this but we presume that the electrictian who signed off the work must have lied on the paperwork stating it was much newer. Had we known this before buying we woudl have lowered our offer and then have the rewiring done before having the whole flat replastered!
Do we have any recourse if this is the case? Surely its fraud?

 

[motorbiking]

You'll need to provide more information. I am assuming your surveyor picked up the old consumer unit and that you requested it was updated as a condition of sale. The seller agreed and you proceeded on that basis? Were you provided with a condition report?

Do you have a Socket tester? About £10 from Screwfix. https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-16a-socket-tester-230v-ac/91596?

Plug it in and see what it says.

Missing earth is a bit vague.

 

[Jurassicspark]

What we have found subsequenlty is that while most of the electrics in the kitchen (though not the main light) and a few sockets here and there are newer, many are unearthed...and so very very old.

Unscrew the faceplate of the socket and send a picture of the wiring behind it.

Send a picture of the incoming fuse to the property too.

Do you mean the "light switches" have no earth or are you referring to the sockets?

If its the light switches then its no problem (if they are plastic) older lighting circuits don't incorporate an earth wire.

Find the EICR and see what it says under (R1+R2) for the sockets.

 

[Murdochcat]

Older flats rely on the metal conduit the cables run in for the earth / cpc

Could you post a photo of the schedule of results from the EIC?

 

[Zamboni]

Yes these light switches have metal conduits, so perhaps that's the deal. They are all plastic fittings so I don't think they are unsafe per se.
But I am still surpised that the electrical condition report says the electrics are only 10-15 years old. The kitchen wiring is not so old so it all has an earth wire... as do the odd socket here and there but none of the light switches and several of the sockets... I am just super annoyed as we should have probably had a rewire as part of the other work but didn't due to the details on the condition report.

I will try to post some photos.

 

[Murdochcat]

EICR information required

 

[securespark]

I suspect the consumer unit could be the part of the installation that is 10-15 years old?

As said, the conduit in flats is often used as an earth. So you don't see an earth wire in the conduit, but you should see an earth wire linking the box to the socket.

Lighting circuits pre- October 1966 don't have earthing.

But not a problem as long as you have plastic switches, screws (or insulating screws lugs) and light fittings.

But if it's conduit, it should be straight forward to rewire.

All the information you need SHOULD be on your certificate.