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Electrics and gas

Does a modern-looking split consumer unit mean the survey has passed the electrics?

No. A newer board with devices and a split of circuits is something the surveyor can see. It is not a test of the cables behind it. RICS home surveys do not carry out an EICR, whatever the board looks like. The board can be new and the bathroom or the loft still be on old cable.

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?

People treat a new consumer unit as a rewire. Often only the board was changed. The surveyor should say “consumer unit replaced” if that is all they can see, and keep the limit “circuits not tested”. GOV.UK’s codes apply when an electrician tests. They do not appear by magic because the board is metal and tidy.

Ask the seller for the certificate for the board change and any installation certificate. Paper helps your solicitor. It is still not a whole-installation condition report unless it is an EICR. If the survey saw old cable as well as a new board, say both things when you ask an electrician to look.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Did you see the cables, or only the board?
  • Is there a certificate, or did you not have papers?
  • Are any rooms still on older wiring that you could see?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Do not write “electrics renewed” in your offer unless the report says the installation was tested.
  2. Ask for the board-change paperwork separately from the survey.
  3. If old cable is visible, include it in any EICR rather than assuming the new board covered it.

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 metal board safer by definition?

Current practice for new work prefers non-combustible enclosures. That does not test the circuits. An old plastic board is not automatically a failed test either.

Does a split board mean the bathroom is on the RCD side?

Not unless someone tests or traces it. The label is a clue. The survey has not proved the split.

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