No electricity in house for sale

blueredface

Hi there,

I've viewed a house which looks o.k for price for floor area except to spend some money for fixture. I will explain briefly and if any of you could please suggest would be really helpful.

Shower door (plastic) was missing which needs to be replaced (with wheels), and broken power shower etc.

Re-Paint work needed.

There was no electricity in the house so I can't check the wiring/electric work and button/sockets which when I asked EA how long this house has been vacant who said approximately for a year. What could be the reason that house doesn't have electricity as I need to make a list of question for EA before I can make any offer.

The area itself is quite populated.

There is Gas Cooker and Gas Central heating but when I ask are these working he said, these has not been tested.
When I asked about Alarm, he said not sure but there were cut / broken wires hanging near to main door.

I've been approved for only 30% loan of total property price & have arranged rest of 70% but my question is when bank wants to get a valuation report by their nominated Valuator on this house and will send report to bank, would bank approves this 30% of loan or do I need to talk to EA again to get Electricity reinstated before Valuator comes for first valuation.
What if Bank asks for further deeper Survey after valuation report of the house current condition before they can approve this loan?

Would that be a time wasting effort on this house due to above situation or what would be the best route to handle this situation before I can make an offer to EA because personally, I like the area and house but don't want to waste time and money on pre-valuation / Survey by Bank's nominated Valuator by doing back and forth exercise with EA if Bank won't approve mortgage due to above condition of house.

Due to house vacant for long time and needs money to spend after buying, should I make an offer 10 to 15% less than asking price or I shouldn't think to make offer unless above legal / Valuation work been done / sorted or please comment?

Looking forward to your prompt response.

Best regards.

zagmund

In the grand scheme of things, the electricity standing charge isn't huge so it's hard to understand someone letting it lapse in a house they are trying to sell, but I know that some people do.

I would take it as a sign that there are other under maintained parts of the house and price it downwards accordingly. Have a word with an electrician and see what they say in terms of testing the wiring. Not being hooked up to the mains would generally be a problem, but they presumably have ways and means.

If it has been empty and without electricity or gas for a year assume that it will have been cold and damp. Check to see how the mains water into the attic is flowing.

z

[edit] be wary of an estate agent not knowing the state of the gas fittings. It's not like you asked them if there were spare parts available for the IKEA sofa. Knowing that the basic utilities are working is pretty fundamental, so assume that the EA knows but doesn't want to answer.

the_syco

blueredface wrote: »

There was no electricity in the house so I can't check the wiring/electric work and button/sockets which when I asked EA how long this house has been vacant who said approximately for a year. What could be the reason that house doesn't have electricity as I need to make a list of question for EA before I can make any offer.

Bring someone in to look at the entire house before you make an offer.

blueredface wrote: »

There is Gas Cooker and Gas Central heating but when I ask are these working he said, these has not been tested.
When I asked about Alarm, he said not sure but there were cut / broken wires hanging near to main door.

I'd be wondering if someone has taken all wires/copper for central heating, etc?

blueredface wrote: »

What if Bank asks for further deeper Survey after valuation report of the house current condition before they can approve this loan?

Personally, I'd get a deeper survey done to ensure you're not buying a money pit.

Also, unpopulated for a year to me means that the last tenant took a few bits with them when they left, and it wasn't worth the landlords time to replace everything. I'd proceed with caution, and a trusted surveyor. If they don't let the surveyor in, I'd run a mile!

riclad

its possible they had a large electricity bill, electric supply was switched off,
but the sellers lawyer should make sure all bills are paid before the house sale is complete,
SO you are not left with a large esb or gas bill to pay.
the agent may not want to say gas is switched off,
anyway gas boilers can,t be tested with no esb supply,to power them on.
you might wanna ask your solicitor is there a way to check is gas or electricity switched off for non payment.
or for reasons of safety.
GAS company can switch off gas if the think the building is empty,
or unsafe in some way,
even if all bills have been paid.

esb can switch off the supply if they think there,s a technical problem,

eg consumer unit, fusebox is not up to standard .
even if no money is owed on the account .
OR they think the general wiring is below standard .

You can get an electrician to check over the wiring, fusebox , with the permission of the estate agent .

Victor

ESB Networks will insist that any property that is unoccupied for an extended period be disconnected.

Get a building surveyor, preferably one approved by the bank to inspect it. They might be able to do the valuation also. It will cost a few hundred euros, but if you are spending hundreds of thousands, it will be well worth your while.

Any property you buy will need work to bring it up to your standards.

Chiorino

If it has been disconnected for over 6 months and less than 2 years you need an electrical contractor to inspect and to sign off (cost couple of hundred) but if it's over two years it's treated as a brand new connection and will cost €1800 (plus contractor costs) as I found out recently.

