Helpful video reference. We use Jordan Farley's tutorial from Artisan Electrics as the video reference here. Jordan runs the Cambridge-based Artisan Electrics team and their channel (369,000 subscribers) covers UK domestic electrical topics in depth. His walkthrough of rewiring signs gets the consumer unit details and UK-specific warning signs right.
1. Look at the wiring where it is visible
The loft or under the floorboards is usually the easiest place to see the wiring without disturbing anything. Old cables have rubber or cloth-braided outer sheathing rather than the grey or white PVC used since the late 1960s. Rubber insulation becomes brittle and cracks over time. Cloth sheathing absorbs moisture. Either is a sign the installation is probably past its safe operating life.
Also look at the cable colours in any accessible socket back box. Pre-1966 wiring used red for live and black for neutral. Post-2004 UK harmonised colours are brown and blue. Old colours do not automatically mean dangerous wiring, but they do indicate age.
2. Check the consumer unit (fuse box)
The consumer unit is one of the clearest indicators of the installation's age. A rewireable fuse box with open ceramic fuse holders and fusewire was standard until the 1980s. It provides almost no protection against modern fault current levels and has no residual current device (RCD). If you have one of these, the circuit protection has not been updated since the original installation.
An older plastic consumer unit with two large RCDs (rather than individual RCBOs per circuit) is more modern but still may not meet current standards. Post-2016 installations require individual RCBOs or a fully split-load arrangement. If yours has a single large switch with no individual protection per circuit, it is worth discussing with an electrician.
3. Look for scorch marks or a burning smell
Brown or black staining around a socket outlet or a switch faceplate means the wiring inside has been overheating or arcing. This is not a cosmetic issue. It points to a loose connection, an overloaded conductor or a fault in the cable itself. A burning smell from the consumer unit is more serious still. Both warrant an electrician's visit promptly, not eventually.
4. Note any flickering lights or intermittent faults
A light that flickers persistently even after a new bulb has been fitted, or a circuit that trips repeatedly without an obvious cause, often points to a loose or deteriorated connection. In old rubber-insulated wiring, the insulation can break down and cause intermittent contact. Single events can be coincidence. A pattern across several rooms or circuits is a reliable sign something is wrong.
5. Count the sockets in each room
UK homes built before the 1970s typically had one single socket per room. That is not enough for modern households, and the tell-tale sign is every room running off an extension lead from a single double socket. Extension leads themselves are not dangerous, but depending on them permanently instead of having the wiring extended is a sign the installation has never been properly upgraded.
6. Check for two-pin sockets
Sockets with two holes and no earth pin are pre-1960s and mean the ring main circuits in that part of the house have no earth at all. These are unsafe with most modern appliances, which rely on the earth path to direct fault current safely away. If you find any, the installation almost certainly needs full replacement in that area.
7. Ask when the last EICR was carried out
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a formal assessment of the installation's condition. For owner-occupied homes the recommended interval is every ten years. For rental properties it is every five years (and mandatory in England for most tenancies). If there has never been one or the last one is more than ten years old, commissioning a new EICR is the right first step before spending any money on work.
8. Look at the EICR condition codes if you have a report
An existing EICR will use condition codes to summarise what it found. A C1 code means danger is present and immediate remedial action is required. A C2 code means potentially dangerous and action is still required, just not as urgently. Either code in a recent report confirms that rewiring or significant remedial work is needed. A C3 code is an improvement recommendation rather than a defect. An FI code means further investigation is needed before the condition can be assessed.
When to call us
If you have spotted more than one of the signs above, the right first step is usually an EICR rather than an immediate rewire. It gives you an evidence-based picture of what work is actually needed, and at what priority. If the report confirms rewiring is necessary, Richard can quote for the full job or targeted remedial work depending on what the inspection shows.
Worried about your wiring in Sandwich?
Richard carries out EICRs and rewires across east Kent. A condition report tells you exactly where you stand.
Book an EICR