Why is my home at extreme risk of electrical fire according to my insurance?

Finding out your insurer considers your home at extreme risk of electrical fire can be alarming, but it is actually useful information. Insurers use a range of data to assess risk, and when they flag your property as extreme, it usually means one or more serious concerns have been identified. Here is what that could mean in plain English and what you should do next. Why insurers flag properties as extreme risk Your insurer may have flagged your home because of the age of your property, the type of wiring or consumer unit recorded on your policy, a previous Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR that showed serious faults, or data from fire service call-out records in your area. The most common reasons include: 1. An old rewirable fuse board, sometimes called a fuse box, with no RCD protection. RCDs are the life-saving devices that cut power within milliseconds if a fault is detected. 2. Aluminium wiring, which was used in some UK homes built between the 1960s and 1970s and carries a higher fire risk than copper. 3. Rubber or lead-sheathed wiring, common in pre-1960s properties, which can crack and become a serious hazard over time. 4. A previous EICR report with C1 or C2 fault codes, meaning danger present or potentially dangerous. 5. No smoke alarms or out-of-date smoke alarm records on file. What you can safely check yourself You can look at your consumer unit, which is the box on the wall that contains your fuses or circuit breakers. If it is a wooden or old grey metal box with rewirable fuses rather than modern circuit breakers and RCD switches, this is likely a key concern. Do not open it or touch any wiring yourself. Check whether you have had an EICR done in the last five to ten years. If not, or if you cannot find the certificate, that alone may be the reason for your insurer's concern. What to do next Contact a registered electrician, ideally one on the NICEIC or NAPIT register, and request a full Electrical Installation Condition Report. This is a thorough inspection of all your wiring, sockets, consumer unit, and earthing arrangements. The electrician will give you a report with any faults graded by severity. If the inspection finds serious faults, getting them fixed promptly could lower your insurance risk rating, protect your family, and prevent your policy from being invalidated. Do not delay.