Dodgy Kitchen Electrics

[BenHutton]

Had a new kitchen installed and the guy got the electrics done himself without consulting me. Main bit he did was doing the wiring for the new oven/gas hob. Rest of the kitchen electrics were pretty much untouched. Have since had an electrician round and he's discovered a mix of old out of date electrics that were already there coupled with non legit new electrics. Just wondering what the best course of action is? Is it possible to rewire around the units or would you have to rip everything out and start again- has anyone ever done this? Pulling my hair out this end cos I have in theory aid the builder to get the electrics done properly and he has cut corners. How hard is it to do a new circuit for the oven/hob and do it properly? He mentioned something about my circuit board being an issue in terms of doing this. Anyone help?!?!?

 

[tony mc]

Since you have had a spark around I would consult him/her as they have seen the job.

You should have had some sort of certification re the kitchen and LABC should of been informed.

Your consumer unit is most likely not RCD protected but again I would liaise with your electrician re advice on what can and can not be done.

 

[bugsy]

did you get part P certification? - No - report him!

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Get onto the person who did the kitchen, and quiz him about the electrician. Tell him you want the ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CERTIFICATE for the circuit installed for your oven and hob, you also want either Part P compliance notice from the body with whom the electrician is registered to self certify under Part P of the building regulations, or some kind of notice from the Local Authority building control for your area to say he has notified them of his intention and paid the appropriate fee, for which he will have a receipt. If he cannot or will not give you these documents then you need to inform whoever did the work or was responsible for it that you are going to contact the local council and report him for breach of building regulations, which is illegal. It also carries a hefty fine and/or a prison sentence.

Cheers......Howard

 

[tonys]

Was you not living in the house when the work was being carried out?

 

[Benny_Boy]

Get onto the person who did the kitchen, and quiz him about the electrician. Tell him you want the ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CERTIFICATE for the circuit installed for your oven and hob, you also want either Part P compliance notice from the body with whom the electrician is registered to self certify under Part P of the building regulations, or some kind of notice from the Local Authority building control for your area to say he has notified them of his intention and paid the appropriate fee, for which he will have a receipt. If he cannot or will not give you these documents then you need to inform whoever did the work or was responsible for it that you are going to contact the local council and report him for breach of building regulations, which is illegal. It also carries a hefty fine and/or a prison sentence.

Cheers......Howard

I second the motion!

If people like yourself start standing up and being counted when this sort of thing happens, it might start encouraging cowboys to think twice before bodging it, and part P registration might actually mean something apart from a £370 bill to pay once a year.

 

[BenHutton]

ummm... what a mess. I quizzed him on the building regs side of things after he had done the electrics and he assured me the guy was 'qualified' but building regs might be an issue as we'd have needed a new circuit board in order to comply. As it was only the wire for the oven and the rest of the electrics were the same he implied it was an easy enough job and would be ok. Am I cooked? How easy would it be to do the oven bit fresh and ensure it passes building regs? Or does the whole Kitchen circuit need redoing? The rest of the kitchen electrics are as they were (tho very old).

Cheers for your help on this folks.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

It is the housholders responsibility to notify the LABC.
This can be done either in advance paying the appropriate fee, or by engaging someone who is a member of a self certification scheme.
There is an option to notify retrospectivly, assuming that you can provide evidence to satisfy the LABC that the work complies with Building Regulations.
Contacting your LABC would likely put yourself in hot water, rather than the electrician.

 

[BenHutton]

Ok... By the sounds of it the main issue at the mo is the kitchen doesn't have it's own circuit. Is this in itself illegal? What are the likely problems with a set up like this? The oven is only small if that makes any difference. I presume it would cause problems when trying to sell the house down the line. Ideally I don't want to rip out the whole kitchen and start again so open to any suggestions... as I said the only new bit of electrics was the switch for the oven/hob. All the other appliances are plugged into sockets that have been there for ages.

 

[bugsy]

The problem is the fact that he has installed / modifed a circuit in your kitchen which is notifiable to LBC and for which he should have issued a certificate and notified LBC, Don't be fobbed of with excuses.
This has nothing to do with your existing C.U.