Am I being taken for a ride?

[surreygirl]

I had an electrician come to do a safety check at my property that I let out last week and he has recommended that remedial work should be done at a cost of 2,100 pounds, These are:-

Upgrade of eco 7db
Upgrade of 2 x circuits to RCD protection
Install of isolation point for underfloor heating
identification of points where required
Fusing of points
Enclosure of exposed wiring - these are wires that are not in trunking
Investigation of supply wiring and condition of main isolator and repair
Retermination of required points
cable enclosures

Nothing listed but the sub total is 1,750 plus VAT comes to 2,100

Is that a lot! I last had a test done five years ago, true the wire of the economy 7 is in a situation which is not assessable, however he wants to run a wire from it across the lounge and into the kitchen!

But the amount seems excessive and it is through the Agents who manage the property for me.

Any suggestions would be very helpful.

Many thanks Surreygirl

 

[Pete999]

Reading back through some of the posts, this Electrician isn't one you employed, but one the Agent employed, a stitch up methinks Holmes, a stitchup

 

[surreygirl]

Reading back through some of the posts, this Electrician isn't one you employed, but one the Agent employed, a stitch up methinks Holmes, a stitchup

I agree but I do not have the time to find another electrician I tried rated people and three people came back to me but despite my ringing them I did not get a reply from either except a very nice lady electrician but she was unable to give me a certificate of safety. I suppose I do agree that if he cannot see the cable going from the main box which is outside the flat and the cable from my outside meter runs to the economy 7 which is just in front of the main outside meter and then he is going to run another cable to the meter in the kitchen which has lights cooker shower etc on it. He wants to put a notice in the bathroom that the shower switch is in the kitchen and there are a few wires - not many - that he is going to trunk and then he is going to change the fuses on the underfloor heating. What I do not understand is the price! £2,100 however when he says that if he cannot see the cable he cannot tell if it is safe or not I suppose as far as that is concerned that is true!

I really do not know what to think. I wish I had found an electrician before I let the Agent use his, but I want to thank you all for your advice he has agreed to lower the price based on what you guys told me I was able to question him on the things he was doing, the length of time it would take and the price he was charging, so at least the price is coming down however I do not know by how much based on the invoice he gave me it was 410 pounds to trunk the wiring etc and 1,600 to run a cable from the lounge into the kitchen! He will have to go through the wall obviously but the economy 7 box is in the lounge so he is running a wire from there along the ceiling into the kitchen.

 

[Pete999]

I agree but I do not have the time to find another electrician I tried rated people and three people came back to me but despite my ringing them I did not get a reply from either except a very nice lady electrician but she was unable to give me a certificate of safety. I suppose I do agree that if he cannot see the cable going from the main box which is outside the flat and the cable from my outside meter runs to the economy 7 which is just in front of the main outside meter and then he is going to run another cable to the meter in the kitchen which has lights cooker shower etc on it. He wants to put a notice in the bathroom that the shower switch is in the kitchen and there are a few wires - not many - that he is going to trunk and then he is going to change the fuses on the underfloor heating. What I do not understand is the price! £2,100 however when he says that if he cannot see the cable he cannot tell if it is safe or not I suppose as far as that is concerned that is true!

I really do not know what to think. I wish I had found an electrician before I let the Agent use his, but I want to thank you all for your advice he has agreed to lower the price based on what you guys told me I was able to question him on the things he was doing, the length of time it would take and the price he was charging, so at least the price is coming down however I do not know by how much based on the invoice he gave me it was 410 pounds to trunk the wiring etc and 1,600 to run a cable from the lounge into the kitchen! He will have to go through the wall obviously but the economy 7 box is in the lounge so he is running a wire from there along the ceiling into the kitchen.

I would love to say I would be willing, providing my travel costs were met to come visit, but it would be a waste as I am not registered with a CPScheme.

Surely there are Electrical contractors in your area, apart from rated people.

If he has agreed to lower the price because of what people on this forum has said, that must tell you something

That list I gave you in an earlier post must have yielded some hits for you to try.

Tell the Agent, "Electrician" and Tenant, that you will find an Electrician, who could carry out and EICR, and tell Burke and Hare to do one, you will get the certificate requested by your tenant, but it may take a while until you find someone reputable, when you do don't tell him what has been said, let him form his own opinion, make sure you get someone who belongs to a CPScheme NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or one of the others there are a few more about.

 

[telectrix]

pete. i have to disagree with you on that post. (only the last bit).you don't need to be in a scam (scheme) such as NICEIC etc. to carry out EICRs. or to do non-notifiable/ remedial work.