Tow

Chiorino wrote: »

If it has been disconnected for over 6 months and less than 2 years you need an electrical contractor to inspect and to sign off (cost couple of hundred) but if it's over two years it's treated as a brand new connection and will cost €1800 (plus contractor costs) as I found out recently.

Plus being a 'New Connection' the electrician has to certify that the building meets current regulations. Which could require a total rewire.

A friend of mine bought a house just before Christmas, which had been disconnected > 2 years. The house was less than ten years old, but the electrician was happy enough to certify after adding switches above the kitchen counter for the under counter sockets. Nothing was said about changing the CU to the new type and required location etc etc. Also the ESB only charged a few hundred and took a couple of days, rather than the 'new connection' price and time frame on their website.

riclad

SO just because the esb is disconnected,
it does not mean theres a technical problem with the wiring ,or the consumer unit,
fuse box.

zagmund

riclad wrote: »

SO just because the esb is disconnected,
it does not mean theres a technical problem with the wiring ,or the consumer unit,
fuse box.

Correct, it doesn't mean anything at all other than that the electricity is disconnected.

To go back to the original question (or one of them) . . . don't even think of making the EA an offer until you have had the house checked out by someone competent. Tell the EA you are interested, tell them you want to get it checked out, etc . . . but don't make an offer until you know roughly how much it will cost you to make it good.

z

riclad

do not get a full survey done,
Until u get your offer on the house accepted,and you are approved for a ,mortgage on the house.
The agent and you both agree on a price ,which u can afford .
Make a offer subject,to a full structural survey,
ie theres no major structural problems ,found in the survey,
eg dry rot,subsidence, eg something which cost 1000,s to repair.
The bank may want a survey done , but that,s usually just a formality .

Miaireland

I think some insurance companies demand that esb and water are turned off in properties that are vacant for long periods of time. I know when we were selling my Grandmothers house it was something that they insisted on expect they backed down over the esb because the burglar alarm worked off it.

davo10

Miaireland wrote: »

I think some insurance companies demand that esb and water are turned off in properties that are vacant for long periods of time. I know when we were selling my Grandmothers house it was something that they insisted on expect they backed down over the esb because the burglar alarm worked off it.

This is correct, I have just insured an unoccupied house which I bought and need to do up. The insurance company insisted that water and esb are off until such time as the house is to be occupied.

zagmund

How did they define cutting off the electricity? If it's a question of the power *after* the meter then that's easy to do and undo- just flip the master/pull the fuse, and when you want it back on just flip the switch back/put the fuse back in. If it's power before the meter, then it's going to be expensive and not something you can undo if you just need to pop in for an hour to give the place a quick hoover.

z

RORY O CONNOR

Victor wrote: »

ESB Networks will insist that any property that is unoccupied for an extended period be disconnected.

Get a building surveyor, preferably one approved by the bank to inspect it. They might be able to do the valuation also. It will cost a few hundred euros, but if you are spending hundreds of thousands, it will be well worth your while.

Any property you buy will need work to bring it up to your standards.

Valuation survey and structural survey not typically done by same person as a valuer is not qualified to offer structural advice and a engineer is not qualified to offer valuation advice. You will most likely have to use a valuer from the banks panel but you should be free to choose who surveys the building structurally.



Get a structural survey and condition report done:

Should cover the following:

Structural inspection
Overall condition survey
Check for damp and leaking plumbing.
Circuit testing of electric plug sockets for faults.
Loft entered to check roof timbers for rot/woodworm and evidence of roof leaks, incomplete party wall, metal tanks,
Checking heating system for function
Advise on energy improvements.
Advise on any planning or boundary issues in the property.
Any other issues are appropriate should be advised of.

maynooth_rules

Chiorino wrote: »

If it has been disconnected for over 6 months and less than 2 years you need an electrical contractor to inspect and to sign off (cost couple of hundred) but if it's over two years it's treated as a brand new connection and will cost €1800 (plus contractor costs) as I found out recently.

That really is a scandalous and completely unjustifiable cost. Just after buying a house that has been unoccupied for quite a while. Hoping to god the electricity hasnt been off for over two years. Estate agent wasnt sure.

riclad

the only company who can reconnect the supply before the meter ,is the esb.


IF a house is empty for a long time the gas company may choose to disconnect it.
You can choose to buy another house ,if you think the reconnection cost is too high.
There maybe extra costs in buying a house,thats empty for a long time.
get the roof checked for broken tiles,
Even one small hole in a tile can cause water damage in the attic or other areas of the house.