How do we find out if our building has rising mains?

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Hello,
We are selling a maisonette in a two storey redbrick building of four maisonettes with private entrances, private gardens and no communal areas. Our management pack for our buyers is saying we are due to have electrical rising mains work in the near future costing approx 12k. There are no commual parts in the building, it's basically four completely separate dwellings. Our front door leads directly to our outside steps. There are no electrical systems/controls outside and we are responsible for our own interior wiring. We're fairly sure we don't have rising mains (there's no control/switch room or cupboard). How do we find out?

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

Can you show a picture of your electrical intake including the meter?

ProDave · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
We are selling a maisonette in a two storey redbrick building of four maisonettes with private entrances, private gardens and no communal areas.

That description says to me it is a terrace house or 4 plex house not a maisonette. ?

Ask the management company exactly what they are proposing to replace? Or just leave it and see if the buyers solicitor mentions it?

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Fleeting said:
Can you show a picture of your electrical intake including the meter?

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
View attachment 17105

This is in our internal hall cupboard inside our flat.

Andy™ · Sep 22, 2024

does the cable supplying each property come directly from the street to each individual flat or does it go to a cupboard and then to each flat?

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

ProDave said:
That description says to me it is a terrace house or 4 plex house not a maisonette. ?

Ask the management company exactly what they are proposing to replace? Or just leave it and see if the buyers solicitor mentions it?

They are a large housing organisation covering the whole borough. They have a rolling maintenance program covering all types of property from high rise to houses. They can’t tell us how our particular building is supplied. I've posted a photo of the supply box and meter below. The building was bult in 1950, it's not terraced houses but not exactly a block of flats either. Our entrance is at the side up some stairs, the two ground floor flats have entrances at the front. I've attached a photo of our entrance too.

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

The supply to that cutout is probably original and I suspect that is what they want to replace.

kerching · Sep 22, 2024

ProDave said:
That description says to me it is a terrace house or 4 plex house not a maisonette. ?

Ask the management company exactly what they are proposing to replace? Or just leave it and see if the buyers solicitor mentions it?

I always thought a maisonette was a Flat with its own entrance split over two floors accessed by an internal staircase.

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Fleeting said:
The supply to that cutout is probably original and I suspect that is what they want to replace.

But any interior wiring is our responsibility under our lease. They can’t replace anything that serves only our flat. We're leasehold.

Andy™ · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
But any interior wiring is our responsibility under our lease. They can’t replace anything that serves only our flat. We're leasehold.

not always. depends who is responsible for the supply cable, which varies, and if you answered my previous question you'd get a better answer

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Andy™ said:
not always. depends who is responsible for the supply cable, which varies, and if you answered my previous question you'd get a better answer

I can't see your previous question?

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

I suspect there maybe a clause in your lease terms stating the freeholder can recover these costs through service charges.

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Andy™ said:
does the cable supplying each property come directly from the street to each individual flat or does it go to a cupboard and then to each flat?

It goes to each individual property from the street. There is no cupboard.

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Andy™ said:
does the cable supplying each property come directly from the street to each individual flat or does it go to a cupboard and then to each flat?

It goes to each individual property from the street. There is no cupboard.

Andy™ · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
It goes to each individual property from the street. There is no cupboard.

kinda as i expected. in which case there is no BNO. its simply the DNO's cable and their responsibility for them. if there's a fault with the cable then its upto DNO to sort it at their cost

if there is a cupboard soemwhere and the supply splits to each property, then its completely different

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

The fact the supply is in conduit with the conduit as the apparent protective conductor leads me to think they are coming from somewhere within that building and not a direct DNO supply.

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Andy™ said:
kinda as i expected. in which case there is no BNO. its simply the DNO's cable and their responsibility for them. if there's a fault with the cable then its upto DNO to sort it at their cost

if there is a cupboard soemwhere and the supply splits to each property, then its completely different

Thank you. That's what we thought. There's no cupboard or switch room where the supply splits to each flat.

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
Thank you. That's what we thought. There's no cupboard or switch room where the supply splits to each flat.

I suspect there is.

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

Fleeting said:
I suspect there is.

There's nowhere it could be. All entrances to the four flats are private. I've attached a photo. Our entrance is up the stairs by the gate, we're the entire first floor. The other door leads directly into the ground floor flat. They're all completely self contained.

How do we find out if our building has rising mains?

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

Member

Well-known member

Twatt ™

Member

Member

©Resident Geordie™

Member

Attachments

Well-known member

©Kleenex™

Member

©Resident Geordie™

Member

Well-known member

Member

Member

©Resident Geordie™

Well-known member

Member

Well-known member

Member

Attachments

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!