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Posted 6th Apr 2022
To comply with new regs the electricity consumer unit in our flat in London has to be changed,
does anyone know how much a new consumer unit compliant with the new regs costs!
does anyone know how time it will take to do such work?
Also does anyone know how much a qualified electrician will charge for the work to install the new consumer unit and in a situation where wearing of PPE mask has to be worn in the flat because of a vulnerable tenant?
Just a guide please, so i can plan costs-wise, especially time needed to do the change and work/labour costs.
does anyone know how much a new consumer unit compliant with the new regs costs!
does anyone know how time it will take to do such work?
Also does anyone know how much a qualified electrician will charge for the work to install the new consumer unit and in a situation where wearing of PPE mask has to be worn in the flat because of a vulnerable tenant?
Just a guide please, so i can plan costs-wise, especially time needed to do the change and work/labour costs.
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sorted byI think OP was talking about how long the job would take when they said would let tenant know.
I'm an electrician and this guy is spot on
You should budget for around £500
It can take anything from half a day to a whole day to do depending on the existing set up. Get an electrician round to quote.
Sorry, forgot to say that is the cost of replacing the consumer unit. The EICR report is £100 on top, then the additional remedial work on top of needed to pass the EICR. (edited)
for what it's worth I charge £650 in Kent but the recent amendment may result in an even higher charge due to even more new requirements (Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs)) these are quite an added expense likely to push prices up by £40 per circuit.
There is no requirement for an electrical installation to be compliant to current regs (18th edition).
Providing the install was compliant at time of install and is safe for use it will pass an EICR.
A lot of electricians are failing EIRCs to make money or have incorrectly interpretated the law.
You propose to charge the tenant for making the change that is a Landlord's obligation? Isn't that how Landlords (correctly) get a bad name?
No one can answer that question without inspecting the premises. Could be £1k, £2k, £3k, £4k or more quite easily if the wiring is old and dodgy and all needs replacing (which is why the EICR was bought in).
If so, I would join some neighborhood groups where the flat is and ask for recommendations for an electrician.
If your wiring is OK, then it is just a consumer unit change and subsequent EICR that you require.
I would also suggest, as you will be hiring an electrician anyway, to ask the tenant if there are any other electrical issues that require attention (broken/non-working switches or sockets etc) and get them sorted at the same time.
Also, does the lighting in the bathroom meet the current regulations? If not, I would get this attended to at the same time.
IMO you probably looking around £700-1000 for a board change and test.
Any advice on here will only be a guide - in order to do this, you need to provide some more information:
1) Where are you in the country - prices vary across the UK
2) How many circuits do you have - do you need more - post a picture of your current consumer unit
BTW, are you the landlord of the property?
If you're letting, you'll also need the EIRC sorted too.
Labour depends a lot on what part of the country you're in.
Does the property have a currently valid EICR?
The advice from someone above, however, is accurate. Get an electrician in to do the change and the EIRC at the same time. I have no idea re London prices. Try Mybuilder to get some quotes too. I'd think it would take at least 4 hours to change the unit with the appropriate tests completed after, but I'm no electrician. If the wiring is old and needs replacing = £££. (edited)
no no no, i dont plan to charge a 10 year tenant for something that i have to do, maybe my wording was ambiguous, i meant so i can tell the tenant how long it will take to do ie timeframe so they know how long the electrician will be in the flat.
Regarding the cost 1-4k, that much, it only a small one bed flat (edited)
Sorry to break it to you, but this became a legal requirement as of June 2020 for new tenancies and, April 2021 for existing tenancies such as yours.
Does the property have any gas appliances? If so, do you have a current Gas Safety Certificate?
I know but best tended to beforehand so you get a pass first time.
Maybe
Yeah all I need for now is a guide really and yes I am the landlord and the flat is in London and it only a small flat and i think its 2 circuits, A & B circuits and don't need any more circuits, will post pic when i can get some from the tenant. (edited)
nice info, the flat is in London, so how much you think regarding labour cost and time to do so i can let the tenant know?
by EICR i think you mean Electrical Installation Condition Report and it doesnt, have had the flat for about 10 years and same tenant since and if it did, dont know where that is after this long. will need to get that done first i guess. (edited)
yeah, thanks just realised that myself re legal req since 2020 I blame covid for the lapse and no to the gas question, the flat is all electric. (edited)
will do, thanks for all your suggestions.
indeed, i dont but now one has a better understand of things
now I am confused (edited)
exact same flat on the top flat above mine tenant i know tells me his has to to be changed but hasnt been done yet and so doesnt know how much it will be etc as the landlord didnt tell him.
(a) ensure that the electrical safety standards are met during any period when the residential premises are occupied under a specified tenancy;
Section 2 … ‘ “electrical safety standards” means the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018’
How can a landlord adhere to current requirements to have electrics tested every five years if their property isn't compatible with 18th Ed regs?
You are the reason why landlords should be educated, if you want to legally offer your property out for rent then a suitable course should be created and made to pass a pointless licence is worthless. You are licenced yes?
To many wannabe's who haven't got a clue
Also what PPE do YOU believe is necessary to ensure safely and to ensure their are OTT protected for a vulnerable tenant (edited)
I vote that we should have an 'ignore' button on hotukdeals