Trying to get a domestic electrical safety certificate...

[Armourer]

I am trying to get a domestic electrical safety certificate so I can rent out my house in Southampton but my electrician has come up with £300 of remedial work before he will pass it. He claims the pendant light in the bathroom breaks IP rules and the law and that I can be prosecuted for it. Now I know it’s a very good idea to have it changed for IPx4 rating but it’s over 2m from the bath/shower and so only just inside zone 3, well out of reach (high ceiling), cord operated and never had any condensation on the lead. Installed before 1999, not regulated and certainly not a criminal offence! In the kitchen he reckons that a 32 A 1.5m radial to one double socket for tumble dryer and washing machine (max load 5kW) needs to be uprated. Yet by my calculations the 2.5 mm2 cable could happily run 7kW over 10m. Some others I won’t bore you with, so my question is what action could/should I take with an electrician who is either incompetent or (more likely) just trying to pad a bill and expects to be paid his inspection fee and how do I go about finding a decent electrician if I can't trust an NICEIC contractor.

 

[Armourer]

How many kids does the electrician have?

I don't know, but I've got 3 if that helps.

 

[Octopus]

Can you list the C1, C2 and C3 "faults" the report lists so we can comment on them constructively?

Then you could go back and ask for a quote for those you need and see what the revised price is.

You should also tell him that you will be getting competetive quotes too.

Cowboys like this damage the reputation of the profession.

 

[Adam W]

I don't know, but I've got 3 if that helps.

Find out. If you have more than him you may be able to use that to negotiate a discount.
"I've got three kids to feed!" etc.
Apparently it works like that.
You might be shooting yourself in the foot if he's got more though, so best to find out discreetly first.

 

[Armourer]

Can you list the C1, C2 and C3 "faults" the report lists so we can comment on them constructively?

Then you could go back and ask for a quote for those you need and see what the revised price is.

You should also tell him that you will be getting competetive quotes too.

Cowboys like this damage the reputation of the profession.

This is the only report I have received although I had commissioned an inspection for a Landlord's Safety Cert. No mention of that though. By the sound of it I should have received an EICR with C rated defects - is that right and is it a standard form? Do all defects need to be rectified for the Landord's Cert or just C1's?

Circuits are not numbered on outside but MCB 4th from left is burglar alarm and 500W security light so No 2 and 3 appear to be the same. Telephone conversation was confusing but I was threatened with prosecution if the bathroom pendant light (in zone 3) was not changed.

 

[Octopus]

View attachment 16973
This is the only report I have received although I had commissioned an inspection for a Landlord's Safety Cert. No mention of that though. By the sound of it I should have received an EICR with C rated defects - is that right and is it a standard form? Do all defects need to be rectified for the Landord's Cert or just C1's?

You need to ask him to place C1 (worst) C2 (medium) C3 (observation) against his notes - looks to me as if he is trying to baffle you.

#4 is only relevent if you have metal switches or sockets.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

No, the inspection fee is separate. £240+VAT is for replacing a socket, couple of marker sleeves, derating an MCB by swapping for an unused one, replacing main earthing conductor wire, replacing & re-siting bathroom light and uprating 1.5m radial. Bout an hour if he stops for tea. Small 3 bed semi btw.

Radial is direct from consumer unit in kitchen, 32A MCB, so yes if there's a reg I'm not aware of regarding 32A radials and 2.5mm cable over such a short distance I'll just derate to 25A. Thanks Sintra.

No ratings at all have been provided for any faults so unable to say whether they are C2 or C3, sorry.

You sound like a typical client....'Bout an hour if he stops for tea' my arse......like to see you do that much work ,whatever it is you do,in an hour.

 

[Armourer]

You sound like a typical client....'Bout an hour if he stops for tea' my arse......like to see you do that much work ,whatever it is you do,in an hour.

Yes, sorry for my flipancy. It would take me about an hour except for the light re-siting, which I don't want or need (why move a light from zone 3 to zone 2) and I was guessing a sparks would be quicker.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Yes, sorry for my flipancy. It would take me about an hour except for the light re-siting, which I don't want or need (why move a light from zone 3 to zone 2) and I was guessing a sparks would be quicker.

Does that include completing a 5 page EIC as a circuit has been rewired and an OCPD changed?



BTW there is no longer a zone 3....it's either Z1,Z2 or outside the zones.

 

[Englishsparks]

Why is it that now days Joe public seem to THINK they know more than the tradesman that they brought in.

Without seeing the property my guess is that the amount being quoted is fair.

Do these people actually realise how much work is involved, on site doing the physical job and then after filling out certificates,

 

[Steve_P]

Sorry but that's not something I've seen on an EICR before, looks like a word table designed to baffle. I'm not saying he's wrong and couldn't really say without seeing the full report or the house itself but which page of the EICR is that from?

Definitely more than an hour though, or does he not intend to do any testing or issue a cert?

Have you paid for the report yet?

 

[decolad69]

Is that not a weeks rent to you ?

 

[Armourer]

Sorry but that's not something I've seen on an EICR before, looks like a word table designed to baffle. I'm not saying he's wrong and couldn't really say without seeing the full report or the house itself but which page of the EICR is that from?

Definitely more than an hour though, or does he not intend to do any testing or issue a cert?


Have you paid for the report yet?

The point is THERE IS NO EICR.
The ONLY report given to me is the table I posted above.

I haven't paid and it's now clear thanks to all who have replied that I should hold out for a proper EICR with C ratings as this is clearly what was meant when I requested a landlord's electrical safety inspection and certificate (which is how it is referred to by so many letting agencies).

 

[Armourer]

Is that not a weeks rent to you ?

Clearly you fall into the same category as the cowboy I employed - more concerned with how much you can walk away with rather than producing a professional report.

 

[Adam W]

cowboy

Why is he a "cowboy"?
He might just be trying earn money to feed his kids.

 

[Englishsparks]

The point is THERE IS NO EICR.
The ONLY report given to me is the table I posted above.

I haven't paid and it's now clear thanks to all who have replied that I should hold out for a proper EICR with C ratings as this is clearly what was meant when I requested a landlord's electrical safety inspection and certificate (which is how it is referred to by so many letting agencies).

You say that you are going to hold out for a proper EICR with C ratings!
That won't happen if you have circuits with over rated mcbs on them.

So I would suggest that you get into the real world,

Typical landlord comes complete with shotgun and tries to override everything. You all seem to think that the rules don't apply to you.