No Certificate For New Electrics And Local Authority Demands

[EViS]

We completed a garage conversion which involved Building Control. As part of the conversion, 3 new sockets were installed into the existing ring main and new spotlights daisy chained from the existing lighting circuit. An NICEIC-registered electrician undertook the work, invoiced for it, and said he would send the Part P certificate.

That was 2 months ago and we have not received the certificate or paid him despite countless phone calls on his mobile and landline, emails and text messages. All of his telephones ring (without immediately forwarding to voicemail) and his emails do not bounce. We simply cannot get hold of him.

Another electrician proposed we have an Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR) undertaken, for a fee of £150. He said that this situation is not uncommon (!?) and he has never had a Local Authority refuse an EICR in such scenarios.

Having spoken to Building Control, they will only accept having the work 'tested' by their own sub-contractor and want a fee of £380 for this 'regularisation' work. We queried whether our newly found electrician can undertake the same 'tests' that their sub-contractor would and obviously at a much more sensible price. Their response was a firm 'no'.

Do we have any options available to us other than pay Building Control this extortionate fee? Surely they can't get away with charging such disproportionate amounts for work that any other competent person could do at the correct market price?

Any advice would very much be appreciated.

 

[SimonH2]

We completed a garage conversion which involved Building Control. As part of the conversion, 3 new sockets were installed into the existing ring main and new spotlights daisy chained from the existing lighting circuit. An NICEIC-registered electrician undertook the work, invoiced for it, and said he would send the Part P certificate.

Contact NICEIC, I'm fairly sure these schemes are supposed to police their members. If not, then Trading Standards should be interested.

Another electrician proposed we have an Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR) undertaken, for a fee of £150. He said that this situation is not uncommon (!?) and he has never had a Local Authority refuse an EICR in such scenarios.

Having spoken to Building Control, they will only accept having the work 'tested' by their own sub-contractor and want a fee of £380 for this 'regularisation' work. We queried whether our newly found electrician can undertake the same 'tests' that their sub-contractor would and obviously at a much more sensible price. Their response was a firm 'no'.

Rubbish. The electrician is correct, that is a common way to deal with it - they provide the test results and the LABC will accept them. My local LABC had two rates for minor electrical work - around £150 and around £225, the difference being whether you can supply proper test results or not with the higher fee being to cover them getting an electrician to do tests.

However, when it's regularisation of work which wasn't notified in advance of starting, then they add 50%. It's hard to argue that this is the case since in this case you went down the route of using a member of an approved scheme - and although you are legally responsible for getting the certification, it's not your fault that a third party had ****ed you over.


Note that in law, an electrician cannot certify someone else's work - only LABC can do that. Thus there isn't actually any means for an electrician to do the certificate required by LABC. The workaround that's been agreed i the industry is that the electrician will use the EICR, PIR, or whatever it's called this week, paperwork to record all the figures and observations they'd do if certifying their own work and eh LABC will work from that.


There is one obvious question to ask. Was the electrical work done before or after you got LABC "completion" for the building work ? There's an argument for saying that there should be no extra fee since the electrical work was part of a larger job which was notified. If the electrical work was done before completion, then you could argue you already have a certificate which covers it.

I'm sure someone who actually knows the regs will tell me that's rubbish (see my sig).

 

[EViS]

SimonH2, to answer your question, the electrical work was done before the building work was complete and a final visit from a BCO. However, we have not received any 'completion' certificates for the entire conversion as the LABC are firstly wanting the electrical certificate.

 

[stuartturbo]

Odd but for the loft i have been told i don't need the electrics checked as i am extending rather than fitting a new ring and lighting socket