Most buyers assume a pre-purchase survey has them covered, but it rarely checks the wiring, the costliest thing to put right
Buyers will test every tap and check every press before committing to a home, but Jamie Griffin, Director of Cork Electrical, says there’s one essential most potential buyers forget to ask about.
People agonise over the kitchen and bathroom, then never ask a single question about the wiring. It’s the most expensive thing to put right and the most dangerous to get wrong.”
It’s a costly thing to be wrong about, too. A 2025 report from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) found that almost six in ten buyers who later discovered a problem with their home would have lowered their offer or walked away had they known beforehand. Yet a standard pre-purchase survey doesn’t normally test the electrics in detail, so even diligent buyers can be left in the dark about the one system most likely to need expensive work. With over a third of Irish homes built before 1980, many are moving into properties whose wiring may be past the end of its safe working life.
The Questions Almost Nobody Asks
Jamie says five simple questions could save buyers thousands and, in the worst cases, prevent a fire. Most cost nothing to ask and take a seller or estate agent seconds to answer.
1. How old is the consumer unit?
The fuse board is the clearest clue to a home’s electrical age. A modern unit has rows of switches, a test button and at least one RCD, the device that cuts power in a split second to prevent a shock or fire.
Jamie says: “If you open the press under the stairs and find old ceramic fuses or a board with no test button, that’s a system from a very different era. Many pre-2000s homes have no RCD protection at all, which is the single most important safety feature a home can have.”
2. Has the house ever been rewired, and when?
Industry guidance suggests house rewiring should be carried out roughly every 25 to 30 years, as cable insulation becomes brittle and circuits struggle under modern loads.
Jamie says: “If a house was built in the 1970s or 1980s, and the seller can’t tell you if it’s been rewired, you should assume it hasn’t. Original wiring from that period was never designed for air fryers, EV chargers, electric showers and a houseful of devices charging at once.”
3. Is there an up-to-date electrical certificate?
Significant electrical work by a registered electrician should come with a completion certificate, and a periodic inspection report tells you the system’s actual condition.
Jamie says: “A cert is the paper trail for the wiring, who did it, whether it met the standard, and when it was last checked. No paperwork doesn’t always mean danger, but it does mean you’re buying blind.”
4. What’s the wiring like outside?
Outdoor sockets, garden lighting, sheds and electric gates are where Jamie sees some of the most dangerous work.
Jamie says: “Outdoor wiring takes a beating from the weather and is very often the bit a previous owner added as a weekend job. It needs proper outdoor-rated cable and its own protection. A socket on the back wall feeding a hot tub or a shed is exactly the sort of thing nobody asks about until it trips, or worse.”
5. Are there enough sockets, and is anything running off extension leads?
A shortage of sockets is one of the most common complaints in older homes, and Jamie says it’s usually a symptom of a system that hasn’t kept pace with modern living.
Jamie says: “If every room has a tangle of extension leads and adaptors, that tells you the wiring was designed for a household with a fraction of today’s devices. Overloaded sockets and daisy-chained leads are a genuine fire risk, and adding proper circuits is far easier to budget for if you spot the problem before you buy rather than after.”
Why It Matters
The stakes aren’t just financial. Faulty wiring, overloaded sockets and ageing fuse boards are a recognised cause of house fires in Ireland, and the risk is concentrated in exactly the older properties many buyers are now purchasing. A full rewire is also disruptive and costly when discovered after moving in, often meaning lifted floors and chased walls in a home that has just been decorated.
The heartbreaking ones are the people who’ve spent everything they have on the deposit, moved in, and then find out in month two that the whole house needs rewiring,” Jamie says. “If they’d known before contracts were signed, it’s a negotiating point. Afterwards, it’s just a bill.”
What Buyers Can Do
Jamie’s advice is to treat the electrics with the same seriousness as the structure and the roof. Glance at the fuse board on the first viewing; it takes ten seconds and reveals most of what you need to know. Ask the estate agent about rewiring history and certificates before going sale agreed, not after. And because a standard structural survey rarely tests the electrics in detail, a short report from a Safe Electric registered electrician closes that gap. If a home is older and undocumented, assume a rewire or fuse board upgrade may be needed and organise electrical testing so you can price it in before you bid.
You wouldn’t buy a second-hand car without lifting the bonnet,” Jamie says. “The wiring is the bonnet of the house. Ask the questions, get someone to look and you’ll either get peace of mind or a very good reason to renegotiate. Either way, you win.”
How the Data Was Gathered
Cork Electrical assessed several sources for this press release, including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission 2025 research on the home-buying process, Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland guidance on what a building survey does and doesn’t cover, Central Statistics Office census figures on the age of Irish housing stock, fire-risk data from Fire Ireland and industry guidance on electrical safety and rewiring intervals.
About Cork Electrical
Cork Electrical serves homes and businesses throughout Cork across all types of property electrics, house electrical rewiring, power shower installations and smoke detector installations. They have an experienced team of Safe Electric registered electricians that ensure compliance, safety and efficiency in every project.