Rewire not certified.. Eicr

[Chris]

Hi,

I have been asked to carry out an eicr and issue cert on a property, the owner is looking to sell and he is getting some grief from the buyers as he had his property rewired 4 years ago but wasnt issued a certificate.

He has said he needs a certificate to prove the work has been done, as i obviously cant prove it has been done, does an eicr that would prove it is safe suffice? I do not want to charge him for a test that after does not solve his problem of issues with buyers.

 

[andyb]

Not your problem Chris, all you can do is carry out a PIR and issue a EICR and the rest is up to them. They need to find out if this is acceptable.
They were obviously happy to save money when they had the work carried out by using an unregistered electrician (probably).
For what it's worth I've done this several times and as far as I'm aware it's always been accepted.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

It kind of makes a bit of a mockery of the whole certification process really.

If the homeowner doesn't get an EIC after the work then that's fine as all they have to do is get an EICR years later when a piece of paper is needed.

I think the only way to improve this is for the general public to be made more aware of the fact that they should receive a certificate after most electrical jobs.

 

[Aurai]

My dim question of the day

Would an EICR note that there was no schedule of test results and grade that accordingly?

 

[Andy78]

If the buyer or building control does not accept your EICR as part of proof of safety for regularisation, that's nowt to do with you.

The best course of action for him will be to contact the installing electrician for a re-issued cert. Question the customer a bit, you'll soon find out if it was a legit job or not.

 

[Dustydazzler]

In most cases an Eicr will suffice

If not then most solicitors will make the buyer pay for an indemnity policy which in turn the buyer will get knocked off the house price.
In my experience a standard indemnity policy for a full rewire is about 60 quid

Probably not worth the paper it’s printed on but it will get the sale through

It is no uncommon for buyers to ask for a recent eicr , usually less than 12 months old when buying a property.
They also generally want a boiler service record as well but not compulsory

 

[Charlie_]

EICR as said will obviously give them what they need as far as it’s condition is concerned..
To establish the age of the installation; check cable sheaths for date stamps, mcb serial numbers.
Also notification enquiries might be helpful

 

[Midwest]

We sold our house last year. We had to complete a legal document, which amongst other things had to declare if we had any electrical work carried out after 2005, and included certification. Guess that’s common practice now. Which of course you could say no, fine until the buyer has a survey, and something is obviously newly installed.

 

[Dustydazzler]

We sold our house last year. We had to complete a legal document, which amongst other things had to declare if we had any electrical work carried out after 2005, and included certification. Guess that’s common practice now. Which of course you could say no, fine until the buyer has a survey, and something is obviously newly installed.

If you have had uncertified work e.g new consumer unit or new gas fire the sale/purchase will go through but your solicitor will insist you buy an indemnity policy.
Our first house we purchased had all new windows fitted but no Fensa paperwork. We paid £70 for an indemnity for the windows. We sold the house 8 years later and the indemnity policy just stays with the property.
Same would apply to all non certified works.

 

[Dustydazzler]

You can even buy a house with a big extension that has absolutely no paper work so long as you take out the relevant indemnity

 

[Midwest]

You can even buy a house with a big extension that has absolutely no paper work so long as you take out the relevant indemnity

I do understand that, have a friend who did exactly the above. From I read, the indemnity is perhaps pretty worthless, and only protects against action by LBC for retrospective action, which is timed limited?

 

[Dustydazzler]

I do understand that, have a friend who did exactly the above. From I read, the indemnity is perhaps pretty worthless, and only protects against action by LBC for retrospective action, which is timed limited?

From what I understand it covers against having to take down and re build and lasts forever.
On my old house and my current house both times we required an indemnity policy on the double glazing as no Fensa was available in either purchase.
Neither probably worth the paper they are printed on but it meant the sales went though without a hitch...

 

[The Flyinhos]

@Chris there are only 3 choices preferred option 1 sparks who did the install issues / reissues cert (not issued or client lost it) option 2 carry out an EICR, though more sampling due to if not issued then possible not a sparks..... option 3 don't touch it.

 

[DefyG]

Would an EICR note that there was no schedule of test results and grade that accordingly?

No because you tick a check box to say whether or not the previous EICR was available! If it is available you'll have a schedule (assuming previous EICR was carried out properly), if it is not available, you wont have one but will effectively compile one in carrying out your EICR.