If you’re buying a property in Melbourne, you want the process to be stress-free and not incur any additional costs. Unexpected bills or problems will keep you awake at night and hit the pocket hard.
If your property has undetected electrical problems, they can snowball into major issues that you will be responsible for if a contract has already been signed. A pre-purchase electrical inspection done before you sign a contract is the only way to avoid this.
Let’s take a look at why.
Hidden Electrical Problems Mean Hidden Bills
Electrical faults don’t announce themselves when you first head to a home open. Conveyancers don’t flag them and building inspectors don’t check for them.
If you like the property and purchase it, you take on the electrical issues lurking beneath the surface once the contract is unconditional. And they can be expensive:
- Switchboard replacement: can cost between $1,000 to $4,000
- Full house rewiring can cost from $3,500 to $15,000
If you haven’t included those numbers in your initial budget, you could be in for a bit of bill shock. A pre-purchase electrical inspection of your Melbourne home will bring them to light before you sign.
Building Inspections Don’t Cover Electrics
Most Victorian buyers assume their building inspection covers everything structural and safety-related. Here’s the thing, though – electrics aren’t part of it.
Building inspections in Victoria are conducted under a VBA (Victorian Building Authority) licence. Electrical systems fall under an entirely separate authority, Energy Safe Victoria.
Your building inspector will do a basic visual assessment of the electrical system in your home. They’ll flag if something looks like it could be a safety concern. They won’t do any functional or technical testing though – if there are problems under the surface, they won’t find them.
You need a qualified electrician to do a thorough test of your wiring, switchboards, circuit breakers and other electrical components to assess functionality and pinpoint problems.
Energy Safe Victoria recommends buyers arrange a separate electrical inspection. At Voltora Industries Melbourne we have qualified residential electricians who can help out with this.
Melbourne’s Older Properties
Melbourne has a wide mix of older homes. Federation houses, interwar bungalows, post-war brick veneer, and mid-century flats make up a significant share of the market. Many were wired to standards that are well out of date.
When we inspect older Melbourne properties, we regularly find:
- Old ceramic fuse boxes
- Missing safety switches
- Brittle or degraded wiring
- Non-certified DIY electrical work
- Circuits that can’t handle the load of a modern household
- Smoke alarms that don’t meet Victoria’s current interconnected alarm requirements
You don’t want to find out about these problems after you’ve moved in – because by that stage they are your responsibility.
What a Pre-Purchase Electrical Inspection Covers
Voltora Industries Melbourne carry out a thorough and comprehensive check of the entire electrical infrastructure in an inspection. This includes:
- The switchboard: age, condition, compliance, and whether it’s ready for modern loads
- Safety switches: installation and functionality
- Wiring: check for degradation wherever accessible
- Power points, switches, and light fittings
- Fixed appliances like ovens and hot water systems
- Outdoor circuits: garden lighting, sheds, pool and spa equipment and so on
- Smoke alarm compliance and functionality
A written report will give you a breakdown of everything we found, identifying whats wrong, the urgency of the problem and how much it will cost.
What to Do With the Inspection Findings
If the report comes back clean, you can proceed with confidence with the real estate transaction. If it uncovers problems, then you have options with how you proceed:
- Request repairs. Ask the seller to carry out rectification work before settlement.
- Negotiate the price. Use the documented repair costs to negotiate the price down.
- Walk away. If the issues are serious enough, you may want to focus your efforts on securing a different property. At least you know.
It Works for Sellers Too
Sellers can use a pre-purchase electrical inspection to their advantage. Getting one done before listing means you find out about any issues and can fix them on your own timeline and budget. This is a far better process compared to scrambling to respond to a buyer’s findings during due diligence. You can show the property has been well-maintained, and also remove the prospect of them being armed with extra negotiating power.
When to Book Your Electrical Inspection
Book your inspection with our mobile electricians during your due diligence period, at the same time as your building and pest. That’s the window where findings can actually change the outcome of a purchase.
Once your contract goes unconditional, that window closes.
Book Your Melbourne Pre-Purchase Electrical Inspection
Voltora Industries Melbourne is based in Ringwood and services Melbourne and the wider metro area. Our team holds Gold Master electrician certification and carries out pre-purchase electrical inspections regularly for both buyers and sellers.
We’re here to answer all your questions about a pre-purchase general inspection. If you’d like to book yours in today or find out more, simply get in touch for a no-obligation quote.
FAQs
Why doesn’t my building inspection cover the electrics? Building inspections in Victoria are conducted under a VBA licence. Electrical systems fall under Energy Safe Victoria, a separate authority. For a full assessment, you need a licensed electrician
When should I book my pre-purchase electrical inspection? During your due diligence period, before your contract goes unconditional.
Do I need a pre-purchase electrical inspection for a newer home? Less critical for a recently built property with no renovation history. But it’s not zero risk. Extensions and previous owner electrical work can introduce problems in any property.
What does the electrical inspection report tell me? It identifies non-compliant or unsafe elements, describes what needs to be done, and provides cost estimates for the rectification work.
Does Voltora Industries Melbourne service my area? We’re based in Ringwood and cover Melbourne and the surrounding metro region. Get in touch and we can confirm coverage for your property.
