|
When buying a house in France, often all the usual wariness we display within our home country seems to be forgotten. Maybe it is the joy of a country location or the heady aroma of garlic and cheese but whatever the reason we often buy with our heart and not our head.
Normally this does not have any serious come back, but sometimes it means we may miss something vital. We would never buy a house in UK without a survey ( generally a stipulation of the mortgage lender) but it is often the case here. Structural faults can be seen on a walk round( damaged roof, rotten beams, cracked walls) But a lot of building problems lie hidden. Nothing is truer than with electrics. Just because the light switch works doesn’t mean it is safe or suitable.
It is strange I find when owners of a property being renovated will have no problems at spending 5000 euros on a kitchen yet baulk at spending the same on completely rewiring their home. You can’t see the cabling, and a consumer unit ( tableau principal ) is hardly an object of beauty ( a matter for discussion in my mind!! ) but nonetheless it is a vital part of the house structure. We take electricity for granted today and yet it is a true essential. It can also take a major chunk of funds when renovating, especially if you want to include for instance; heating, thermostats, control systems for blinds, a home office.
But does the property you are buying require a rewire? The cynical will say that an electrician will always recommend a rewire!!! Nonetheless it may be advisable to have an electrician take a look over your potential purchase before you sign on the dotted line.
There are a number of ways of assessing the wiring of the property;
1 Do it yourself. If you have a fair knowledge of wiring it is not too difficult to assess if wiring is dangerous or not. Very old cotton covered cable is an absolute must for replacement and probably points to a complete rewire. But newer cabling is a little more difficult to assess. Plastic covered cable can be acceptable but is it wired in the old ring main style? This can be very dangerous if additional wiring has been carried out at a later date. Also it is likely to mean that the Consumer Unit is sub standard ( insufficient protection ).
2 Certificate of Conformity. This is a very good starting point. It will ensure that the installation has been inspected by a regulatory body ( Consuel ) They assess the general quality of the installation and carry out a full test of the earth. The actual quality of the installation is the responsibility of the installer and not the Consuel. This certificate is now being demanded by some insurance companies before they will insure a rental property. This may even apply to an existing property that will now be used for rental. There is a problem with the certificate. Even though the standards are not retrospective, it dates. A certificate from 1980 will inform you that the wiring is up to the requirements of 1980 and not 2008, so if you do decide to change a property to a rental you may be forced to get a new Certificate ( obviously to the new standards ) and need to spend on bringing an existing installation up to date. So nonetheless, be aware of potential problems with an old CofC.
3 The most recent way of assessing a property’s integrity is to carry out a DCS.
(Diagnostic Confiance de Securite ). This is a set of inspection requirements laid out by EDF ( Electricitie de France ) and it’s associates, specifically Promotelec to let a client know what standard of wiring and hence security is in the house.
Promotelec carry out this inspection. It costs about 140 Euro (which may be refunded by the electrician used to carry out any necessary work). For a small cost this will let you know exactly what work is required to bring the installation up to standard and also give you a chance to talk to a professional for advice.
If the seller or the estate agent tell you that the electrics are up to standard then they should have no qualms at carrying out a DCS. If cost is an issue you can offer to pay. Surely paying 140 Euro now is better than being surprised with a 3000 euro invoice for electrical work in your new home that you weren’t expecting.
To get a DCS on a property you will need to contact Promotelec. Find out more details at www.promotelec.com or phone 08 25 04 67 70 or 01 41 97 42 22. They will guide you through the process.
From application to inspection it takes about two weeks, so in the overall process of purchasing a house it is not too long.
Many houses are often still connected to three phase electricity. This is often true of old farm buildings. Fundamentally there is no problem with three phase ( a system of splitting your electric requirements over three almost individual supplies but with one connection charge) although it does have it’s limitations. It must be balanced between the three supplies or your supply will trip out. This can be difficult in an older renovation where circuits may have been added on, and often added on to only one of the phases. 20years ago not so much of a problem, these days we have so many electrical goods ( washing machine, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, oven, hob, extractor, kettle, coffee machine) and often in one location ( the kitchen!) that it becomes very easy to overload or unbalance a system.
On the surface a house wired in three phase can look fine, but you may have a problem with loading which could require upgrading of your Consumer Unit at a cost of up to 1500 Euros ( maybe more with a larger property ). If you have a properties ( or set of properties ) that was once a medium sized farm and is know converted to a number of rental properties this may well be supplied with a three phase supply. Out of season you shouldn’t have any problems but high season you may experience overloading and unbalancing. Look very seriously at how the EDF supplies electricity to a large property, and don’t forget to ask questions to the existing owner.
The ultimate solution to three phase is to ask EDF to change it to single phase. On the surface the ideal solution but there are potential setbacks. A lot of areas of France are still very rural and isolated. The supply cabling ( reseau ) may not support single phase. In this instance you are stuck with 3 phase and will need to take action ( Don’t automatically assume that you will be able to change to single phase ).
Changing to single phase is now charged for by EDF since privatisation in July 2007. Costs vary from region to region and dept to dept. Call EDF on 3929 to ask if it possible and to get an idea of price in your area. At the same time it is worth asking for a remote reading disc ( telerapport ) which allows EDF to read your meter without entering the property ( Approximate cost 75 Euros ).
With a complete renovation most people want to move the EDF meter etc to a more discrete location ( most of us don’t want it in the living room!!). Your electrician will be able to inform you of the regulations concerning this and the best options open to you. A lot of the time you will have no choice, as EDF will put the new counter box ( coffret ) on the edge of the property and it is at your cost to connect to the house. Be aware of this potential extra installation cost which will often not be covered in an electrician’s quote ( devis ).
All of the above cases apply to properties with existing EDF connections, but with a very old property this may not be the case. If you do not have an electricity supply you will obviously need to organise one. This comes in two distinct phases;
1 Organise a temporary supply (connection chantier/ connection provisoire )
2 Organise your eventual permanent supply.
Both these are done via the EDF phone number on your electricity bill. EDf will now no longer lay in a supply and only connect you to 6kW until the work is complete. For a permanent supply you must have a Certificate of Conformity for the all the work in the building. To carry out work on the property beforehand it is necessary to get the temporary connection. The cost for this connection varies depending upon type of work and where you are. On top of this you must supply a suitable coffret. (visit your local electrical suppliers ( not brico shop) and they should be able to sell you one, cost €500 ) If you have engaged an electrician he/she may be able to supply a coffret for a rental charge.
Once all work is completed you can apply for a certificate of conformity, and once this check is done you can approach EDF to connect in your permanent supply and modify your contract. ( On a temp supply you only have access to 6kW but with a standard supply you can use dual tariff and higher power supplies ).
All of this information will be supplied in detail and relative to your exact location/situation by contacting EDF and asking for a meeting with a technician to discuss your options. ( Be aware of potential language complications )
To summarise;
1 Be aware of potential wiring problems when you buy.
2 Ask for at least a Certificate of Conformity, at best pay for a DCS.
3 Even if the wiring is okay think about what you intend to use the whole property for and what changes you want/need to make.
4 Look very carefully at a property that is wired in three phase.
5 Be prepared to spend some money, on any property to bring the consumer unit (tableau principal ) up to the most recent norms/regulations.
There is so much more available today than lighting and sockets; integrated sound system, gas and CO2 alarms, house security from simple alarms to systems allowing remote video surveillance and the new home control systems ( domotique ) which allow to control all of those systems ( from your video recorder to your outside lighting and blinds etc ) from a remote computer or your mobile phone.
|
|
