LABC don't think I'm qualified to wire my house

[ChipFanDave]

Hi any idea what would consist of demonstrating you are suitable qualified to BS 7678 17th Edition.

As I have approach my LABC to notify them of my intention to rewire my house including a new extension. I have sent them copies of my: C&G 2360 Lv1&2, C&G 2382(BS7671) Lv3, and C&G 2391 Lv3. I have a number of other qualifications but they are little to do with domestic installing.

This is the reply I have received.

Good afternoon


I can confirm from the information you have provided it does not demonstrate that you are qualified to BS7671iet wiring regulations 17th Edition.


In this instance the fee will be £348.00 (inc.vat)

If you think this is reasonable then can you point me in the right direction of getting the necessary qualifications.

I have asked for an explanation from LABC only to be told "the surveyor look at your qualifications and said you are not trained to 17th edition"

Thanks

 

[Pete999]

Are there any other issues other that the assumed discrepancies regarding your qualifications that LABC are questioning?

 

[Diddy]

If there is no appeal then this is one of them cases where I wish some board millionaire electrician takes their council to court. This insistence that you can only notify your work if you are registered in a scheme is just full of holes and begging to be tested in a court under lets say "restricting trade" or some other legal avenue. It is one thing having a proper scheme recognized through industry as the "standard" such as gas safe, which links your qualifications with practical exams ect ect...but this is just a mish mash misunderstood waste of time.
Ironic that the above qualifications in all likelyhood took several years to achieve but you could get someone with zero experience that "could" in theory be more "qualified" to do this work within the space of 2 months in one of these intensive courses.....the world has gone mad.....MAD I Tell YA !!!

 

[ChipFanDave]

Are there any other issues other that the assumed discrepancies regarding your qualifications that LABC are questioning?

I have no idea what you mean. Maybe you could elaborate on what you think could be a problem.
I have asked what other people think I may be missing so if you can shed some light on this it could really help.
I have copied and pasted their reply so you can read into it what you like, that's all the information I have, no smoking guns, no dodgy rewires or house fires just what I have put in the original post.
As for all the building work the builder has notified LABC and been inspected over the last couple of check points with no problems, which is no great surprise as he is a top notch builder who started of the job with " I don't ---- about with electrics, that ---- can kill you". So he had my vote strait away !

 

[rolyberkin]

It is one thing having a proper scheme recognized through industry as the "standard" such as gas safe, which links your qualifications with practical exams ect ect...but this is just a mish mash misunderstood waste of time.

For example they could call it part P of the building regulations and enact it in legislation!

 

[sparksburnout]

If there is no appeal then this is one of them cases where I wish some board millionaire electrician takes their council to court. This insistence that you can only notify your work if you are registered in a scheme is just full of holes and begging to be tested in a court under lets say "restricting trade" or some other legal avenue. It is one thing having a proper scheme recognized through industry as the "standard" such as gas safe, which links your qualifications with practical exams ect ect...but this is just a mish mash misunderstood waste of time.
Ironic that the above qualifications in all likelyhood took several years to achieve but you could get someone with zero experience that "could" in theory be more "qualified" to do this work within the space of 2 months in one of these intensive courses.....the world has gone mad.....MAD I Tell YA !!!

Sorry mate you are talking out of your proverbial. The rules are very clear, you have two choices. 1. You put in a building control application, do the work (to BS7671), then get it tested and passed by the councils appointed employee or contractor, or 2. You get a person who is part of a CPS to do it and notify via their scheme. Someone with "zero experience" or with qualifications acquired in "two months" would NOT be allowed in a scheme. And BTW it is "bored", not "board" electrician, unless you are talking about one working for a "board", on the side.

 

[ChipFanDave]

Sorry mate you are talking out of your proverbial. The rules are very clear, you have two choices. 1. You put in a building control application, do the work (to BS7671), then get it tested and passed by the councils appointed employee or contractor, or 2. You get a person who is part of a CPS to do it and notify via their scheme. Someone with "zero experience" or with qualifications acquired in "two months" would NOT be allowed in a scheme. And BTW it is "bored", not "board" electrician, unless you are talking about one working for a "board", on the side.

