Worth an Electrical Safety Check?

FreeBear

notrouble said:  But be cautious about actually talking to /asking the council, as highlighting an issue with them would invalidate the option of indemnity insurance as a solution.

Which is why I say use the online portal to do a search. It will tell you that permission for XYZ sought, granted for YZW, and probably any other supporting documents. Using the online search will not alert anyone to unplanned/unauthorised works.

Prinzilla

davidmcn said:

Or to put it another way OP, how often have the electrics been checked/upgraded at any place you've previously lived?

good point!

Chavy89

I see alot of people saying its not a big deal regarding he electrics as a electrician let me give you some facts
if your property does not have RCD protection which is a device that stops faulty equipment from causing fires ie burning extension cables 
not to mention i would want to know the condition of the cables in my wall and i would also like to know if i had to re wire before i decorate and then be told a year down the like the electrical are bad 
also if they dont have electrical certificate and they have done a extension be very worried because any electrician worth his salt would provide one as it is a legal requirement you can get a EICR for around 90-150 but in the long run its worth the money 
i would want to know about  problems sooner rather than later 

Prinzilla

FreeBear said:

notrouble said:

Prinzilla said:

That's what I thought, I'm not concerned about standards as such, its more just to check the safety. There has been an extension built and an en suite with electrical outlets within the last few years so I know the electrics have been added to but I believe they were both done by professionals. 

Worth asking to see the Building Regulations sign off then. Extension should have had this which would have included the electrics, and I believe electrics in a bathroom also need BR compliance though I'n not a expert on the standards.

Electrical installations in a wet area (i.e. bathroom or shower room) is a "notifiable work". So Building Control needs to be told about the work, and it needs to be signed off. Most electricians will self certify the work and do all the necessary BC notification.

There are also strict rules on where electrical outlets can be located within a "wet area" - General rule of thumb: No sockets in a bathroom, shower or wet room. Shaver outlets may be permitted if a certain distance from a bath or shower.

OP - If no paperwork for the building/electrical work is available, you should be able to check with the local council to see if anything has been issued. Most councils have an online portal where you can do searches going back to 1980s or so.

The extension at the back is exempt from Building Regulations and in the en-suite there's just an outlet for a shaver so I don't think there'll be any paperwork for either...having spoken to a few people today I think I might be overthinking it slightly! 

Chavy89

The extension at the back is exempt from Building Regulations and in the en-suite there's just an outlet for a shaver so I don't think there'll be any paperwork for either...having spoken to a few people today I think I might be overthinking it slightly! 

thats not true especially when it comes to electrics