Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Electrician in Nepal
Ask these 15 questions before hiring an electrician in Nepal: licence, brands, earthing, NPR quote lines, warranty and testing. Vet fast — SDR 9801508528.
Why the right questions prevent the wrong hire
The questions to ask before hiring an electrician in Nepal are not about being difficult — they are about buying a service you cannot see after the plaster closes. Bad answers show up later as hot joints, dead circuits and fire risk. Ten focused minutes on the phone separates trained electricians from confident handymen, even when both WhatsApp quotes look similar.
SDR Smart Design and Repair answers the list below the same way every time, because consistency is the point: written scopes, named brands, published NPR bands, testing before handover, a 30-day labour warranty. Use the questions as a script against anyone — us included — at 9801508528 or through /#booking. If an answer stays vague after a second ask, you already have your decision.
- Turn verbal promises into written scope
- Same question set works on call, WhatsApp and on site
- Compare answers side by side across three quotes
- Start any vetting call: 9801508528 · book /#booking
Credentials and capability questions
Open with competence before price. Ask: What training or licence do you hold, and can I see it? How many Kathmandu Valley jobs do you finish a month, and do you work residential, commercial or both? Which instruments will you use before handover — clamp meter, earth tester, insulation tester, RCD tester? Will a qualified electrician do the terminations? Answers should be specific; “don’t worry, I know” is not an answer.
Follow with scenario questions: Have you done a board change with RCCB protection? Have you rewired a courtyard house without destroying walls? Do you handle NEA-facing work such as load sanction, or stay strictly load-side? Experience counts in Nepal’s informal trade — but only with instruments and standards behind it. Cross-check claims against /services/safety-inspections, /services/panel-upgrades and /services/wiring-rewiring.
- Training or licence — request to see documentation
- Monthly job volume and building types you actually handle
- Instrument list: clamp, earth tester, RCD/insulation tests as needed
- Who terminates — named electrician vs unsupervised helper
- NEA boundary: load-side only, or paperwork coordination too?
Materials, earthing and safety questions
Materials decide whether the job lasts. Ask exactly: What cable brand and size (sq mm) — copper or aluminium? Which brand of MCB and RCCB, and what rating per circuit? Is earthing included, what electrode, and what resistance do you target (below 5 ohm is the standard we quote)? Will every new circuit get its own correctly rated way, or will you overload a shared conductor? Insist on brands written into the quote, not “quality wire” in the chat.
Then process: How will you isolate and prove dead before opening anything? How will you label the circuit schedule inside the DB door? What happens if you find aluminium terminations or a failed RCCB mid-job — stop and re-quote, or keep going? A professional stops, photographs, and returns a fixed NPR option. If earthing is called unnecessary or the RCCB test button is dismissed, end the conversation — that pair of answers predicts most horror stories we hear second-hand.
- Copper cable brand, size and circuit separation plan
- Named MCB/RCCB brands with ratings on the written quote
- Earthing included? Target below 5 ohm, test sheet provided
- Isolation method and labelled circuit schedule at handover
- Mid-job discoveries: stop, photo, fixed re-quote — not silent extras
Price, payment and warranty questions
Price questions prevent invoice theatre. Ask: Is this quote hourly or a fixed job rate? Does the NPR figure include materials or labour only? What is excluded — cutting, re-plastering, disposal, NEA meter-side work? What is the visit fee, and does it credit if I approve same day? If the fault turns out bigger, do you stop for my approval before chargeable work continues? Get answers in the same thread as the numbers.
Finish with payment and warranty: What is the deposit, what triggers the balance, do you issue a bill? What warranty covers labour (SDR’s floor is 30 days) and what does it exclude? Do you stand behind helpers’ work? Never pay 100% upfront on anything larger than a simple swap — deposit against materials, balance on tested handover, keeps incentives aligned. Compare totals with /blog/house-wiring-cost-nepal and /blog/electrician-cost-per-hour-nepal.
- Hourly or fixed rate — and what drives overrun?
- Labour only vs labour + materials; exclusions listed line by line
- Visit fee amount and same-day credit policy
- Stop-work rule: approval required before extras become chargeable
- Deposit / balance schedule and bill at completion
- Labour warranty length in writing (30 days is SDR’s floor)
Timeline, access and communication questions
Practical questions prevent no-shows. Ask for an arrival window rather than a single minute, what happens if parts are missing, who to message if plans change, and whether evening or weekend work is possible if you cannot open the house in office hours. For buildings with caretakers or clinics with hours, confirm the crew will respect access rules — mention gates, parking and stair carries when you book.
Also ask how results will be explained: Will you show the reading before and after? Will the DB be labelled? Will I get a photo of the finished board? Electricians who narrate results tend to have results worth narrating. Prefer structure? Reserve a slot at /#booking with your notes in the form; want a fast human answer first? Message 9801508528 with board photos. Area arrival bands: /blog/electrician-near-putalisadak and /blog/electrician-near-lagankhel.
- Arrival window, delay plan and a real messaging contact
- Evening/weekend availability if daytime access is hard
- Building rules: caretaker, parking, stair carries — flag at booking
- Show readings before/after · label the DB · photo of finished board
Run the checklist on SDR — or anyone
SDR Smart Design and Repair answers every question above in one WhatsApp thread or booking confirmation: credentials, brands, earthing target, itemised NPR lines, visit-fee policy, 30-day labour warranty, labelled board and test readings — Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur seven days a week.
Vetting someone else? Keep this page open and tick as you go. Ready to stop comparing and book? Use /#booking or call/WhatsApp 9801508528 for a free photo estimate today.
- Free photo estimate: WhatsApp 9801508528
- Structured slot with your notes: /#booking
- Inspection without repair commitment: /services/safety-inspections
- Published cost bands: /blog/house-wiring-cost-nepal
Need a licensed electrician in Nepal?
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