Electrical survey required for house sale?

[AlanD]

Apologies if this is something I should be able to find easily with google, access blocked from work but I can get to usenet from my phone!

Just had concerned phone call from my MiL. We're in the process of swapping houses, we're buying her's, she's buying ours. We're trying to do the transaction as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Her solicitor has told her she needs to get an electrical survey done on her house before she can sell it. Cost about £60. So far our solicitor has not asked for one to sell our house. Clearly for £60 it can't be a very detailed survey - just visual check I think.

Does anyone know if this survey is actually a legal requirement, or just an over enthusiastic solicitor?

Alan.

[Andrew Mawson]

[AlanD]

We have a mortgage, she doesn't. As far as I know the solicitors haven't spoken to each other yet, so I think it's unlikely our mortgage co is insisting on it. They did want a valuation survey, which was done last week.

[David WE Roberts]

Or a solicitor who has a mate who is an electrician and looking for work?

A quick Google couldn't find anything about legislation. It is normally very sensible to get a survey of the property, including electrics and plumbing, before a sale but I do not believe that this is a legal requirement. IIRC you do have to have an energy assesment.

The following site

"Since the amendments to the wiring regulations in 2008 many homes fixed wiring installations now do not comply with the current regulations. The requirement for Periodic Inspection Reports (PIR?s) have continued to develop with legislation that now requires that every home for sale in the UK Requires the home owner to declare when the property was last electrically tested and with let properties requiring a periodic inspection report also, any potential buyer or tenant may try to haggle and renegotiate prices with you, if they even put any offer in at all!"

which reads like semi-literate scaremongering to me but doesn't mention that a report is mandatory. Given the general tone I would expect then to highlight it if there was a mandatory requirement.

I am also not sure about rented property requiring a periodic electrical inspection - I know you need an anual gas safety check but AFAIK there is no such electrical requirement.

Cheers

Dave R

[jgharston]

Well, almost 100% of homes' wiring will not comply to the *current* regs as they will have been wired to comply with the regs current at the time the work was done. It bno way means that you have to rip out the entire house to comply with regs that have moved on since, just that whatever work is done *once the regs have changed* are compliant to *whatever regs are current at the time the work is done*.

JGH

[Bill Taylor]

Your MIL has an incompetent or lying conveyancer (almost certainly a solicitors clerk, not a solicitor). If you market a house you need to have an Energy Performance Certificate before you can put it on the market. Apart from that there are no requirements for any surveys.

If I were you I'd do it myself. Transfers of registered property are dead simple; the only fly in the ointment is that there's a mortgage involved and the mortgagor will probably insist on a conveyancers involvement. For a transaction between trusted parties there is no need to employ 2 conveyancers.

[Bill Taylor]

It looks as if you may need to provide an EPC when a property is sold, even if it's done privately, in which case both properties would need one.

[AlanD]

Thanks. I have asked her to ask the solicitor why she 'needs' it. I (as the buyer) have no interest in a visual inspection that I could do myself, and would rather she does not have to spend money unnecessarily. I have known the house for 15 years and don't need surveys to tell me what I already know!

[AlanD]

Ok, if I get asked for one will arrange that. Any idea of the cost to expect?

[John Rumm]

The latter I think. I am not aware of any required inspections other than the EPC.

[Owain]

"from" =A335 at

fixed at

[A.Lee]

It is bollocks. Houses being sold need no certification of their electrical installation, and rented houses do not need to have a 'PIR', well, they couldnt have one anyway, as there is no such thing as a PIR now, it is an Electrical Installation Condition Report.

To the OP, unless the mortgage company require a report, dont bother. £60 will get you FA of a report. It will be a quick look at the fusebox/CU, possibly bonding, and a quick look at the socket outlets. Nothing other than a visual 'inspection'. Utter waste of time and money. To their discredit, NICEIC actually supply forms to fill in for a Visual Inspection Report. It is money for nothing, and tells you nothing about the safety of the installation.

[AlanD]

Update.... Spoken to MiL to quiz her about what the solicitor said. Turns out they had requested an EPC which she had misunderstood to be electrical!

Does anyone know if this is required only when marketing (as in advertising) a property, or if it is required for the actual sale? In our case the houses aren't being advertised, just sold to each other.

Alan.

[Dave Liquorice]

This a private sale, do what you want not what the conveyancing solictors try to insist that you need. Both of you are aware of the properties and their short comings, if any. There is no need for searches, certificates etc. The only thing to check is that either of you are actually legaly allowed to sell. Is MiLs house actually in her name and not FiLs...

You don't need two solictors either, just one to make sure the Land Registry forms and other legal stuff is all done properly/correctly.

Mortgage companies might geta bit sniffy as it's not normal and the ordinary clerks will be out of their depth and not know what to do.

On the money side only a balance needs to change hands not the full sums in both directions. This may have interesting implications with Stamp Duty (like you might be able to avoid it...).

[Tim Watts]

I am almost certain it only applies to houses being marketed.

[AlanD]

I tried to use one solicitor for us both but they wouldn't play - 'conflict of interest'... Only potential issue is that her house was originally bought with FiL - who is no longer with us. She has death certificate and will etc however.

Both solicitors insist on 'normal' sell/buy transaction, with fees for each. No doubt full sum of money will go both ways, as is tradition.

[Fredxx]

Are you sure? I thought an EPC is only required when marketing a property?

[Robin]

IIRC it was the (now abandoned) HIPs which were only needed when houses etc were marketed. I think the legislation for EPCs requires one whenever (most) properties are sold (or built or let). All complaints to the EU - but I'd recommend you give priority to letters to Santa Claus as they are more likely to yield results.

[Bill Taylor]

No, I'm not sure. I thought it was only for marketing, but

"Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are needed whenever a property is:

built sold rented"

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Of course they would. By gad, you couldn't expect them to pass that up, could you?