Selling my house and survey has picked issue with electrics

[Dahac]

I have accepted the full asking price for my 2 bedroom terraced house and the survey has picked up the the electrics need checking. It currently the old fuse wire which is safe as we have never had any issues with this as we have lived here for 5 years. If it was a big issue to us I would have had this replaced, however I have found out that the main ring is one main ring around the house and there isn't any earth bonding back to the consumer unit. The heating gas pipe have a earth bonding strap to each pipe. I have just found out that it needs a full rewire @ 5 thousand pound. Are they taking the p___s here or what

 

[EFLImpudence]

Was the offer and acceptance subject to survey?

 

[winston1]

No houses are perfect. No doubt your electrics complied with the current regs when it was done. The regs are not retrospective so there is no compulsion to upgrade. Not sure if there is a reg about number of ring finals either, only recommendations.
Even if it was upgraded today it could well be out of date when the 18th edition comes out in the not too distant future.

The surveyors are paid by your buyers to find faults. Up to you how you handle this, it it were me I'd say the price reflected the condition of the electrics.

 

[AndyPRK]

I guess you could knock off 1000 to 1500 as good will.

If they want fancy new electrics the buyer can pay for it.

Just bloody survayers not having a clue

 

[sparkwright]

Who has decided it needs a full re-wire, and why?

 

[mfarrow]

You do not need to bring a house electrics up to modern standard. There's no requirement for it.

However there is safe and not safe. What you need to do is clarify you he statement you made. What are the surveyor's words and what are yours? What makes you believe a 5k rewire is needed? And how do you know there is no earth to your sockets? Forget the presence of wires in the consumer unit, you need testing at the accessories to do any sort of proper confirmation.

 

[sparkwright]

No point re-wiring a house you're going to sell.

For all you know, the buyers may want to make serious structural alterations - so it would be a waste of time, money, and materials.

 

[Dahac]

The buyer has had a electrician around to look at the consumer unit under he serveyors instructions. He said it need a full rewire, consumer unit changing and earth bonding on the gas pipes and water supply's. It's safe as we have lived with thiese for over 5 years and never had problem.

 

[Dahac]

Who has decided it needs a full re-wire, and why?

A electrician because it has old fuse wire in the consumer unit

 

[AndyPRK]

Saying its safe because nothing has gone wrong in the last 5 years is not a good argument.

Say it complied with the regulations when it was wired and is therefore safe.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Tell the buyer it would have been £10,000 more if it had had a rewire.

It is better for them to have the electrics done as they want them.

 

[JohnW2]

If I were you, I'd tell the buyer that you were aware (from age and general appearance of the electrical installation) that the house would probably need re-wiring fairly soon, and that your asking price (which they accepted) took that into account. If they continue arguing (and you are desperate enough for the sale), as has been suggested, you might consider knocking a little off the price (as said, maybe £1k or so) 'as a gesture of goodwill' but if they won't accept even that, I would tell them to find another house to buy!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

Dahac, it would be helpful if we knew which part of the UK you live.
Where are you. Drop a note, you can change it in your profile settings.

 

[EddieM]

5k for a rewire of a 2 bed house (sight unseen) seems pretty high to my mind. but yeah agreement with what others have said.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No point re-wiring a house you're going to sell.

For all you know, the buyers may want to make serious structural alterations - so it would be a waste of time, money, and materials.

You are selling a house at a price. Someone has come to see it, decided they want it, and made you an offer which you find acceptable.

And then they start looking for ways to chisel down the price. It's just business, and not something to get upset about, but if you give in on this they will come back and find another excuse - what they want, and what they always wanted, and intended, to do was to get you emotionally hooked on having sold the house so that you would end up dropping the price to a value which you would not have accepted if they had offered it up front.

Which is a fair play - it's just business.

And in the same spirit of business, you should make it clear to them that, in a perfectly non-personal, it's-just-business, sense you would sooner rip off their heads, shove them up their a****s and p**s down their necks than give in to them.

At which point you may begin negotiations.

Who has decided it needs a full re-wire, and why?

A electrician because it has old fuse wire in the consumer unit

You can still buy those:

http://www.discount-electrical.co.uk/section.php/107881/1/wylex-standard-series-consumer-units

and there is not a single provision in the current Wiring Regulations which make them, per se, unacceptable.