Part P - Electrics

lmitchell

Hi all,

Very close to exchange now, but just one final issue re. the house we want to purchase.

The seller has done his own electrical work in some parts of the house - underfloor heating in conservatory and external power in shed. Our surveyor also spoke of untidy electrics and no separate fuseways etc.

The vendor has no Part P certification for the electrical work he's carried out - is this not illegal? Should we be making them do this before exchange?

Thanks!

lmitchell

I'd also add that this work was carried out post 1st Jan 2005 which seems to be the cut-off for Part P Building Regulations.

lmitchell

Or would matters like underfloor heating and external shed power come under 'Minor Works'? If so, would they still require some kind of safety certification?

pinkteapot

Old work can't be Part P certified - it can only be issued at the time of installation. If you feel it must have a Part P certificate, the only legal route is to rip it all out and have it re-installed anew.

What you can do now is get an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) done, which is a report on the current state of the installation. This will tell you if the work is safe, healthy etc or needs any remedial work done on it.

If you're worried about the safety of it, the condition report is all you need. If you're worried about having a Part P cert for if/when you re-sell the house, it's not possible I'm afraid.

lmitchell

I don't understand - haven't the vendors broken the law by doing this though? I've read elsewhere that people can get retrospective Part P certification - is this wrong?

How much would an EICR cost?

If we come to re-sell the property would we have to rip it all out if we wanted to sell without a Part P cert?

pinkteapot

I don't know how much a report would cost I'm afraid - get some quotes from local electricians.

When it comes to resale, you don't have to rip it all out. You'd just be selling it without a Part P cert, as the current owner is. If you want a Part P cert, the only way to get one is to have it all reinstalled as certificates can only be issued by the original installer.

An EICR is more useful to you than a Part P certificate anyway as it's up-to-date. There could be a Part P cert from four years ago but the installation may no longer be safe. If you're worried about the electrics, get a condition report done. That's just general advice when buying a house.

lmitchell

That's just it - the original installer was the seller who was unqualified and didn't get it certified - surely this is illegal and he should be fined for this?

I am happy to get an EICR if that's the only real course of action but casts doubt regarding any other 'bodge jobs'.

lmitchell

From http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-an-electrician/part-p/

"By law, all homeowners and landlords must be able to prove that all electrical installation work meets Part P, or they will be committing a criminal offence."

pinkteapot

While in theory he could be fined, I've never heard of a case of a homeowner being prosecuted for doing work on their own electrics. And different councils seem to have implemented the Part P regulations slightly differently.

If you're worried about anything else that's been DIYed, get appropriate tradesmen to inspect and report prior to exchange. Eg a Gas Safe engineer to report on the boiler/gaswork (if applicable).

lmitchell

But the above quote clearly states he's breaking the law?

pinkteapot

You can still DIY things, but you have to notify your local council's Building Regulations team and they have to agree, sign off, etc. The reality is that a lot of people still aren't aware of the law and do their own electrical work. Councils don't seem that fussed about enforcing it.

What do you want here?

If you try to get your vendor prosecuted, you'll probably fail and he won't want to sell you his house any more!

I would forget that angle and decide if the lack of Part P is a dealbreaker for you (in which case find another house). If it's not and you just want to make sure the house is safe, get the current state of repair assessed. You could try getting your vendor to pay for the condition report but they may say no (it's a negotiation).