When you’re looking for a new home there are many things going round your head. Is this home the right size? Is the garden good enough? What’s the neighbourhood like? Is the third bedroom large enough for a double bed? But what people don’t really think about is the electrics.
And this is something that needs to change because the last thing you want is to buy a home and need to have the whole house rewired because the electrics are out of date.
So whether you’re house hunting or you have your own property, take a look at our checklist for knowing if the electrics need updating.
1.Are there enough sockets? When you’re looking around a home you probably won’t think about the sockets, but this is important. Check rooms to see how many sockets there are and whether they’re located in the right places. It’s not a significant job to install more, but you’ll need a professional electrician.
2.Are there old accessories? A sign of outdated wiring in the house could be the use of old accessories such as switches and pendants. Be on the lookout.
3. Is there an earth wire? This is difficult to check when you’re house hunting, but easily something you can do in your own home. Look for an earth wire, which should be covered in green and yellow plastic.
4. Is the fuse board ancient? This is one of the key areas to check and there are some sure-fire ways to see if you have an old fuse board. This includes:
- Messy wiring
- Missing RCDs
- A missing earth wire which connects the main supply and fuse board.
5.Do the water and gas pipes in the property have bonding cables? These feed into the pipes and are crucial for your home.
6.Is there wiring or switches that don’t appear to be connected? A professional electrician can come round and look at the wiring in the home to ensure it’s up-to-date and fully connected. He’ll remove pointless wiring and switches and make your home safe.
7.Is there any sign of DIY wiring? This can be particularly dangerous as only those who are Part P registered should tamper with wiring. Look under your floorboards and check for wiring that’s wearing against a water pipe.