Electrics and gas
An extension seems to be wired from a socket spur. What has the survey not done?
It has not tested that circuit, counted the load, or proved that the spur is suitable. A cable leaving a socket and heading towards a later room is a visual note. It is not an EICR, and it is not a building-regulations certificate for the extension.
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?
Surveyors notice a single cable, a junction, or a socket that looks as if it feeds more than a point or two. They cannot see inside the wall, and they do not measure cable size or protective-device ratings on a home survey. A spur can be a proper way to add a small load, or it can be a chain of sockets, a heater and a kettle on a cable that was never meant for them. The glance does not choose which. The sentence should say what was visible and that no test was done.
Papers for the extension, if any, are a solicitor’s question. A certificate for past work is still not a test of the circuit today. If you want the installation classified, ask a qualified person for an EICR. Owner-occupiers selling are outside the landlord’s five-year inspection duty, so the pack may not contain one. Do not invent a rule that every spur is forbidden, and do not price a rewire from a cable you saw crossing a doorway. The electrician’s codes, if they write any, are not RICS condition ratings.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you actually see: a cable, a socket, or only the new room?
- Did you test the circuit? If not, please say so in one line.
- Should the solicitor ask for electrical certificates separately from this note?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not load the extension with heaters on viewing day to “see if the breaker trips”.
- If the way it is fed matters to you, book an EICR and point out the spur.
- Keep any missing building-regulations paper in the solicitor’s file, not as a pretend test result.
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 new consumer unit prove the extension spur was redesigned?
No. The board and one old spur are different. The survey has not traced them.
Can you tell a safe spur from an unsafe one by how neat the socket looks?
No. Neatness is not a test of the cable or the fuse.