3 options actually (although I agree with the general sentiment of your post) you also have the option I was after of providing qualifications to LABC and having it approved for a fee.

 

[rolyberkin]

I am truly amazed that on an electricians forum there are so many people who simply do not know the legislation which governs notifiable work and the building regulations.

 

[rolyberkin]

3 options actually (although I agree with the general sentiment of your post) you also have the option I was after of providing qualifications to LABC and having it approved for a fee.

That is what you are being quoted for, they will still charge you the same whether you have it tested and inspected or not by their contractor, they have set fees which will be on their website, it is a bit of a con but it does draw a line in the sand. My brother in law runs building control for about four or five unified councils. His favourite quote was 'if Trevor Linsley wasn't in a scheme he would have to pay the fee'. I have in the past been in the same boat as I do a lot of building work. You have to weight up the pros and cons of joining a scheme, if you go down that route you will then need public liabilities insurance, and a hole raft of paperwork and books etc etc. Do you not know someone who is in a scheme who you can work with to get it done cheaper than the LABC fees?

 

[7029 dave]

Tin Hat firmly on, if it is your own place with the quals you have . Just do the bloody job test and write your own cert out.? You can download all the test sheets etc and EIC.

 

[sparksburnout]

3 options actually (although I agree with the general sentiment of your post) you also have the option I was after of providing qualifications to LABC and having it approved for a fee.

No you don't! If you are not part of a scheme they will get either their contractor or employee to come and certify it.

 

[ChipFanDave]

Sorry you are 100% wrong. The fee quoted is for as noted in original post "not qualified" the fee for "qualified" is £160. This is why I'm not happy with the LABC attitude. If it was simply NIC NAPIT or pay up etc then I would just get one of my contractors to certify it for me. But being an honest guy who with years of experience and the required qualifications thought I would just notify them and welcome them over if they wanted to check any time on the work progress

 

[sparksburnout]

Right OK, like Westie said its a bit difficult to comprehend but these are the facts and your options:

1. You are rewiring your house. This is notifiable under part "P" of the BUILDING REGULATIONS, to/via your local building control.
2. You have 2 ways of doing this, you can either notify it yourself via your government approved scheme, assuming you are a member of one, or you can submit a building notice to your local council, if you are not. Your qualifications are irrelevant.
3. If you do the latter, they will charge you a fee and deal with it in the same way as if you were building your own house extension. They will come and inspect the work at specified stages, using either their own employee or contractor.
4. When they are happy with the job they will sign it off, in the same way you could LEGALLY sign it off if you were a member of a scheme. This is to satisfy part "P" of the building regulations, it has nothing to do with your ability or otherwise to produce a BS7671 certificate.
You can welcome them over for a brew and a chat all you like but you are not in a LEGAL position to do anything else.

 

[rolyberkin]

Tin Hat firmly on, if it is your own place with the quals you have . Just do the bloody job test and write your own cert out.? You can download all the test sheets etc and EIC.

Fine until you come to sell the house and you don't have building control sign off and the buyers solicitor asks you for it!

 

[ChipFanDave]

Reply from LABC after initial enquiry. Apologies fees are £190 not £160.

Dear David


Thank you for your email.


Yes if you can provide scanned copies that would be great and we can confirm whether this is sufficient.


The cost is as follows:


£190.00 (inc.vat) – qualified but not a member of a Competent Persons Scheme


£348.00 (inc.vat) – not qualified and not a member of a Competent Persons Scheme


This fee is required on top of the fee required for an extension.


I trust this answers your query.

So to clarify the are two routes outside of the more traditional scheme registered electrician.

 

[sparksburnout]

Well, that reply from your local council makes no sense. What they are undertaking, if they require you to submit a building notice, is to conduct the equivalent of 3rd party certification. This means THEY or their CONTRACTOR has to inspect the work at specified stages. What difference can it make if they or their contractor have not seen the first fix, for example? Given the fact they have indicated that you are not in a position to act as a "qualified person", I would suggest they mean you are not able to undertake 3rd party certification, in other words, act as their contractor?
I would seek a higher authority in the council to verify this, it sounds very odd to me.