Finding and checking an electrician for investigations and rewire

elsien

I need to get an EICR done but already know that there are some areas that are unsafe and or/need further investigation so may be looking at a full rewire. Wiring hasn't had anything done to it for at least 20 years so it's time for a proper check and putting everything right. I know the fuse box will be recommended to be moved, for example, and the smart meter chap flagged something up as well (lost the bit of paper so don't remember what.) Plus I want more sockets putting in, extra light switches, cooker wired in properly rather than into a 3 pin plug - you get the picture. 
Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has had more than basic work done who can recommend someone so I'm working off FB/checkatrade and all the other ways to get thoroughly ripped off.
What qualifications am I looking for - I'm aware of NICEIC but are there any other ones that people may be registered with instead (some of the people I've looked up aren't registered with NICEIC)  and is there anything else I should be checking or asking when people come round to give a quote after I've had the EICR done?
Thanks

tacpot12

I wouldn't use FB/Checkatrade. I would go to the NICEIC website and look up local Domestic Installer or Approved Contractor from there. Then check them out on their website. You want someone who has a landline number along with a mobile and email address. A registered company number should give you more confidence as you can look them up to see how long they have been trading. You also need to check that they have insurance that covers the risk of their work being done negligently.

Homer_home

Why do you think wiring that is only 20 years old needs rewiring?

Why do you think the fusebox might be recommended to be moved?

What are the areas you think are unsafe?

There's nothing wrong with having an oven plugged into a socket btw it makes it much easier to change too! 

The reason why I ask these questions is if you mention all this to a spark he will happily agree with you do the work and take your money when you might not need the work doing in the first place , but of course it is your money you are spending 

Risteard

elsien said:

I need to get an EICR done but already know that there are some areas that are unsafe and or/need further investigation so may be looking at a full rewire. Wiring hasn't had anything done to it for at least 20 years so it's time for a proper check and putting everything right. I know the fuse box will be recommended to be moved, for example, and the smart meter chap flagged something up as well (lost the bit of paper so don't remember what.) Plus I want more sockets putting in, extra light switches, cooker wired in properly rather than into a 3 pin plug - you get the picture. 
Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has had more than basic work done who can recommend someone so I'm working off FB/checkatrade and all the other ways to get thoroughly ripped off.
What qualifications am I looking for - I'm aware of NICEIC but are there any other ones that people may be registered with instead (some of the people I've looked up aren't registered with NICEIC)  and is there anything else I should be checking or asking when people come round to give a quote after I've had the EICR done?
Thanks

Look for an NICEIC Approved Contractor (- not Domestic Installer) (www.niceic.com) or an ECA Member (www.eca.co.uk).

EssexExile

Homer_home said:

Why do you think wiring that is only 20 years old needs rewiring?

Why do you think the fusebox might be recommended to be moved?

What are the areas you think are unsafe?

There's nothing wrong with having an oven plugged into a socket btw it makes it much easier to change too! 

The reason why I ask these questions is if you mention all this to a spark he will happily agree with you do the work and take your money when you might not need the work doing in the first place , but of course it is your money you are spending 

These are good points, when you do find an electrician don't tell him (or her) what you think needs doing, let them tell you.

There are lots of schemes other than NICEIC, see her: https://electrical.theiet.org/bs-7671/building-regulations/part-p-england-and-wales/certification-schemes/
Ask around, friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, at the local shops, etc, then get several quotes. Hopefully you'll be able to tell which seem to know what they are talking about. When you eventually find good tradesmen be very nice to them and don't lose their contact numbers!

AskAsk

you can get electricians from checkatrade but choose ones that are NICEIC or NAPIT registered.  choose ones that have more than 60 reviews with an average score of nearly 10.  check that they are part P qualified.

you can get 3 electricians to come and give you a quote for re-wiring and EICR report.  they will come and quote for re-wiring as it is a big job and they will give you a quote for the report without inspection as this tends to be fairly standard depending on the size of the property.

elsien

Homer_home said:

Why do you think wiring that is only 20 years old needs rewiring?

