Re-wiring house - electrical certificate?

pdw204

I hope this is in the right forum!

I wonder if someone could give me some advice please?

I have had a three bedroom semi detached house re-wired assuming I would get an electrical certificate on completion. This hasn’t been forthcoming and when asked for such the electricians seemed reluctant at first, but have now identified an independent person who will carry out checks for me at a cost of approximately £250.

My questions are:
Would it be illegal if there was no certificate provided? It has been hinted that I don’t need a certificate unless I sell the house!

Do the electricians normally complete the inspection and report themselves or does this have to be done independently?

Would the cost normally be incorporated into the re-wiring quote?

Does the cost seem reasonable?

jordanjim

You definitely need a certificate for a full house rewire. I don't know the age of your house but incidentally, very few post-1960s houses actually need a full rewire rather than just remedial work to the circuits, but many electricians will tell you otherwise. I work for an electrician and he is one of the few honest ones in this regard.

There are two ways to issue certificates for Part P (council notifiable) work. A registered electrician, e.g. ELECSA, NAPIT or NICEIC registered, is able to self-certify jobs, log all work with the council and issue certificates themselves. Electricians who are not Part P registered might be cheaper but the homeowner has to pay for an independent inspection themselves, as you've discovered. They should have made you aware of that before doing the job though, was it discussed at all?

More often than not electricians who take on Part P work and don't issue certificates are dodgy and rely on homeowners not knowing that they need paperwork. When they get challenged they try and fob you off with this independent assessor stuff. This is usually just a registered electrician who you may as well have called to do the job in the first place. Also, many decent electricians won't certify another non-registered electrician's work because a) they're legally liable in case there ever is a problem with it, b) the chances of the work being poor quality are higher, c) they can't tell what state the wiring is behind walls or under floors and d) they're generally fed up of cleaning up the mess made by cowboys.

Without a certificate it's true that your main stumbling block would be if you sold the house but also most insurance companies consider your home insurance policy void if, for example, you ever have a fire and it turns out you've had uncertified work done.

I suspect that the £250 is for what's called an EICR (Electricial Installation Condition Report). This is a full test of every circuit in the property and yes, something that an electrician changing a consumer unit or rewiring would usually do as part of the job IF they are proper registered electricians, which I doubt yours are. Unless the requirement for an independent assessor was discussed with you before doing the job then they've acted illegally by undertaking Part P work.

Unfortunately, many dodgy electricians get away with it and go on to fleece many more people. I strongly advise you to report them to your local council and one or more of the electrical registration bodies listed above, who can investigate the company. My company has tried reporting illegal (and very dangerous) electrical work before and been told that only reports by the homeowner can be accepted; definitely not helpful in many instances where the victim is elderly or otherwise vulnerable and too timid to make a complaint.

Dan-Dan

Report this cowboy

ASAP

pendragon_arther

I believe the requirements for electricians appear to change every year and the cost to keep up to date can be quite expensive so many sparks don't go through this procedure. Although they can be quite competent, like your guy, they haven't got the authority to supply a certificate.

Dan-Dan

pendragon_arther wrote: »

I believe the requirements for electricians appear to change every year and the cost to keep up to date can be quite expensive so many sparks don't go through this procedure. Although they can be quite competent, like your guy, they haven't got the authority to supply a certificate.

Are you having a laugh?

How do you know the OPs spark is competent ?
What do you think real , hard working fully qualified sparks think , of cowboys who rewire wholes house and cant issue certificates ?

zaax

If the person who rewired could not produce a certificate I wouldn't pay him as the job might not be safe and would have to be done again. As said above report them to your local authority

pendragon_arther

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Are you having a laugh?

How do you know the OPs spark is competent ?
What do you think real , hard working fully qualified sparks think , of cowboys who rewire wholes house and cant issue certificates ?

I don't yet, but we'll soon find out. won't we?

Dan-Dan

Excellent contribution......dont hurry back

wallbash

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Excellent contribution......dont hurry back

Your post is the 'harsh' one.
Reading the thread I see no problems with pendragon_arther post.
He has raised a valid point .

Dan-Dan

wallbash wrote: »

Your post is the 'harsh' one.
Reading the thread I see no problems with pendragon_arther post.
He has raised a valid point .

How so?

I see a poster commenting that the OP`s spark is competent , when he cant possibly know that , and then returns with a jibe bout `we`ll soon find out` , which presumably means , when the OP has electrical problems

What is the valid point you mention?

wallbash

#4

which presumably means

And thats YOUR assumption.


Kettle , pot , black.