Electrics and gas
How should a buyer separate a plastic consumer unit, no EICR in the pack and circuits a visual note has not tested when all three are mentioned together?
Separate the box, the missing paper and the untested circuits. A plastic consumer unit is a visual note of the enclosure, no EICR in the pack means no electrical installation condition report was among the documents, and a visual note has not tested any circuit. The surveyor has not certificated the electrics. Plastic does not mean the wiring has failed, and it does not mean it is satisfactory. Three mentions are three limits, not one electrical result.
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?
Consumer units house the breakers. Older plastic enclosures are often discussed because of how they behave in a fire, but that discussion is not a test of the circuits, the earthing or the bonding. An EICR is the electrician's report, with its own codes, and it was not in the pack and was not produced by this visit. Looking at the cover does not operate devices, measure earth fault loops or identify every cable. The visual note stops at the enclosure you could see.
Ask the solicitor to request an EICR from the seller if one exists, and if it does not, treat the gap as missing paperwork. Commission an electrician for a condition report if you want circuits tested. That report is not this survey and it will not appear by rereading the plastic cover. Tell a lender the electrics were not tested and that no EICR was in the pack. Do not translate the enclosure into a clearance or a failure.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the plastic consumer unit only seen, not tested?
- Is there no EICR in the pack from this instruction?
- Have the circuits remained untested by the visual note?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the enclosure, the missing EICR and the circuits apart.
- Ask the solicitor to request an electrical condition report.
- Tell a lender the electrics were not tested on this visit.
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
Does a recent boiler install mean the consumer unit was upgraded?
Not automatically. A heating install may include a fused spur or a certificate for that circuit alone, which is not an inspection of the whole consumer unit or the house wiring. This survey did not test circuits and did not see an EICR. Ask the solicitor which certificates, if any, actually exist.
Is the plastic of the cover itself an electrical test result?
No. The material of the cover is something you can see with the door open or shut. It does not measure disconnection times, earthing or cable condition. The survey recorded a plastic unit and the absence of an EICR. An electrician's report would be needed before anyone speaks about the circuits. This visit did not provide one.