Kitchen electrics

[PBC_1966]

How much do you think electricians should be allowed to charge? Would you be happy with a system whereby the government (central or local) had the power to control the fees of self-employed tradesmen?

No, but if the local authority can't find an electrician who is willing to go out to test and inspect for less than that, then whoever is in charge at that local authority isn't doing his job properly. Or if there really isn't anyone they can contract with for less than that price (even after allowing a reasonable amount for their administration), then wouldn't it be cheaper to have somebody on the payroll full time?

As for all the other points, if it really costs them £50 just to file a notification away, allowing for the appropriate proportion of all those other expenses you've quoted, then they are being so extravagant and wasteful with taxpayers' money that they're not fit for purpose. But then as EFL has reminded me, that's the norm in the Britain of today.

The options given earlier in this thread are correct. However the reality in the real world is:

Local authorities really couldn't care less about homeowners notifying electrical work, particularly when it is minor insignificant items.

The vast majority of DIY work which should be notified is not, either due to people being unaware or simply not bothering as doing it properly is expensive and time consuming for no benefit whatsoever.

Precisely. So long as you're satisfied that the person doing the work is suitably qualified and will do a safe job, just get on with it and forget about all the red-tape. Nothing bad is ever likely to happen as a consequence of not notifying a bit of rewiring in the kitchen.

If anybody ever questions it years down the track when you want to sell, the worst that's ever likely to happen is that you might need to pay for an inspection at that time to satisfy the buyer or lender. And that will be years hence, and nowhere near the price it will cost now of getting the local authority involved.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No, but if the local authority can't find an electrician who is willing to go out to test and inspect for less than that, then whoever is in charge at that local authority isn't doing his job properly.

Really?

Can you please tell us what experience and qualifications and track record you have of doing that sort of job properly?

And please tell us how much you think an electrician should be prepared to do it for? It's a free labour market, unless the likes of you get their way, so if they can't find people to do it for less then how about you considering that the reason is simply that nobody will do it for less, not that the council is incompetent?

Or if there really isn't anyone they can contract with for less than that price (even after allowing a reasonable amount for their administration), then wouldn't it be cheaper to have somebody on the payroll full time?

Not necessarily. But I fear that you are no more prepared to accept that than all the whiners who fetch up here thinking that because they get paid £80/day then a self-employed tradesman should be charging the same.

As for all the other points, if it really costs them £50 just to file a notification away, allowing for the appropriate proportion of all those other expenses you've quoted, then they are being so extravagant and wasteful with taxpayers' money that they're not fit for purpose.

So tell us how much you think the person doing that job should be paid.

And tell us that you think that when a person tells the council that they are a qualified electrician the council should simply take their word for it and not check. You're the sort of person who'd be the first to start shouting the odds if something bad happened and it turned out that the council had not verified claims of being qualified.

 

[JayW]

Precisely. So long as you're satisfied that the person doing the work is suitably qualified and will do a safe job, just get on with it and forget about all the red-tape. Nothing bad is ever likely to happen as a consequence of not notifying a bit of rewiring in the kitchen.

If anybody ever questions it years down the track when you want to sell, the worst that's ever likely to happen is that you might need to pay for an inspection at that time to satisfy the buyer or lender. And that will be years hence, and nowhere near the price it will cost now of getting the local authority involved.

As easy as this option sounds I would rather cover myself for the future when I come to sell the house.

I am confident the job would be done safely and correctly and in accordance with Part P but don't want to be in a position later down the line where inspection is needed and if it could even be granted, saying that isn't work after so many years not looked at by LABC? (not that I could prove when it was done anyway without an EIC but what is the point of this if not going through LABC)

Funny thing is last night I got all my house documents out that was given to my upon purchasing the house. The house actually had a full re-wire in 2001 (some work is questionable tbh) but anyway it had a re-wire and I have no EIC or BC certificate, all I have is an invoice for the work and a paragraph that states work was done in accordance with IEE regulations 16th edition or something (cant remember fully now and im not at home) but it seems strange that the solicitor did not pick up on this and request official BC certificate (unless 2001 was different) but it makes you think just how much 'notifiable' work is actually carried out today and nothing is every said about it?

I did however find an EIC and a BC certificate for the installation of my boiler in 2006

 

[JohnW2]

Funny thing is last night I got all my house documents out that was given to my upon purchasing the house. The house actually had a full re-wire in 2001 (some work is questionable tbh) but anyway it had a re-wire and I have no EIC or BC certificate, all I have is an invoice for the work and a paragraph that states work was done in accordance with IEE regulations 16th edition or something (cant remember fully now and im not at home) but it seems strange that the solicitor did not pick up on this and request official BC certificate (unless 2001 was different) but it makes you think just how much 'notifiable' work is actually carried out today and nothing is every said about it? .... I did however find an EIC and a BC certificate for the installation of my boiler in 2006

2001 was different. Until Part P of the Building Regs came into force on 1st January 2005, electrical work did not come within the scope of those regulations, hence no 'notification' and no 'BC certificate'. However, there really should have been some EIC or equivalent for a rewire undertaken in 2001.

Having said that, a 14 year-old EIC would really not give much reassurance about the current state of an electrical installation, so it would not make much sense for a prospective buyer to make much fuss about its absence. At least you have the invoice, with some sort of 'conformity' declaration, for anyone interested in knowing who did the work.

Kind Regards, John