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.

 

[not clever]

1. Ask him for the report, as in the 5 page EICR not the carp he has given you.
2. You do not have to act on any of the recomendations, it is up to you what you do but the report is yours (once you've paid).
3. Get quotes from other electricians to do the remedials or do them yourself, you do not have to use the spark who has undertaken the EICR.
4. If others do the remedials ask for certs & attach to the unsatisfactory report, this will show the remedials have been done.
5. There is no Zone 3 so ignore that or just put up a cheap as chips bathroom light.
6. Earth fly lead to back boxes not required if one lug is static.
7. 1.5mm on a 32amp mcb protected circuit as a spur, yes change it or drop a fused spur in between the 1.5mm & the 2.5mm circuit.
8. £250 for a small domestic, he saw you comming. but if thats his price thats his price, you could have got other quotes.
9. £300 for the remedials does seem a tad steep, whats on that list you could look at £150 - £200 labour.
10. dont bother reporting as sod all will get done & the scam operator will just tell you to speak to the contractor to try and resolve the issue as they have no influence on contractors pricing structures.

 

[Armourer]

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

Not producing a professional EICR, threatening me with prosecution if a light in zone 3 (which I now know no longer exists) isn't replaced, quoting for other unnecessary work (see replies above), listing items twice and bumping up the bill for some straightforward screwdriver work - ummm isn't that the def of a cowboy tradesman?

But what concerns me a lot is the number of replies referring to whether he has kids to feed as if this gives the right to rip off stupid Joe public like me who dares to think he knows better ... I also have kids to feed and I do so on £5k a year.

Many thanks to all those professional responses I have received, I now know what I have to do.

 

[Steve_P]

I'm with Not Clever

 

[Armourer]

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.

I don't understand this response. Are you saying I'm not eligble for an EICR (which should detail the incorrect rated MCBs) because there are over rated MCBs?

Let's be clear, I want the house safe and certified and I'm prepared to pay for all the remedial work that is NECESSARY.

If I was not in the real world I would not be on here.

 

[Des 56]

Before becoming irrate with some responses,just remember one thing

"You! engaged his services,!you! are the person who did the research before engaging someone for this task

!You" also did not come up to scratch with your own responsibility to yourself

 

[Octopus]

I don't understand this response. Are you saying I'm not eligble for an EICR (which should detail the incorrect rated MCBs) because there are over rated MCBs?

Let's be clear, I want the house safe and certified and I'm prepared to pay for all the remedial work that is NECESSARY.

If I was not in the real world I would not be on here.

I'll repeat myself.

Email the sparky and ask for the EICR and your invoice. Once you have that you can decide what to do next.

 

[Englishsparks]

I don't understand this response. Are you saying I'm not eligble for an EICR (which should detail the incorrect rated MCBs) because there are over rated MCBs?

Let's be clear, I want the house safe and certified and I'm prepared to pay for all the remedial work that is NECESSARY.

If I was not in the real world I would not be on here.

That is not what I am saying, of coarse you are ligible for an EICR?
Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory

What I am saying is that with the mcb being over rated for the cable, you will not get a report with all C3s on it. This warrants a C2, wich is automatically a Unsatisfactory result. In other words a failure.

 

[Armourer]

I'll repeat myself.

Email the sparky and ask for the EICR and your invoice. Once you have that you can decide what to do next.

Email would be lovely. Unfortunately he only does second class post. I have the invoice but I'll ask for the EICR, thanks.

 

[Adam W]

But what concerns me a lot is the number of replies referring to whether he has kids to feed as if this gives the right to rip off stupid Joe public like me who dares to think he knows better ... I also have kids to feed and I do so on £5k a year.

How does your having kids to feed give you the right to cut corners on electrical safety in a property which you're expecting someone else to pay to live in?

 

[Armourer]

How does your having kids to feed give you the right to cut corners on electrical safety in a property which you're expecting someone else to pay to live in?

Not at all sure why you think it's me that's cutting corners. Thanks to the replies I now know the electrician I employed has cut the corners and the proper name of the report I commisioned. I wholeheartedly agree with Des 56 that I should have known that beforehand and have discovered from other threads that an awful lot of electricians and the whole of the letting agency fraternity don't know what it is called either. The pendant light, socket and MCDs will be changed in an hour and a competent electrician will undertake a full retest and carry out any remedial work necessary. The original guy will get his inspection fee only when he produces an EICR, otherwise his kids will go hungry.

Which kind of brings me full circle. How can I tell in the first place who is competent and professional like Murdoch, Sintra, not clever, Steve_P, plugsandsparks and rattlehead85 and who is just out to feed their kids and the ones next door?

 

[Octopus]

Email would be lovely. Unfortunately he only does second class post. I have the invoice but I'll ask for the EICR, thanks.

When he chases for payment simply say you won't pay it without receiving the report.

 

[Engineer54]

Not at all sure why you think it's me that's cutting corners. Thanks to the replies I now know the electrician I employed has cut the corners and the proper name of the report I commisioned. I wholeheartedly agree with Des 56 that I should have known that beforehand and have discovered from other threads that an awful lot of electricians and the whole of the letting agency fraternity don't know what it is called either. The pendant light, socket and MCDs will be changed in an hour and a competent electrician will undertake a full retest and carry out any remedial work necessary. The original guy will get his inspection fee only when he produces an EICR, otherwise his kids will go hungry.

Which kind of brings me full circle. How can I tell in the first place who is competent and professional like Murdoch, Sintra, not clever, Steve_P, plugsandsparks and rattlehead85 and who is just out to feed their kids and the ones next door?

There lies a very real problem, not only for you, but for all domestic homeowners!!
The best solution is getting recommendations from trusted friends and family. Far too easy now to end-up with incompetent guy's that were stacking shelves at Tescos 17 day's ago...lol!! Unbelievable i know, but unfortunately very true none the less!! lol!!

 

[richy3333]

You say you've paid £240 for that 1 page document? Outrageous. A properly completed EICR on a TYPICAL small 3 bed house shouldn't really cost that much, but labour rates will vary around the country. There's no such official document as a 'Landlords electrical check' (or whatever it was called) The Wiring Regs (BS7671) detail 3 types of report and in this instance you're after an EICR.

£300 appears to be a bit steep for the remedial's, but it's always hard to say without seeing the installation, and again labour rates vary depending on location.

 

[kingeri]

Surely if you paid for an EICR then you should have received an EICR. Simple.

 

[decolad69]

Nothing. I am a landlord who only employs resistered contractors. And pays the going rate. You seem to know exactly what's required, and aparently could do this lot in 1 hour? Did you do it first time round ?