Why do you think the fusebox might be recommended to be moved?

What are the areas you think are unsafe?

There's nothing wrong with having an oven plugged into a socket btw it makes it much easier to change too! 

The reason why I ask these questions is if you mention all this to a spark he will happily agree with you do the work and take your money when you might not need the work doing in the first place , but of course it is your money you are spending 

The wiring is a lot older than 20 years. That’s just how long I’ve been there and I didn’t have a full test done. When I moved in there were still the old wire fuses which I had replaced with trip switches and it’s only about 2 foot off the ground . The sockets are the old ones set into the skirting boards. I’m well aware that not meeting current regs doesn’t mean the work has to be done but I’m quite keen to ensure that everything is checked. If I’m having new wiring done to move light switches etc. it seems sensible to future proof a little. 

Risteard

AskAsk said:

you can get electricians from checkatrade but choose ones that are NICEIC or NAPIT registered.  choose ones that have more than 60 reviews with an average score of nearly 10.  check that they are part P qualified.

you can get 3 electricians to come and give you a quote for re-wiring and EICR report.  they will come and quote for re-wiring as it is a big job and they will give you a quote for the report without inspection as this tends to be fairly standard depending on the size of the property.

There is no Part P qualification. Part P is a section of the Building Regulations. In the context you are referring to, it is only valid in England & Wales. Scotland & Ireland have different sets of Building Regulations.

Risteard

tacpot12 said:

I wouldn't use FB/Checkatrade. I would go to the NICEIC website and look up local Domestic Installer or Approved Contractor from there. Then check them out on their website. You want someone who has a landline number along with a mobile and email address. A registered company number should give you more confidence as you can look them up to see how long they have been trading. You also need to check that they have insurance that covers the risk of their work being done negligently.

Forget Domestic Installers who are not Approved Contractors. It is a vastly inferior scheme. Proper Electricians will be NICEIC Approved Contractors and/or ECA Members.

A registered company number will only tell you how long they have been incorporated. They may well have been trading as a sole trader for many years before incorporating.

AskAsk

Risteard said:

AskAsk said:

you can get electricians from checkatrade but choose ones that are NICEIC or NAPIT registered.  choose ones that have more than 60 reviews with an average score of nearly 10.  check that they are part P qualified.

you can get 3 electricians to come and give you a quote for re-wiring and EICR report.  they will come and quote for re-wiring as it is a big job and they will give you a quote for the report without inspection as this tends to be fairly standard depending on the size of the property.

There is no Part P qualification. Part P is a section of the Building Regulations. In the context you are referring to, it is only valid in England & Wales. Scotland & Ireland have different sets of Building Regulations.

Part P qualified means those who are qualified to an extent where they belong to the Part P competent scheme.  Not all electricians are qualified to the same standards and there are exams that a Part P competent electrician will have to pass to get on to the register.  That is my understanding and you will see this on electrician's profiles on the NICEIC website if they are qualified to carry out Part P work or not.

https://www.electriciancourses4u.co.uk/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-be-part-p-qualified/

Owain_Moneysaver

AskAsk said:
Part P qualified means those who are qualified to an extent where they belong to the Part P competent scheme.  Not all electricians are qualified to the same standards and there are exams that a Part P competent electrician will have to pass to get on to the register.  That is my understanding and you will see this on electrician's profiles on the NICEIC website if they are qualified to carry out Part P work or not.

It doesn't, because the Part P Competent Person Schemes do NOT require electricians to be individually qualified. Only one person, the Qualified Supervisor, in the registered business needs to have any electrical qualifications whatsoever. The work can actually be carried out by a minimally-trained orang-utan as Part P does not actually require work to be done by a qualified, trained, or competent person. 
And the quality of work of a NICEIC Qualified Supervisor can leave a lot to be desired.