Consumer Unit Changed by Unregistered Electrician

[Colonel Hathi]

Hi
A potential client has had the CU changed by an unregistered electrician.
The property is now to be sold and the buyer has requested a "self cert".

I am offering to do a Periodic on the property.

Will this be enough - or is the buyer likely to insist that Building Regs are informed also about the CU change??

Cheers

CH

 

[acat]

PIR is the best he is going to get now as nothing else can be done really if building control is involved now all they will really want is payment. I doubt if they will take any action against the cowboy.


Chris

 

[Colonel Hathi]

Thanks Chris
I am just wondering whether the buyer can insist on Building Regs being involved in any way?

I dont want to do a periodic and then find that the client still has to go to Building Regs before they can sell the property.

Cheers

CH

 

[andyb]

Chris is right, a periodic is all you can do.

The buyer can insist on labc being involved but that's your client's problem.

They should of used a registered electrician.

I don't know if the council will do anything or not, it depends on the council. But if it is a council that prosecutes then your client is liable as well as the electrician and could be fined.

 

[acat]

Your client can involve building control, trading standards and the health and safety exec if he so wishes and hopefully one of them will prosecute. Problem is building control will want paying. The only way around that is for you to do a PIR and once the property has a certificate building control wont bother because they are not making any money out of it.

Hence the cowboys doing a roaring trade and the honest sparky suffers (so whats new)



Chris

 

[mars6394]

this is another way to line these big cats pockets down at the council labc niceic part p wtf is it all about ive been a spark for 7 years now 17th edition nvq level 3 testing inspect certificate jib registered but cant wire up an house but yet plumbers kitchen fitters excetra can do wht they like cause they sat a part p course makes me laugh

 

[Davey101]

Your client can involve building control, trading standards and the health and safety exec if he so wishes and hopefully one of them will prosecute. Problem is building control will want paying. The only way around that is for you to do a PIR and once the property has a certificate building control wont bother because they are not making any money out of it.

Hence the cowboys doing a roaring trade and the honest sparky suffers (so whats new)



Chris

No offence, but who says the spark who did the work was a cowboy?
You could be the best spark in the world, with qualifications coming out of your ears, but dont work for yourself, so aren't 'registered'. This may well have been a case of an employed spark changing the DB as a 'foreigner', i.e. a cash job. It doesnt mean he's a cowboy, just because he hasnt informed the council, NIC, or Elvis Presley.

Having said that, if it was done by someone untrained, unregistered, and without a clue, then I agree with your sentiments

 

[WayneL]

No offence, but who says the spark who did the work was a cowboy?
You could be the best spark in the world, with qualifications coming out of your ears, but dont work for yourself, so aren't 'registered'. This may well have been a case of an employed spark changing the DB as a 'foreigner', i.e. a cash job. It doesnt mean he's a cowboy, just because he hasnt informed the council, NIC, or Elvis Presley.

My thoughts, exactly.

To be honest, as long as the electrician was competent to do the job, then he hasn't commited any offence - I think you'll find it's the client who is responsible for notifying LABC

Did he issue an EIC & Schedules?

 

[roukel01]

Going back to the original question. A PIR doesn't cover it. Building control need to be notified that the wok has been carried out. A PIR only reports whether an installation complies with BS7671 and does not 'sign off' the work in question.
If the person was an employed spark doing a favour and has every qualification going he/she should have had the sense to tell the customer that the work needed signing off and involving building control. if it was a cowboy, the customer should have got a proper spark in the first place.

Get them to call building control, it may cost 80 quid or so to get it through, but at the end of the day, if the sale of the house depends on it, whats 80 quid??

 

[WayneL]

Did he issue an EIC & Schedules?

The reason I ask is that if the spark did issue the certs, then the customer could do as roukel01 says,

and get in touch with BC and present them with the certs.

They may accept them and issue the compliance.

 

[mars6394]

registered this registered that i cant even take a **** in peace soon but i know what you mean if you just contact local council they will have relevant info for you think its around £120 nt to sure

 

[adasadas]

I've definetly been told at some point down the line that in the case of a member of the public having notifiable works done on their property and not having used a registered sparks or notified BC, they have committed an offence themselves and are also liable for prosecution...

 

[Colonel Hathi]

Thanks for the comments.
My understanding is that no EIC has been issued.
The impression I get from the customer is that this is not necessarily a cowboy - just an electrician they have used before that isn't Part P registered. I don't think they realised the significance of this when they ordered the work.
The customer needs the CU change signed off as she is selling the property. The buyers' solicitors have asked for a "self cert" for the CU. I assume this means an EIC with Part P notification confirmation.
Because they are not qualified or Part P, the original electrician cannot self cert.
I am assuming that in this situation, the original spark should have notified Building Control in advance.
Building Control would then have had a Part P spark do a PIR ?

Given that none of this happened - and we are living in the here and now, I wondered whether my PIR would cover the client for her sale?

I am assuming that at this stage, Building Regs could not do anything more themselves than arrange a PIR?

I just don't want to take on the PIR job (although I need it) - and then find that Building Regs have to be involved anyway - so that the customer has wasted her money on my PIR.

As a general comment, I think it is crazy that the householder is ultimately responsible for informing Buildings Regs.
There just isn't enough information out there for the public to be expected to understand the issues.
In my (limited) experience so far, people that do have some clue about Part P think it is necessary for PIRs.
Many people also think that only NICEIC electricians are "qualified".
Hardly anybody (general public) would think that Building Control has anything to do with electrical works.

I am so fed up with losing jobs because nobody has heard of ELECSA that I am going to join NICEIC as well.

Rant Over!

Thanks again chaps.

CH

 

[roukel01]

If its only a board change and no extra work, then the work that has been carried out can be fully inspected. Test the installation out, and if you are happy with the board change, issue an EIC and sign the job off as your own.. jobs a good one!!, the customer will appreciate it and will call you back when they want work doing in their new house.

With regards to Elecsa, most sparks in my area are now Elecsa members so theres no problems here! People just need educating. I've got Elecsa involved on a PIR problem (I've put a post on here somewhere) and if you let them kn ow you are having trouble with a certain customer, they are more than happy to contact them in person and explain.

 

[WayneL]

As a general comment, I think it is crazy that the householder is ultimately responsible for informing Buildings Regs.
There just isn't enough information out there for the public to be expected to understand the issues.

They don't seem to have a problem understanding that they have to submit plans/building notice in

order to have, say, an extension built - the only difference now is that, along with foundations,

brickwork, roofing, drainage etc., electrics is included - not rocket science.