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Hello. I have an issue arisen with a house we renovated almost 10 years ago, the current owners are looking to sell the house (long story) and a local council have been onto me regarding electrics.
The main issue is, that it has been noted that a interlinked smoke detection system is not present in the house.
As this re wire was done in early 2007, was it a requirement to have interlinked detection installed in a re wired property back then, or just battery powered ones ?
Thanks
Mine was done slightly more than 10yrs ago (maybe 11/12) and the interlinked smoke alarms were installed. There will be a cutoff date and it’ll fall one side or the other but I can’t help with the date.
Was this identified when you sold the house to the current owners? I'm not familiar with the regs but it could also be if they have added a loft conversion that could make it a requirement that didn't apply in 2007.
We have a bungalow that has been required a few years back and that doesn't have interlinked fire alarms.
I cannot see why this is anything to do with you as you sold the house on a while ago. Did you get the rewire signed off?
Looking around the internet I think it might have been 2004 when the regs changed so maybe they should have been fitted. If you got a tradesman to do it they should have signed it off as compliant with the regs and the paperwork should be available (current owners might have it?).
If you did it yourself and you weren’t properly qualified that could be a problem.
If it's the retrofit aspect that your being chased for you may be able to install radio linked Mains powered alarms which you could replace like for like with the existing. This would save any re-wiring?
As above, the time to be asking that type of question is long past. Who did the rewire and did you get sign-off at the time? If you did it yourself, and didn't get it signed off, the conveyancing solicitor should have picked that up.
Your date certainly falls after the point at which interlinked smoke alarms were made a requirement in new builds and many renovated/refurbished properties.
Its acceptable to wire the smoke alarms into a lighting circuit if its too difficult to get a circuit back to the panel.
Surely if building control signed it off at the time there's no issue for you 10 years later and after you've completed a sale?
Radio linked alarms spurred off the lighting ring
But as others have said, this is nothing to do you with - someone else owns the house, it’s their problem to sort out. If there was a problem it should have been picked up by their solicitor/surveyor when they were buying it - either the install wasn’t signed off for building regs or whoever did it missed this.
This falls under part b of building regulations rather than the electrical regulations
It comes down to whether the building was simply rewired or if there was a material change to the building ( ie extension )
It is generally accepted as good practice to put them in but if it is a straight rewire you are just seen as replacing the electrics like for like.
You're being chased about an issue with a house you don't own?
What's it got to do with you? Am I missing something here?
Interlinked smoke alarms are in approved doc B. On the cover of that it says "coming into effect April 2007". If the house was built before that you don't need to bring it up to new standards but new work does need to comply. Can't see how it applies in this case unless it was a major refurbishment. Just a rewire wouldn't require it
would 'attention, lawyers & conveyancing solicitors, help required' be a better title?