Electrics and gas

What if the consumer unit is behind fitted units and was not seen?

Then the electrical installation was not visually inspected at the place that matters most. The report should say so. It should not rate the system as satisfactory, and it should not invent a list of codes. A home survey does not test circuits even when the board is visible.

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?

Ask the seller to clear the unit while you can still have it seen, or accept the limitation and commission an EICR. The EICR needs access. A carpenter may have to move a panel. That cost is not in the survey fee and is not stated here. Do not smash the cupboard out on completion day and call it the surveyor’s fault.

GOV.UK’s codes apply when an inspector tests. C1, C2, C3 and FI are theirs. RICS ratings are the survey’s. Keep the two documents. An owner-occupier does not have the landlord’s duty to hand you a five-year certificate, so absence of an EICR is normal and still means untested.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Did you see the consumer unit or only guess its location?
What rating, if any, did you give services you could not see?
What access would an electrician need?

What are the typical next steps?

Ask for access before exchange if you want the board seen.
Otherwise book an EICR as soon as you can open the cupboard.
Do not accept “electrics fine” in an agent’s email while the report says not inspected.

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 cupboard a fire risk because the board is inside it?

The survey cannot make that a test. An electrician can say whether the installation is suitable. Do not start a fire narrative from a door.

Does a smart meter in the same cupboard mean the board was upgraded?

No. Meters are changed independently of consumer units.