Electrics and gas
The consumer unit has a test button the surveyor did not press. What remains untested?
The device itself, and every circuit you hope it protects. Pressing a button is not the home survey, and a click on viewing day would still not be an EICR. The surveyor records that a device is visible. They do not commission the electrical inspection by touching 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?
A residual-current device is there to cut supply when current leaks. One button may cover only some circuits, or the board may have several devices, or none that you can see. The survey cannot tell which sockets, the shower, or the outdoor lights are protected, because it does not trace wiring and it does not test trip times. Leaving the button alone is the right limit. A trip during a viewing can drop lights and alarms in a house that is not yours, and it still would not classify the installation.
If the report says protection could not be confirmed, that is a reason to ask a qualified person, not a code you can already quote. C1, C2, C3 and FI come from the electrical report. They are not condition ratings. The five-year inspection interval on GOV.UK applies to landlords in the private and social rented sectors, not to an owner-occupier seller as a condition of your purchase. When you book a test, ask for the buttons and the circuits in writing. Do not press them yourself to “finish” the survey.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see an RCD or similar device, or were you unable to confirm one?
- Did you press anything? Please say if you did not.
- Which sentence is the limit of a visual inspection, and which would need an electrician?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not press the test button on a viewing.
- Book an EICR if you need to know what is protected.
- Read the electrician’s list of circuits against the board. Do not add rooms they did not name.
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
If the button trips, has the house passed?
No. A single trip is not a test of every circuit and not an EICR.
Is “no device seen” the same as condition rating 3?
No. The survey may rate the element in its own words. Electrical codes are a different scale, and only the electrical inspection assigns them.