Exposed copper wire under the floorboards after rewire

[JanWilson]

I have just had my house fully rewired. I lifted a few of the loose floorboards to clean and noticed at junctions there is a lot of exposed copper wire. Is this normal or even safe?

ī

 

[James]

Thank you for your response, they have just sent out their invoice....... I found other areas similar. Can I ask, does a full rewire have to be passed by Building Control? and would it be standard to request they come and look at the job if I have concerns? Thanks so much for your help.

from the one photo you have posted, i have a mental image of the guy's that did this and it is not good.

did they have free reign to remove plaster etc. to drop cables to light switches and other fittings?

Before the invoice is paid, email them with a list of your concerns so far.
are they a member of a scheme like nappit or niceic? they should be otherwise they will find it hard to get part p of building regs adhered to.

did you have any form of quote for the work detailing what was to be done and for how much?

from the single picture it is clear that they have not adhered to the letter or the spirit of the regulations
some more pictures would be great and the collective team will let you know just how bad it is.

 

[JanWilson]

from the one photo you have posted, i have a mental image of the guy's that did this and it is not good.

did they have free reign to remove plaster etc. to drop cables to light switches and other fittings?

Before the invoice is paid, email them with a list of your concerns so far.
are they a member of a scheme like nappit or niceic? they should be otherwise they will find it hard to get part p of building regs adhered to.

did you have any form of quote for the work detailing what was to be done and for how much?

from the single picture it is clear that they have not adhered to the letter or the spirit of the regulations
some more pictures would be great and the collective team will let you know just how bad it is.

Thank you James. I will post more pictures tomorrow. I have just finished clearing up after eight days of mess and in answer to your question, yes, sadly they have removed plaster, dropped wires and replaced everything. I bought my childhood home from my mother who had to go into a home as she has dementia - they knew this. I feel as though they have wrecked her house. Very sad.

 

[westward10]

Are they are scheme member, NICEIC, NAPIT?

 

[JanWilson]

Are they are scheme member, NICEIC, NAPIT?

Thank you for your response. I believe the main contractor is a member of NICEIC

 

[James]

For the time being, DO NOT PAY THE BILL.

I have a horrible feeling that when we see the rest of the pictures the advice may well be to involve trading standards.
If they are a member of a scheme then there should be some redress available from them.

We await your next batch of pictures and hope that it is not as bad as i fear it may be.

 

[James]

Thank you for your response. I believe the main contractor is a member of NICEIC

if so that is a very good sign that things will work out ok for you.

 

[westward10]

The first part of the complaints process is to approach this contractor with what you have found to seek a resolution however I wouldn't want them anywhere near my electrics as what they have done is disgraceful. If no success approach the NICEIC with the evidence however the work is so bad they may address this without you approaching the contractor.

 

[JanWilson]

For the time being, DO NOT PAY THE BILL.

I have a horrible feeling that when we see the rest of the pictures the advice may well be to involve trading standards.
If they are a member of a scheme then there should be some redress available from them.

We await your next batch of pictures and hope that it is not as bad as i fear it may be.

Thank you - worryingly they left my job to start another 'full rewire' on another property bigger than mine, so they claimed.

 

[JanWilson]

The first part of the complaints process is to approach this contractor with what you have found to seek a resolution however I wouldn't want them anywhere near my electrics as what they have done is disgraceful. If no success approach the NICEIC with the evidence however the work is so bad they may address this without you approaching the contractor.

Thank you, this is really helpful. After receiving the invoice this evening - I paid 50% deposit upfront unfortunately - I sent them the image and a list of other concerns, they have not responded as yet.

 

[catdog1121]

Thank you for your response. I believe the main contractor is a member of NICEIC

Have you checked on the NICEIC website that they are actually a member? Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there that claim to be part of especially NICEIC as its the most recognised competent persons scheme however they are not.. If they are not then you could be in a world of pain and I would involve trading standards..

 

[Dustydazzler]

Really gets my goat when scam vetted electricians do this kind of work on people homes. I am seeing more and more sh!t work these days done by so called cpc scam vetted installers.

In the last 6 months alone I have ripped out 2 almost new boards which were fitted by scam registered electricians as the workmanship was so bad it was easier to rip the crap out and start again

Rant Over

 

[JanWilson]

Have you checked on the NICEIC website that they are actually a member? Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there that claim to be part of especially NICEIC as its the most recognised competent persons scheme however they are not.. If they are not then you could be in a world of pain and I would involve trading standards..

I'm now unsure whether the contractor is NICEIC registered, the reason I chose him was because he seemed knowledgeable and told me I would be issued with an electrical safety certificate stating the house had undergone a full rewire. Can I ask you, what makes a contractor eligible to issue electrical safety certificates and are these logged with Building Control, or some other body once issued? Thanks in advance

He states on his advertising 'We are fully 18th Edition compliant and test & Inspection qualified.'

 

[timhoward]

Can I ask you, what makes a contractor eligible to issue electrical safety certificates

This comes as a surprise to many, but no qualification is required to issue a certificate, only requirement is that the person is deemed to be "skilled". The correct term is Electrical Installation Certificate by the way.
(If you receive one saying Electrical Installation Condition Report then that is used when inspecting an installation, and should not be used for work just undertaken)

and are these logged with Building Control, or some other body once issued? Thanks in advance

Certain works need to be notified to building control. These include changing a consumer unit and installing a new circuit. A rewire is most definitely in this territory. This is completely a separate to certification, the contractor must belong to a CPS (like NICEIC or Napit) and the scheme has a way for them to notify building control about the work. The building control people don't get to see the electrical installation certificate.

I'm now unsure whether the contractor is NICEIC registered

You can check for membership of all the CPS schemes in one go here:

Competent Persons Register | Home

Competent person schemes (CPS) were introduced by the Government to allow individuals and enterprises to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations.

www.competentperson.co.uk

Finding out whether the contractor is in one or not is quite an important first step.

 

[Rockingit]

Apart from shockingly bad workmanship, I smell a rat, here. If you’ve yet to start the redecorating then I wouldn’t - I’ve a suspicion that any electrical inspector will find a catalogue of errors in what they’ve done. As to the advertising description, 18th edition and testing qualified, that just smacks of what we often refer to on here as a short course wonder - someone who has undertaken the minimum amount of desk based training possible in the belief that it gives them the experience to claim they’re an electrician. Certainly don’t pay any more money, get a genuine known reputable electrician to take a look over it (there are many on here in your area) and go from there. If they ARE a member of an accredited scheme (NICEIC, Napit, others) then register a complaint with the scheme and if they’re not then use Trading Standards.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

get a genuine known reputable electrician to take a look over it

But don't rectify it, or you might lose your opportunity of redress. They can test to make sure you are not in immediate danger through lack of earthing etc.