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Electrics and gas

What should you ask if the survey says sockets may lack RCD protection?

Ask whether the surveyor could see a residual-current device, or simply could not confirm one, and remember they have not tested the circuit. Lack of a visible RCD is a reason to ask an electrician. It is not already an EICR code, and it is not a RICS condition rating by another name.

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?

RCD protection is the device that cuts the supply when current leaks, which is why electricians look for it on socket and bathroom circuits. A surveyor sees the consumer unit and any labels. They do not trip the device as a formal test on a standard home survey, and they do not know from the cover whether every circuit is protected. GOV.UK’s landlord guidance defines C1 as danger present, C2 as potentially dangerous, C3 as improvement recommended, and FI as further investigation without delay. Only the electrical inspection assigns those codes.

A buyer of an owner-occupied house is not standing in the landlord’s five-year duty. You may still want the inspection before you exchange if the board looks improvised or the survey has said it cannot confirm basic protection. Ask the electrician for the codes in writing. Do not translate “no RCD seen” into a rewire of the whole house until they have said that is what the installation needs.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Did you see an RCD or RCBO, or were you unable to confirm one?
  • Are you recommending an EICR, or only recording a limit of the visual inspection?
  • What should we not assume about a rewire until that inspection is done?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Book an EICR if you need codes before exchange.
  2. Do not press test buttons on a stranger’s board during a viewing.
  3. Read the electrician’s codes against the survey. Do not add rooms the report did not mention.

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 yellow test button proof every socket is protected?

No. One device may cover only some circuits. The survey has not traced them. An electrician can.

Does C3 mean the same as condition rating 3?

No. C3 means improvement recommended on an electrical report. RICS condition rating 3 means a serious or urgent defect in the survey’s own definition. They are different scales.

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