Before You Buy Your Home in Sheffield | Electrical Checks

Buying a house in Sheffield? The city is older than it looks

Sheffield had more people in 1951 than it has today. That one fact tells a buyer a lot.

I’m Mat Orton from MP Electrical. I have been an electrician for 25+ years. We are based next door in Rotherham and work in Sheffield.

What happened to the city

In the 1950s and 60s the slums came down and schemes like Park Hill went up. Then steel and coal collapsed, the 1980s were the worst of it, and the population kept falling until 2001. Meadowhall opened in 1990 and the Supertram in 1994. Only since then has Sheffield been growing again.

A city that shrank for fifty years was not building many new houses. So much of what is for sale was built before the mid 1960s, when wiring was different.

What that means in the walls

Rubber cable, which goes brittle and crumbles. Lighting wired without an earth. Gas and water pipes not connected to the earthing at the fuseboard. Those are the three things I check first in an older house.

Have it tested

You will not see any of this on a viewing and the surveyor does not test it. I recommend a full EICR before you commit. I tell you what I find, not what I expect, and the seller has to agree to the visit.

What Sheffield buyers ask me

Do you come into Sheffield? Yes.

Do you do small jobs? Yes, any size.

MP Electrical is NAPIT registered, with 330+ five star Google reviews and over 1000 jobs done.

Helpful Guides for Homebuyers

• Do I Need a New Fuse Board? 7 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade
• Signs Your House Needs Rewiring
• Old Fuse Box vs Modern Consumer Unit
• Electrical Jobs You Should Never DIY
• UK Electrical Safety Rules Every Homeowner Should Know

Areas We Cover Near Sheffield

MP Electrical helps homebuyers across Sheffield and into Rotherham, Chapeltown, Dinnington, Wickersley, Aston, Treeton, Kiveton Park, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Page last updated: 6 October 2026