@OP. surely you have friends or relatives that have dealt with electricians and can recommend them.

 

[SparkyChick]

I agree with@Pete999 , tell this 'electrician' to do one, don't have him do any work and I'd be looking to get a different managing agent.

What I will say is... you only have to be competent @Pete999 , you don't need to be a member of a scheme to carry out an EICR.

As for his BS about not being able to tell whether the cables are safe... without seeing it, I feel that it is as I've stated, complete BS. If there are no signs of thermal damage where the cables are visible or at their terminations, and you can test them electrically for safety, there is no reason to not issue a certificate... ffs, if that was the case, no one would be issuing certificates and all our wiring would be surface mounted to allow inspection. He's trying to pull a fast one, plain and simple IMHO.

 

[surreygirl]

"That list I gave you in an earlier post must have yielded some hits for you to try"

Yes it did. Thank you very much. It is too late now as I must go back to Spain on Wednesday and I am afraid of safety as he says the underfloor heating has the wrong fuses in!

I think for now the grey trunking is safe, but I am afraid when the tenant uses the underfloor heating.

Yes what you said was a great help. I wrote it all down and questioned him on it and it just turns out that all he is doing is trunking a few wires in grey changing a switch, putting up a note to say the switch for the shower is in the kitchen and that is it! Then the other work he is doing is running the wire from the outside meter - the one you read - to the economy 7 which is in the lounge and the kitchen which is next door to the lounge! The main meter is directly behind the economy 7 meter. The wiring to that would be about four feet and then about 13 feet to the meter in the kitchen.

.[/QUOTE]

 

[Pete999]

pete. i have to disagree with you on that post. you don't need to be in a scam (scheme) such as NICEIC etc. to carry out EICRs. or to do non-notifiable/ remedial work.

@OP. surely you have friends or relatives that have dealt with electricians and can recommend them.

Yes Tel, you are right of course, I realised that after I posted, still don't have all the equipment now, sorry OP for misleading you.

 

[Pete999]

This time the cowboy didn't bite the dust then?

 

[surreygirl]

pete. i have to disagree with you on that post. (only the last bit).you don't need to be in a scam (scheme) such as NICEIC etc. to carry out EICRs. or to do non-notifiable/ remedial work.

@OP. surely you have friends or relatives that have dealt with electricians and can recommend them.

I wish I did but I live in Spain not the UK and have only come over for a few weeks to sort things out for the new tenant moving in. If I had known this was going to happen I would have sorted out an electrician over the internet before I arrivaed but I could not envisage a £2100k bill in a million years.

 

[surreygirl]

I agree with@Pete999 , tell this 'electrician' to do one, don't have him do any work and I'd be looking to get a different managing agent.

What I will say is... you only have to be competent @Pete999 , you don't need to be a member of a scheme to carry out an EICR.

As for his BS about not being able to tell whether the cables are safe... without seeing it, I feel that it is as I've stated, complete BS. If there are no signs of thermal damage where the cables are visible or at their terminations, and you can test them electrically for safety, there is no reason to not issue a certificate... ffs, if that was the case, no one would be issuing certificates and all our wiring would be surface mounted to allow As for his BS about not being able to tell whether the cables are safe... without seeing it, I feel that it is as I've stated, complete BS. If there are no signs of thermal damage where the cables are visible or at their terminations, and you can test them electrically for safety, there is no reason to not issue a certificate... ffs, if that was the case, no one would be issuing certificates and all our wiring would be surface mounted to allow inspection. He's trying to pull a fast one, plain and simple IMHO

You have a point there I will write that in an email right now whilst it is on my mind. You are quite correct in what you say.

Thank you for that.

 

[Pete999]

Been told off already SC don't you start as well, please I've been to Tesco aint that punishment, already.

 

[telectrix]

bet you came out with a few bottles of red,though.

 

[Pete999]

bet you came out with a few bottles of red,though.

1 or 6 Tel cheaper that way 25% off can't be bad, can it?

 

[SparkyChick]

Been told off already SC don't you start as well, please I've been to Tesco aint that punishment, already.

Any super market on a Friday afternoon... you have my sympathies dear

 

[Pete999]

Any super market on a Friday afternoon... you have my sympathies dear

Thanks SC, but unless you have been shopping with Mrs Pete999 you have absolutely no idea of the torment I go through every Friday, it's like pulling teeth whilst undergoing open heart surgery without an anesthetic.