Home buyer or Moving home? Watch this

www.sbarker.co.uk/homebuyer/
If you just moved home, or are moving soon … Then I've got 3 simple checks that you can do yourself, to get an idea of the condition of your wiring.
1 - DIY
Whether it was the previous owner, the bloke down the pub, the kitchen fitter or the builder. Check to see if anything looks a bit amateur or questionable. Because if you spot one thing, there are likely to be others lurking too.
For example:
Cables showing or not secured.
A mix of old and new sockets.
Anything that trips, doesn't work or has intermittent faults.
2 - Age
Old wiring doesn't mean it's unsafe. However here are some pointers:
Old and dated switches and sockets. These might be using rubberised cable which means that there will be no earth protection on the metal light fittings.
Rewireable fuses or older types of breakers on the fuseboard. These are less effective in the event of a fault occurring.
Lack of RCD protection. This is the device on the fuseboard that has a small Test button on it. You press this button to test that it trips properly. These protect you from certain types of faults that standard fuses and breakers do not.
3 - Certs
Check to see if there is an Installation certificate for the wiring. This will be several pages, not just one!
Also see if an Electrical Condition Report has been carried out every few years. This is a 6 or 7 page, fully detailed report.
Finally check to see if there is a sticker, like this one, on the fuseboard. This will have a Due Date telling you when it next needs to be checked.
If any of these items are causing you concern, then you might want to check out some more free resources:
Over at sbarker.co.uk/homebuyer I have SIX free Guides that you can get straight away.
So if you or someone you know is moving or has just moved, then click the link in the comments below to Learn More.
I'm Simon Barker. Thanks for watching and I'll see you soon.
www.sbarker.co.uk/homebuyer/