One Electrician Does The Work - Another To Part P It?

I've had an extension built, nearly done, electrics finished. Now fallen out with our idiotic builder who used his own electrician. So I need another electrician to Part P it so I can get the job signed off. Is this something that's allowed? Most electricians I've tried are very reluctant (understandably) to Part P someone else's work. However, as the build went on I have taken a lot of pictures which show the cable runs etc. and obviously we had a pre plaster check/approval from the planning. So is it not a case of a new electrician coming in, doing the necessary checks and tests and hopefully doing the Part P for us. Surely this scenario crops up, where an electrician might do the work and then disappears (or dies?!) and someone else will have to Part P. Planning may (and may not) allow us to have a periodic instead, what does this involve? Thanks.

The periodic report has the same schedule of test results / inspections as an electrical installation certificate. The only difference is you are allowed to fail the results of tests & inspections wheres you cant on an EIC. Plus there is a clause on the periodic report that says concealed cable routes have not been inspected.
I guess ifanyone is going to certify the job they will only do an inspection report

Why not put the Part P notification through your BC... You have already paid the fee, give them a ring and see what they say. I would guess that seeing as you have photographic evidence of where the cables are that they might accept a (IEE) EIC from a spark! Your spark shouldn't have to notify this job, but he will want to see the photo's

^ that looks best to me, when doing work that comes under part P there are 2 options
1) use a registered spark, who must do all the work + test and self certifies
2) notify planning get the work done (by yourself or anyone else competent), get the work tested (varies area to area) either by any spark, or by building control or building control recommended spark, -it is normal to have a different person to do the testing in this case as this is the official DIY route (and route for none registered sparks).

so it seams you already fall into the second category, so speak with building control first, it doesnt look like you need a registered spark to self certify the work, but just to test and submit the test results as building control have presumably already been notified as its part of an extension (so involves other building regs)

It seems it's impossible for me to get the Part P for this. All I can do is have a periodic (which building control may grudingly accept) which will allow me to get the extension signed off but with a clause about the electrics which would rear it's head if I came to sell the house.
Apparently it's illegal for a Part P electrician to begin work and not finish it to certification, and building control can put a block on him working in the future. However, it's not illegal for any non Part P electrician (which is what I unknowingly had) to do the work, as much as he wants, finish it, leave it half done, whatever he wants. Guess I'm stuck really. Have to either find a dodgy Part P guy who will put his name to it or have a periodic, which has to be the safer option at least.

Apparently it's illegal for a Part P electrician to begin work and not finish it to certification, and building control can put a block on him working in the future

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I`d question that.

If you`d gone thru building control anyway and notified in advance then you or any one else including registered or non registered could do the work providing it is safe and (according to the Goverenment) LABC may not insist you get someone to inspect and test or charge you for the privilege.
Although, in truth I think that most LABCs will try to preesure you to get an inspection.

A registerd DI should be able to complete it and only certify what he has actually done. An assessor was asked by a DI about such a thing - second fixing something that had bee first fixed and decorated years earlier. Should he rip it out and start again or complete and cerify to just this. The answer was it is reasonable to finish & cerify.

can someone comment on my post, that is how i understand the situation, so because building control were presumably told before the extension started it follows the building control route, so the only question should be who does the test, i)any old spark, or ii) building control –which will depend on there (local) rules.

In this situation the whole needing a registered spark shouldn’t come into it, as that is the alternative (and in which case yes they can only self certify their own work).

Can some one agree with what I am saying (or put me right) and then the OP can speak to building control and get this sorted out (note to the op many building controls don’t understand the procedure for part p, although the situation is improving)

Thanks for your replies. The predicament I am in is that building control want the Part P to be able to sign off the extension. What my builder did was have his non Part P guy do all the electrics then get this other guy in (who is Part P) to sign it off and put his name to it, that's the way this builder works.
If I knew all this beforehand they'd have been off the job ages ago.
Now, I have fallen out with the builder so cannot get the Part P the way he intended.
It's difficult to (understandably) get a Part P from anyone else.
The best I can get is a periodic, not what building control wants, but the best I get do it seems.
My extension will be signed off, but with a clause regarding the electrics. I've been working closely with building control concerning this (and other issues), and they've been very good and a great help to me with my terrible builder.

