How to check electricity and backup power before renting

Supply

• Ask the caretaker and a neighbour separately how many hours the street gets on a normal day.
• Ask which band the area is on and what the last few bills looked like.
• Check whether the estate imposes a load limit per flat.

Metering

• Prepaid, postpaid or estimated? Estimated billing on a shared meter is where disputes start.
• Whose name is on the meter, and are there arrears attached to it?
• If the block shares one meter, ask exactly how bills are divided and shown to tenants.

Safety you can see

• Test each socket with a charger. Warm plates, loose fittings and browning are fire risks.
• Look at the distribution board: labelled breakers, a cover in place, no exposed or taped joins.
• Note sockets in bathrooms or beside sinks, and any extension leads doing permanent work.

Earthing, circuit loading and cable sizing cannot be judged by looking. If anything above worries you, a professional inspection tests the installation properly before you sign.

Backup power

• Who owns the generator, who maintains it, and what hours does it run?
• Is diesel billed separately from the service charge, and how much was it last month?
• Is there space and permission for your own inverter and batteries?