Landlords 5 year Electricity check

[conny]

My landlord has got a contractor coming out mid month to do a 5 year check on the electrics of my rented house.
What do they physically do on one of these checks? Do they remove all the breakers and disconnect the connections? Do they remove socket fascia's or light fittings etc
My wife runs her business from home so we want to know if we are going to be without power and, if so, what kind of time period would this be for. I realise if anything is flagged up for rectification this would be a different issue. Just after an idea of what they physically do not what tests they carry out.

 

[johnny2007]

They don't remove anything.
They test the system with their equipment and if everything is ok they're gone in an hour, unless you live in a 10 bedroom mansion.

 

[Risteard]

They don't remove anything.
They test the system with their equipment and if everything is ok they're gone in an hour, unless you live in a 10 bedroom mansion.

Not correct.

Although they shouldn't be dismantling anything other than as necessary.

They will open a percentage of accessories to phsyically examine. You are likely to be without power for a period of time. Expect it to take the day.

 

[conny]

I assume they will need to take the cover off the CU. Will they need to check the incoming fuse rating?
My concern is that the CU, meter and main fuse are behind a shallow panel with 2 small doors and you can't see the main incomer fuse to see what size it is.
Not sure how the main panel is fixed into place as it has been wallpapered over. Originally it had one small door that opened upwards to a 45 degree angle and covered half of the MCB's. I enlarged the hole to make the MCB's more accessible but didn't think to open it enough to access the main fuse and removing the CU cover completely may be a bit problematic.

 

[crystal ball]

They would have to break the seal to check the fuse, so thats out, CU cover will need to be removed to test & inspect

 

[Diver Fred]

Is the first or repeat inspection?
If first then expect every face plate (switch/socket outlet/FCU) to be removed and the connections checked for security.
If a repeat then expect 10 to 25% of the face plates to be removed and connections checked.
Consumer units will also be checked.
Anything that is DNO responsibility will not be checked.

 

[AndyPRK]

I think there was some sarcasm in the first response! (read a lot)

I would imagine the power would be off for 1 to 2 hours.
I think people understand that people are working from home, so if you say I have a video call at 10am, I'm sure they will work around it. Just tell them first thing.


They will need to fully remove the CU cover, so suggest you do the necessary wood work now to allow that

 

[conny]

It's the first one we have had since moving in 5 years ago in August. Landlord had just bought the property so we are the first tenants as it was lived in by the owner prior to selling. Don't know if a test was done before exchange but doubt it as old light fittings were big brass things hanging down at an angle. Landlord agreed I could change them out for something different, which I did the first week we moved in. Wiring is all grey pvc so I know it's not ancient cotton covered or rubber.

 

[AndyPRK]

A new requirement has come in for rentals to be tested. That probably why


Here's an example of a detailed test

Ok, its a shed, but you get the idea

 

[winston1]

They will need to fully remove the CU cover, so suggest you do the necessary wood work now to allow that

It is a rental house. That is the landlord's job. I imagine it was the landlord or his workmen who panelled it in.

 

[AndyPRK]

Well if the electrician ends up having to do it, I guess it will be a mess.

 

[ericmark]

We have talked about drive by testing, and it depends on the integrity of the tester how much he does, and back some years ago when I was fitting cookers, if the home looked tidy we tended to assume all was OK, but if it looked rough we would test very carefully, it is not how it should work, but it is human nature.

If he does a thorough inspections and testing he will remove the consumer unit cover and all switch and socket fronts, and check in loft where cables run and remove any lamps in ceiling and covers over lamps and it will take all day and you will lose all power for around an hour and part power most of the day.

However if the tester can see all is in good order and all looks tidy he can skip some bits, as yet there is no government test, it is what the landlord asks for, and he can stipulate what bits he wants testing, the whole thing is up in the air as it was never designed as an MOT test for rented houses, but that is what the government is using it for.

He can't turn back on anything he thinks is dangerous without fixing it first, and anything he thinks potential dangerous or he could not get access to, the landlord has 28 days to fix it. However there is provision so if you deny access, it can over run the 28 days.

It has become a real problem, because no one seems to know exactly what they should, can, and can't do, with some organisations even including portable appliances in there testing, they shouldn't but they do. And show pictures of overloaded sockets as examples of reasons to fail it.

Don't blame your landlord, it is the government who passed the laws as a knee jerk reaction to reports of poor electrics in rented houses.

As far as I am aware you can select when it is a convenient time, and if due to you not allowing the inspection to take place it is not done on time, that gives the landlord a get out of jail free card, so it is in your interest to get it done.

 

[conny]

It is a rental house. That is the landlord's job. I imagine it was the landlord or his workmen who panelled it in.

Curb your imagination. It was like that when the landlord bought the house, one week before we moved in, therefore it points to the previous owner.

Well if the electrician ends up having to do it, I guess it will be a mess.

Which is what worries me. I'll have a go at it over the weekend and see if I can either get the full panel down without too much damage to the surrounding area or make the aperture larger and fit new doors.

 

[conny]

@ericmark Sorry, somehow I must have missed your post. I don't, and won't, deny him access at any time. I have 2 disabled people living here so knowing the electrics are up to scratch is a priority in my books. The landlord is a great guy who normally arranges any repairs to be done as soon as possible anyway so I can't see him skimping on anything. As I said in my original post, my wife runs her security business from home so to be without power for a few hours will possibly need alternative arrangements to be made, such as setting up email diverts to one of her managers, but we would prefer to set that up before rather than in a panic on the day.

One other question that has popped up since I posted. I have discovered a 10mm swa and a 4mm swa have been spurred off the same socket in the lounge. It appears 3 x 10mm singles have been taken from the back of the socket to a terminal strip inside a connection box mounted on the outside wall The 10mm swa goes to a shed which has a BG RCD, (30mA), CU and the sockets, (3 forming a ring), are protected by a 20A MCB The 2 lights are on a 6A MCB
The 4mm swa goes to a shed which terminates in a RCD protected outdoor socket, (the socket is inside the shed), and we have 2 freezers plugged into this socket.
I have a suspicion that despite the cable sizes there should still only be one spur off the house socket. Is that correct?

 

[EFLImpudence]

I have a suspicion that despite the cable sizes there should still only be one spur off the house socket. Is that correct?

No, but if there is only one 2.5mm² cable going to the two SWA cables then it is one spur with too much connected to it.

What size is the cable?