Electrics and gas

Can a home survey diagnose a borrowed neutral?

No. A borrowed neutral is a wiring fault an electrician finds by testing, often when a lighting circuit will not isolate properly. A surveyor who does not test cannot diagnose it. They might see odd DIY junctions in a loft. That is a prompt, not a code C1 or C2.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

GOV.UK’s EICR codes exist so inspectors can classify what they test. Using those letters in a home survey without a test muddies the report. Ask the surveyor to keep “I saw a junction” separate from “an electrician has coded this”. You then know what to pay for.

A loft full of taped connectors is still worth an electrician even without the borrowed-neutral label. The repair might be local. There is no national price. Do not accept a full rewire quote that never tested the board. An EICR uses its own codes. Those codes are not RICS condition ratings, and the home survey did not carry out that test.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Are you describing something you saw, or a fault you cannot have tested?
Where is the junction?
Is the recommendation an EICR?

What are the typical next steps?

Show the electrician the loft, not a diagnosis you invented.
Ask for an EICR if the survey recommends one.
Do not isolate circuits yourself to “help” the survey.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Is a borrowed neutral the same as no RCD?

No. One is a wiring arrangement. The other is the absence of a protective device. Both need an electrician, not a synonym.

Does a new consumer unit cure it?

Not if the fault is in the cables. The electrician should say what they tested.