Which rooms and equipment have lost power?
Lighting and sockets can be on different circuits, and a circuit may serve more than one room. “The upstairs is off” is a useful first description, but explain whether it means lights, sockets, fixed equipment or a combination.
Include what still works. The fact that a neighbouring house has power, or that one light remains on, does not conclusively identify the fault. A supply arrangement and an internal installation need to be considered on their own evidence.
Check for a reported power cut
Check for a reported power cut
Check whether the network operator reports a power cut affecting the address, using its public information or 105. This does not require opening electrical equipment. Wider supply faults are dealt with by the network operator rather than a household electrician.
Tell Max if the loss followed a storm, water leak, building work or appliance use. If you can see the closed consumer unit without entering an unsafe area, a photo can help explain what you noticed. Leave all covers in place.
Avoid repeated resets and temporary workarounds
Avoid repeated resets and temporary workarounds
A protective device that will not remain on needs investigation. Repeatedly forcing the same event or feeding equipment through a chain of extension leads can create an additional problem without establishing the cause.
Mention equipment that must remain operational, such as refrigeration or medical equipment, in the first conversation. Use the equipment provider’s contingency arrangements where relevant; do not wait for a routine online response if essential support is at risk.
Access needed for fault finding
Access needed for fault finding
The investigation may need access to the consumer unit and the affected rooms, not just the point where the problem was first noticed. In a flat, explain any shared cupboards, locked areas or managing-agent access restrictions.
Ask what the initial investigation covers and how diagnostic time is charged. Once the cause is found, the electrician can explain any repair, parts or further access needed and agree the additional work with you.
What to share with your enquiry
- Rooms and types of equipment without power
- What remains working
- Time and circumstances of the outage
- Any network power-cut information
- Access to the property and consumer unit
Questions answered
Does a partial outage rule out a network problem?
No. An electrician or network operator may need to clarify the supply arrangement. The pattern alone is not a conclusive diagnosis.
Ask Max about thisShould I reset the breaker again?
Do not repeatedly reset a device that operates again. Describe what happened and arrange appropriate help.
Ask Max about thisWhich rooms will the electrician need to access?
Usually the consumer unit and affected areas are the starting point, but the fault may be elsewhere on the circuit. Flag locked cupboards, shared electrical rooms and fixed furniture when booking so access can be arranged.
Ask Max about thisWhy do my lights work when the sockets have no power?
Lights and sockets may be supplied by different circuits, so one can remain working when another loses power. That pattern does not identify the cause. Tell Max which outlets and fixed appliances are affected and whether anything happened immediately before the loss, without opening electrical equipment.
Ask Max about thisWhat can cause power loss in just part of a house?
A fault can affect one accessory, a group of outlets or a circuit, while other parts of the property remain powered. Appliances and supply problems can also be involved. Electrical testing is needed to locate the cause before choosing a repair.
Ask Max about thisSources and further reading
Read the original guidance relevant to this question. Building Regulations and rental-law references here relate to England.