Buying a new home can be rather daunting whether it's your first time or your third time. There's so much to think about. Is it a nice neighbourhood? What are local transport links like? What are the local schools like? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Apart from the obvious, is the plaster falling off the walls? Does the house need a fresh lick of paint? It can be rather challenging to know just what you are buying.

With this in mind we have decided to try and take some of that worry away by creating this guide to try and help you figure out just what the electrics are like in this potential new home.

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What to look out for when buying a new home?

First things first ASK!

Ask the sellers or estate agent if there are any known electrical issues and what the condition of the electrics are like.

This may seem like an obvious one but so many people don’t do it. The estate agent or the seller are not allowed to lie to you. So just ask the question.

Now this doesn't mean that they are going to reel off a list of things that need doing to the electrics. They might not be aware of the condition or any problems, but it is always worth asking the question.

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Ask the seller or the estate agent if there has been any recent electrical work at the property, and if there has been, ask for a copy of the electrical certificate.

Whilst walking around the property look for yourself and see if anything looks new. Has there been any recent building works i.e. an extension, loft conversion or a new garage or shed. If there has been and there is electrics in these areas then there should be the paperwork to go with it i.e. electrical certificates.

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Consumer Units

Whilst walking round the property ask if you could have a quick look at the consumer unit (fuseboard). Have a look and see if there are breakers or whether it is a consumer unit which is using fuse wire. Look below so you can see the difference.

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Old Rewireable Consumer units:

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New Circuit breaker Consumer units:

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Don’t ever pull out a fuse or turn anything off, remember you are only there to LOOK! If it is a consumer unit which is still using fuse wire then you know that the consumer unit is really old and will need upgrading. You could also assume that the electrics will also be really old and there is a higher chance other works will need to be done throughout the property. Have a look and see if you can see any RCD’s at the consumer unit for any of the circuits. One way to tell if it is an RCD is to look and see if you can see a little button or ‘T’ on the breaker.

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EICR’s

Before buying a new home it is always recommended that you have an electrician carry an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report). This will give you a clear indication of the condition that the electrics are in and whether or not any work is required and how urgent/serious the work is.

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I know what you are thinking, spending money before you have even brought the property is crazy! And if you were to do it for every single property you viewed, then you would probably be right.

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However if you were only to have an EICR carried out at the one or two properties you are most seriously considering, then you should look at it more like an investment.

The few hundred pounds it will cost could potentially highlight to you, old, outdated in some cases even dangerous electrics. With this information you can either decide to walk away or re-negotiate the cost of the sale. It will however prevent you from buying a property unaware of the condition of the electrics and unaware of the potential cost to put it right.

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Here are some more things to look out for when viewing a potential new home.

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Have sockets and switches discolored, what was once a nice bright white is now a dingy yellow or have they been painted over. This is a sign that they are old and could potentially need replacing.

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Are the sockets installed in the skirting boards or really low to the floor? If the answer is yes, then you know some work is going to be needed. Sockets that are fitted in the skirting boards are normally too low for the molded style plugs we have these days and as a result the cable on the piece of equipment gets damaged. There is also the potential fire risk of having sockets installed within the skirting boards.

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Can you see lots of extension leads being used around the room? If you can then this is a sign there is not an adequate amount of sockets installed in the room. Remember extension leads should be used as a one-off and are not intended for permanent use.

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Are there smoke alarms installed throughout the property? If there are, see if you can see the expiry date. Are they discolored? Because again if they are, this can be a sign that they were installed a long time ago and most likely out of date, requiring them to be replaced. Have the smoke alarms been painted? If they have, they should be replaced. Have a look and see what rooms the smoke alarms are installed in. As a minimum you should have a smoke alarm installed in the hallways, landings, lounge (or the most frequently used room) and a heat alarm in the kitchen.

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When looking at the lights can you see any exposed cables (red/brown, blue/black or green/yellow)? Are the light fittings discolored or do they look burnt in any way?

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Thank you for reading

We wanted to try and help relieve some of the stress that goes into buying a new home and raise awareness of things you should be looking out for which will help keep you and your family safe. Hopefully this guide has done that and it has provided some insight in what to look out for.

As always if you are ever in doubt then please feel free to reach out either by email or telephone and we would be more than happy to help where we can.

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We have also put together a downloadable checklist for you to tick off and make some notes for whilst you are viewing your potential new home. With this you can then use it to compare properties, use it as a reminder for what to look out for and even to help you remember what the property was like. You can download that below!

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We would like to take this opportunity to wish you the best of luck in your search for a new home.