Condition ratings

Rewirable fuses were seen and nobody operated them. What can the electrical condition rating honestly claim?

Only what was visible. Rewirable fuses that were seen, and that nobody operated, let the electrical rating describe the board as it looked. They do not let it claim the circuits were tried, loaded, or found safe. A home survey looks at services. It does not safety-test them. Do not read a number beside those fuses as a certificate that the installation passed.

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?

Rewirable fuses are an old form of fuse carrier, visible once the board is looked at. Seeing them supports a description: the age and type of the board, damage, heat marks, or a homemade alteration. It does not support a claim that anyone pulled a carrier, operated a switch, or tested a circuit. Services are visual only. They are not safety-tested. If the surveyor gives rating 2, they are saying a repair or replacement is needed but it is not serious or urgent, based on that look. Rating 3 would mean they judge what they saw as serious or urgent, and you would then get written quotations before legal commitment. Neither number is a pass or a fail of the wiring.

The what to do now note advises you. It does not invoice the seller for a new consumer unit, and it does not turn an old board into a tested one. Covers that stayed on, and circuits in the walls, were not inspected, so those parts are not rating 1. Concealed wiring is not guaranteed sound. If you want the installation tested, commission that as its own instruction. Do not tell the lender the survey passed the electrics because a number sits next to the fuses. Ask the surveyor exactly what the number refers to: the board they saw, or a test they did not do.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What could you see of the fuses, and what did you not operate?
Does the electrical rating describe the board, or claim a test?
Are covered circuits NI rather than included in this number?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the rating as a visual note on the fuse board.
Do not describe it as a passed electrical test.
Commission a separate test only if you need one.

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

Can rewirable fuses be rating 2 without anyone saying the house is unsafe?

Yes. Rating 2 is not serious or urgent. It is a repair or replacement based on the look, not a test result.

If the cover was off, were the circuits still untested?

Yes. An open cover shows the carriers. It does not operate them or test the wiring.