A Checklist for First Time Homeowners

Having a child, getting married, and buying your first house are all significant events that take place in people’s lives and are also well known for being some of the most stressful and also enjoyable times. Electric Heating Expert appreciates that when it comes to electrical matters, you might not be aware of all of the pitfalls that can arise especially when purchasing a property. To help make the process of buying a home a bit less stressful, we have compiled the following checklist for you.

What Are the Monthly Expenses?

When looking at your dream house, you should ask about the average monthly expenses for electricity and gas bills, since you will need to factor those in as part of your overall monthly expenses.

House Inspection

Having a house inspection done before you sign a contract is always recommended, since superficial touches like new tiles, freshly painted walls, built-in ovens, and granite workout can hide many dangerous defects. The defects can involve things like issues with gas and water supplies, mains earthing, electric heating circuits, fuse boxes, electrical cabling, and other potential problems that you need to be aware of before you purchase a property.

After a thorough survey of the property has been conducted by a qualified electrician, they will then sit down with you to explain the survey’s results and identify any areas you should potentially be concerned about.

You should ask for an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or formal investigation since that will cover areas such as electrical installation safety, fittings, and fixtures. The EICR will look at the following as well:

Storage and panel heaters
Boilers
Fuse boards and consumer units
Hard-wired smoke alarms and fire detectors.

Who Is Qualified to Conduct a Property Survey?

When you need to have a property survey done, it is a good idea to check to see if the surveyor belongs to one of these organisations: the Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA) or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). They both provide different levels of surveys and these will, of course, vary in price. It is very important to understand the kind of survey you need depending on the property’s age and type.

House Viewing

When you are visiting your dream flat or house, there are certain things that can be done whilst you are there to make sure the property meets all of your needs. Below we have listed some suggestions to help you have more confidence when it is time to put in an offer or maybe reconsider whether or not you are willing to pay the full asking price for the property.

Is the house well insulated? Good insulation means lower energy bills.
Will you need electric radiators or is gas central heating available?
Does the property have a conservatory? Does it have heating, or will you need an electric radiator?
What is the energy performance (EPC) rating of the property? That will determine the amount of energy ou use and also impact your monthly operating costs.
When was the fuse box last checked and how old is it?
What is the boiler’s service history like and is it noisy?
How many power sockets does the property have and are they in convenient locations?
Does the property have any exposed wires?
Are they are any signs of condensation, mould, or damp?
Do all of the light switches work in all of the rooms?

For all of the latest advice and tips from our Electric Heating Expert specialists, send us a direct message online or check out our blog. Have a look at our German ceramic heating offers as well.