Boiler installer hasn't notified Gas Safe or Building Control

evilcartman

I had a Worcester Bosch combi boiler installed at my home a few weeks ago. The installer and his company are both registered with Gas Safe and are also Worcester Bosch accredited installers who can give a 7-year warranty. But so far there is still no paperwork.

This is an identical situation to the one described by FreeworldImpossible in https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4525489

On the day that the boiler was to be fitted, he told me that the timer/thermostat unit that had been ordered separately hadn't arrived, so he would need to complete the installation a few days later (which he did). I did ask him about paperwork there and then, as I know from my previous house sale a couple of years ago just how important this is. He said he was taking away the boiler book to fill in and that he would post it duly completed through my letterbox "in a few days". He added that the warranty documents would be posted by Worcester Bosch "in a couple of weeks".

That evening he emailed his invoice, marked "payable immediately", along with a gas check certificate (the kind that gets issued to landlords), both sent as PDF attachments.


The following day (a Saturday), he was very keen to contact me, having bombarded my mobile with texts and voicemails (the battery was flat at the time), asking if I'd paid the money yet. I think this odd behaviour should have set alarm bells ringing really but his credentials had checked out and I had a half-finished job in my kitchen, so I was anxious not to get in any kind of dispute.I paid the full invoice amount in good faith by bank transfer, as paying by credit or debit card would have incurred a 2.5% surcharge. Another mistake, as it's far easier to recover a card payment than a bank transfer. :-/

I noted that he had several details wrong, including the wrong streetname, wrong postcode and mis-spelling my surname (a minor detail in itself but when documentation is involved, I do expect details to be correct). Also, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a gas installer if they can't pay attention to detail. So I did contact him again to get those details put right and he sent new PDFs.


But now that he has my money, he doesn't seem quite as keen to communicate with me, amazingly enough. I have asked him about the documentation several times since then and I've either had a 'politician's answer' (i.e. answer a different question to the one that you were asked) or no answer at all. I have already checked with Gas Safe and the local council's Building Control. He has informed neither to date. He is still within the required 30 working days to notify the installation but his non-communication hardly bodes well.


Like FreeworldImpossible in the older thread, I have contacted Worcester Bosch, who informed me that there was no record of the boiler being registered, but they say they have added my details and will send my warranty documents to me. So at least I apparently have that side of things sorted, no thanks to the installer.


I have spoken to Gas Safe again about the matter and they say they are sending him a reminder letter to get his finger out. But when I've pressed them about what happens if he still doesn't play ball, they have said "there is nothing we can do". Bear that in mind if you have any illusions abotu Gas Safe protecting consumers.


So what exactly are we supposed to do if the installer, who is the only person who can legally register the installation, doesn't register it? I have paid the money in good faith for a registered boiler and I haven't got one, yet I'll be the one who is affected adversely if I attempt to sell the house and it may also invalidate my insurance. I have no confidence at all in Gas Safe here, as they seem to be more interested in protecting their members than in protecting customers against being ripped off.

stebiz

Calm down. I'm sure he'll do it. If not then you can get it checked out by another engineer. Registered. Then bill him. I'm sure if you tell him that's what you will do he'll play ball. He might just be busy.

evilcartman

No, I won't "calm down" just because some random stranger on an internet forum says so. I have every reason to be angry about paying around £2000 for a legit installation and not getting one.

Nor will I just wait passively in the hope it will all magically turn out right in the end. I don't want to have to escalate matters but so far his attitude isn't leaving me many options.

stebiz

evilcartman wrote: »

No, I won't "calm down" just because some random stranger on an internet forum says so. I have every reason to be angry about paying around £2000 for a legit installation and not getting one.

Nor will I just wait passively in the hope it will all magically turn out right in the end. I don't want to have to escalate matters but so far his attitude isn't leaving me many options.

Who said it wasn't legit? You said he was registered. So it was legit. Why have you every right to be angry? I had a new boiler a few months back and all the paperwork came through. Not the next day or week but it came through. I wasn't waiting for the postman to arrive. Sit back and enjoy the sun. You're getting all worked up over nothing.

evilcartman

All boilers installed since April 2005 must have a Building Regulations certificate or the installation is not legit, actually. This causes problems when trying to sell the house (I know from my previous house sale just how hot solicitors are about certification) and may also affect the house insurance.

The installer must notify Building Control within 30 working days of the installation and, with just a couple of days to go, hasn't done so. His lack of a response to specific questions about the certification doesn't bode well. I've basically started the thread to get some ideas about my next move if he fails to meet the deadline.

Thanks for your "advice" but you needn't respond further in this thread. I'll wait for someone who knows what they're talking about, thanks.

evilcartman

^^^I said it was done "a few weeks ago", without giving a specific date, and yet this troll somehow thinks "he has 9 days left to supply one". I wonder where he gets his information from? Probably the same place where he plucks his posts from.

Is there anyone here on MSE willing to post a helpful response?

stebiz

I'll try and ignore the above - even though you altered your post. Why can't you register the boiler online giving his details? It allows you too.

Then why not give the guy 14 days to get it registered with the LA otherwise you'll have it inspected and registered by somebody else and sue him for the costs.

terra_ferma

Maybe you should tell us exactly what is that you want to hear, word by word, so that we stick to that and you are happy

evilcartman

stebiz wrote: »

Then why not give the guy 14 days to get it registered with the LA otherwise you'll have it inspected and registered by somebody else and sue him for the costs.

That's more like it, thanks.

This is exactly what I'm considering, as a last resort. It's always better to try and get it sorted before it gets to court, though, which is why I was seeking advice on here.

I've registered the boiler with Worcester Bosch for warranty purposes through their helpline, so that side of it seems fine.

It may seem unduly paranoid to you that I am wondering why he's dragging his feet so much but the situation of a registered plumber failing to notify the installation, either through Gas Safe or Building Control, isn't unheard of. See the thread I mentioned in the OP for starters.

I do 'get' that he probably does these things in batches. However, I do want my certification, which I have paid for after all.

rustyboy21

You will find that most RGI's club all their registrations together and do them when they either have time to sit down and do them, get their wives/assistants to do them and have enough money in their bank account to pay for the load of registrations to be done.


I waited over 2 months for mine to be registered, I wasn't fretting, it was a friend who fitted it for me, so knew how busy he was and it was fitted in the October. He will do it, then you will be bombarded by junk mail from WB offering breakdown cover etc, I get it on a weekly basis.


He will do it, Though RGI's have their own time limit they work to, which is different than normal human time, it goes really slow ! lol

evilcartman

rustyboy21 wrote: »

I waited over 2 months for mine to be registered, I wasn't fretting, it was a friend who fitted it for me, so knew how busy he was and it was fitted in the October. He will do it, then you will be bombarded by junk mail from WB offering breakdown cover etc, I get it on a weekly basis.

OK, thanks. What's this "30 working days" to notify all about then?

This is what Gas Safe say: http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/advice/gas_safety_in_the_home/building_regs_certificates.aspx

"How long does a business have to notify my installation?
The Building Regulations state that the LA must be notified within 30 working days of a new appliance being fitted."

Also, this bit gets me: "If you have a new gas appliance fitted your Gas Safe registered engineer should let your LA know. Registered engineers have responsibility for complying with the Building Regulations but the owner of the property is ultimately the one who may be the focus of enforcement action by the LA if the work is not notified."

So it's the installer's responsibility to comply with the regulations -- but if they don't, we are the ones who get it in the neck. That's why I'm a little bit teed off about the situation, as it's us mugs who are paying for it who get the flak for something taht is outside of our control.