Building and pest reports are standard when buying a home. A proper look at the electrical system usually isn't — and in Sydney's older housing stock, that's where some of the biggest post-purchase bills hide. These are the mistakes buyers make before exchange, and what a professional eye would have caught.
Mistake 1: Treating the Building Report as an Electrical Report
A standard pre-purchase building report is visual and general — it might note 'older style switchboard' and move on. It won't test circuits, check earthing, assess the age and condition of the wiring, or tell you whether the supply can carry the air con and EV charger you're planning. For a pre-1980s home, a dedicated electrical inspection by a licensed electrician is cheap insurance against a five-figure surprise. Our guide on what happens during an electrical inspection shows what it covers.
In the meantime, our wiring age checker gives you a quick read from what you can see at the open home: ceramic fuses, cotton-braided cable, an unpainted asbestos-look board panel.
Mistakes 2–3: Missing the Board and the Pole
Not pricing the switchboard. If the board has ceramic fuses and no safety switches, an upgrade isn't optional forever — it's the gateway to every improvement you're planning, from solar to EV charging, and networks can force the issue with a defect notice. Know the likely cost before you settle on your offer, not after.
Missing the private power pole. If power reaches the house via a pole on the property, that pole is the owner's asset and liability — soon to be yours. A rusted or rotten pole is a replacement bill and a safety risk that no one mentions at the auction. Check who owns every pole between the street and the house; our ownership guide explains how to tell.
Mistakes 4–5: Assuming Compliance and Capacity
Assuming past work was done properly. Older homes accumulate decades of handyman wiring — unearthed circuits, junctions buried in walls, DIY additions with no compliance certificate. None of it shows up in a contract review. An inspection with basic testing surfaces what's actually behind the switches.
Assuming the supply fits your plans. The house may run fine on its current load — but your plans include induction, ducted air con and an EV. If the consumer mains are undersized, your renovation budget needs a supply upgrade line item from day one. Five minutes with the maximum demand calculator before you bid is the cheapest due diligence you'll do.
Do the Due Diligence Professionally
Every one of these mistakes has the same fix: a licensed electrician's assessment before you're committed, so the cost of bringing the home up to scratch is in your negotiation, not your surprise column. For the supply side — mains, metering, private poles and network connections — Sydney Power Group is a Level 2 ASP accredited across the Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy networks. Call 0466 125 125 or get a quote.
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