Yovan Gabric | REALTOR®What the house is hiding
Two older wiring methods that are not automatically unsafe but are automatically an insurance conversation. In both cases the risk is concentrated at connections and in what later owners did to the system, not in the original installation.
Which homes
Where it turns up
Knowing the usual locations is enough to decide whether an assessment is worth commissioning. It is not enough to conclude that a house is clear.
Inspection by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. An attic and basement walk-through identifies most of it; a full assessment may require opening devices.
Remediation
Required credential: ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Knob-and-tube: replacement of accessible runs, with an ESA notification and certificate on completion
Knob-and-tube must never be buried in insulation — it was designed to shed heat into open air
Aluminum: approved connection methods at every device, or replacement. The connection detail is what matters, and it must be a method approved for the purpose
In both cases, obtain the ESA certificate of inspection — it is what the insurer will ask for
Buying or selling
Insurers routinely decline, surcharge or require remediation as a condition of binding coverage — and a buyer who cannot get insurance cannot close. This is a condition-of-sale risk, not merely a repair cost. Establish the position early, with documentation.
Confirming the presence of knob-and-tube & aluminum wiring in a specific home requires qualified professionals and, where applicable, accredited laboratory analysis. Guidelines and regulations change. Nothing on this page replaces a professional assessment, and nothing here is legal advice about disclosure obligations when selling—raise those with your lawyer.
A straightforward first conversation
Tell me where you are in the process. We’ll discuss the property, the market, and the questions that matter most to you.