Electrics and gas
The cable tail at the meter looks lead-sheathed. Can the surveyor replace it, or only record it?
Only record it. The surveyor cannot replace the lead-sheathed tail at the meter. A home survey notes what the tail looked like where it could be seen. It does not cut the supply, fit a new tail, or issue an electrical installation condition report. Work on the incoming cable is for the network operator or an electrician they allow on that equipment, not for the person writing the survey. Do not pull or bare the tail on a viewing. Ask an electrician to inspect it and to say who may change it.
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?
The tail is the short cable between the supply equipment and the consumer unit. Lead sheathing is an old finish. Recognising the look of it is a visual comment. Replacing it means working on the incoming supply, which a survey does not do. The surveyor is not there to renew the cable, and a sentence in the report is not a job already carried out. Recording what the sheath looked like and fitting a new tail are different tasks, done by different people.
Show an electrician the survey wording and arrange access so they can see the tail without you disturbing it. Ask whether the network operator has to attend before anything is changed. Do not book the work as if the survey firm will return to fit the cable. Until a competent person has seen it, keep the finding as a record of appearance. A lead-sheathed look on this one tail is also not a claim that every circuit in the house is the same age.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the lead-sheathed look on the meter tail itself, or on a longer cable?
- How much of that tail was visible, and what was boxed, taped or painted?
- Did you see cracking or bare metal, or only the old sheath?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the survey as a record of the tail, not a replacement.
- Ask an electrician who is allowed to change a tail at the meter.
- Do not pull, cut or bare the cable on a viewing.
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 one lead-sheathed tail mean the whole house must be rewired?
No. The tail is one cable at the meter. It does not describe every circuit, and the survey did not call the installation a rewire because of that sheath alone.
Can you tape the tail yourself and leave it?
No. Do not tape or sleeve a tail at the meter yourself. Covering the sheath is not a repair, and it is not a substitute for an electrician seeing the cable.