It is the law – a seller must produce an Electrical Certificate of Compliance, the transferring attorneys are required to include this with the documents delivered to the Deed Office. That’s great as the buyer has the security of knowing the wiring in their new house is safe. This electrical certificate is not checked by the
Deeds Office.

BUT what happens when a seller has a buddy who is an electrician and they are aware that there are issues which will be costly. Firstly not all electricians have the qualifications to do this work – in fact they should not be able to obtain the blank certificates in the first place, as each one is numbered and is in triplicate. Some unscrupulous electricians however manage to get their hands on this documentation and give false information – and you might not be aware of it until you have moved in and/or transfer has taken place.

This happens so often that I have heard of numerous instances where it can be surmised that the electrician did not even do an initial inspection. Examples range from only one geyser being noted when there are in fact two in the roof, outside lights having a cord plugged into a switch, in an odd place, swimming pool motors that are not earthed – horribly dangerous. Who is aware that there should be a yellow triangular sticker on the cover of the distribution board with a picture of a jagged arrow? Do you know that each switch in your electrical box should be labelled and there should be a mains switch which must be turned off when doing any electrical work? Another common situation entails the owner having been informed of a problem with a particular outlet or light might instruct the electrician to disconnect it in order to not have to pay to repair it.

I suggest if you are worried – possibly the house is old, it may have extensions (best is to always ask for approved plans) the answer might be to offer to pay towards the Electrical Certificate of Compliance and/or work to be completed, you can also ask for the name of the firm/person they are wanting to use and you can check if they are registered to do the job. Agents should know and recommend an electrician with the necessary certification. If the owner has a certificate – be aware that they are only valid for 2 years.

If you are unsure and want an extra set of eyes – contact HomeBuyerBuddy and we can advise you or recommend a qualified electrician to do an inspection before you sign your rights away. For a few hundred rands you can save thousands. Be aware – electrical shorts can cause a fire, this is the number one reason for home fires.