Media Release
for immediate release
25 January 2010
Call for mandatory electrical inspection reports for property sales
NECA, the National Electrical and Communications Association,today called on the
NSW Government to protect homebuyers by requiring sellers to include a current
electrical safety report in contracts for the sale of residential property.
The Association spoke out on the issue in response to a report in the Daily Telegraph
that the State was considering a proposal to require vendors to include various
building reports in their contracts for the sale of properties.
"The recent spate of deaths and fires associated with the Federal Government’s
home insulation package demonstratesan urgent need for governments to protect
homebuyersin terms of both the risk to life and property," saidNECA NSW and ACT
chief executive, Lindsay Le Compte.
“Having the safety of electrical wiring inspected by a licensed electrical contractor is
one of the most important components of any home purchase.
"The recent deaths and number of fires relating to insulation and downlights has
hopefully woken up politicians and policy makers to the real risks of owning a home
with faulty or unsafe electrical wiring.
“It does not matter ifa property is fiveyears old or 50 years old, a homebuyer cannot
assume it has no electrical faults.
"Problems can occur as a result of unlicensed shonky operators, activities of
vermin,and work that has unknowingly damaged electrical wiring or reduced
electrical safety," he said.
Mr Le Compte said that an electrical inspection also alerts homebuyers to the
potential cost of having to re-wire a propertyif existing wiring has deteriorated.
Re-wiring can cost thousands of dollars and require significant damage to parts of a
property in order to gain access to undertake the work, so homebuyers should be
made aware of this prior to purchasing.
“If the NSW Government intends to require vendors to obtain reports on the status of
their properties and to disclose those reports to purchasers, a report that should be
mandatory is one assessing electrical safety of the property," Mr Le Compte said.
NECA is the peak national industry association for contractors in the
electrotechnology industry. It represents over 5,000 contractors who employ over
50,000 people in various sectors of the industry.
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Media
For further information Lindsay Le Compte (02) 97441099
NECA NSW/ACT Chief Executive
NEWS 
