Do I Need a New Consumer Unit When Selling?

There is no legal obligation to replace your consumer unit before selling a property. What there is, for any property with an older board, is a reasonable probability that the buyer's electrical inspection will flag it as unsatisfactory. That flag then becomes a negotiating point, a delay, or in some cases a condition of the mortgage offer.

Why conveyancers and surveyors flag old boards

Properties built or rewired before the early 2000s often have a consumer unit with no RCD protection or only partial coverage. The absence of RCD protection on socket circuits and bathroom circuits is a C2 observation under BS 7671: potentially dangerous. A C2 observation means the EICR result is unsatisfactory.

When a buyer's solicitor receives an unsatisfactory EICR, they typically ask the seller either to carry out the remedial work before exchange or to reduce the price to reflect the cost of the work. Where the buyer's mortgage lender requires a satisfactory EICR before releasing funds, there is no choice but to resolve it.

What the buyer's surveyor looks for

A Level 2 or Level 3 homebuyer's report includes a note on the condition of the electrical installation. If the consumer unit looks old, the surveyor will recommend commissioning an EICR. If the EICR comes back unsatisfactory, the buyer has a documented defect to negotiate on.

A modern consumer unit with RCBO protection reads differently. It signals a recent update and is unlikely to attract the same scrutiny. The visual impression is not a guarantee, but it removes the instinctive flag.

How long a consumer unit replacement takes

A straightforward consumer unit replacement in an occupied house takes most of a working day. The supply is isolated, the existing unit and its connections are removed, and a new board is fitted with a correctly rated RCBO for each circuit. Every circuit is tested before the supply is restored. You end up with a labelled, compliant board and a full set of test results.

For most three-bedroom houses, the power is off for the majority of the working day.

The cost relative to the alternative

A consumer unit replacement costs a few hundred to around a thousand pounds depending on the number of circuits and the property. Set against the cost of a renegotiation on a property worth many times that, or the legal and carrying costs of a sale that stalls at exchange, the arithmetic is usually straightforward.

Getting an EICR before you go to market

Having an EICR carried out before listing the property tells you exactly what the buyer's inspector will find, before they find it. If the report flags the consumer unit, you can arrange the replacement on your own terms and timeline, supply the buyer with a satisfactory EICR at the outset, and remove the issue from the negotiation entirely.

What you receive at the end

A consumer unit replacement includes an Electrical Installation Certificate for the new work and a Part P completion certificate. Both are provided to you at the end of the job and should be kept with the property's title and compliance documents to pass on to the buyer.