I realise that emotions are running high here but the builder was doing what a lot of others do and as long as the end result is that you get your certification then it doesn't matter what route was taken to achieve this, the problem you state is that now you've had a falling out with this builder that you cannot obtain the full certification from them but they still have an obligation under your contract with them to finalise all loose ends before handover so get in touch, swallow your pride and ask for the full certification to be carried out as agreed in the contract.

I'll chip in again (but i still want someone to confirm that what i am saying is writing is right or wrong).

i dont think you need a part p registered electrician to certify your installation as it has been done through building control (registered electricians self certify their own work to avoid the cost and hassle of building control).

building control seam to be asking you to use an electrician who is registered on one of the approved schemes, but i dont think they indend for this person to certify the work as their own (because they cant). But they require some test results of the new work. Many BCO's dont require the person who tests to be registered, some specify you use their own man, it seams that yours might be asking for someone who is registered. I imagine this is just to produce test results to them so they can issue the certificate and know the tester was competent, not so the paperwork to go through his self certified shortcut. -i think this needs clarifying with the BCO and then with any spark you ask to do the work.

tim west said:

I realise that emotions are running high here but the builder was doing what a lot of others do and as long as the end result is that you get your certification then it doesn't matter what route was taken to achieve this, the problem you state is that now you've had a falling out with this builder that you cannot obtain the full certification from them but they still have an obligation under your contract with them to finalise all loose ends before handover so get in touch, swallow your pride and ask for the full certification to be carried out as agreed in the contract.

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No, you're mistaken on a couple of things. You seem very bland about the certification - 'get your certification then it doesn't matter what route was taken to achieve this'. I am surprised by a comment like that, it certainly is not indicative of most other people here. A major concern is of course safety and that the job is done correctly. The builder and electrician have low integrity, have produced consistently shoddy workmanship and have tried to get away with murder. Cutting a cable too short, taping it to another and stuffing it being plasterboard in the hope it wouldn't get noticed for example. However, I have stuck with the builder almost to the end, sorting a lot of stuff out alongside him and putting stuff right after him. (See my other posts re: plumbing/gas). It is not normal, or so I am led to believe by proper electricians with a degree of integrity to have anyone install electrics than have someone else who hasn't seen the job before, has no clue of cable runs, etc. to certify it and disappear as quick as he came.
I have tried to contact the builder to see this through, I have no chance, he will not make the effort. This is why I have to pay another electrician now, to do what should have been done. The main reason he won't come back is that whilst he built by extension, he damaged a neighbour's property - garage roof, driveway, a couple of other bits. He's simply a bad lot and has legged it. Don't jump to conclusions, your post is incorrect, I have no pride to swallow and emotions haven't run particularly high (until this moment!). On a brighter note my wife and I have worked hard and are at the stage now where we're getting there and getting happier with the job. Sorted a lot out, mainly just this issue left.

sm1thson said:

I'll chip in again (but i still want someone to confirm that what i am saying is writing is right or wrong).

i dont think you need a part p registered electrician to certify your installation as it has been done through building control (registered electricians self certify their own work to avoid the cost and hassle of building control).

building control seam to be asking you to use an electrician who is registered on one of the approved schemes, but i dont think they indend for this person to certify the work as their own (because they cant). But they require some test results of the new work. Many BCO's dont require the person who tests to be registered, some specify you use their own man, it seams that yours might be asking for someone who is registered. I imagine this is just to produce test results to them so they can issue the certificate and know the tester was competent, not so the paperwork to go through his self certified shortcut. -i think this needs clarifying with the BCO and then with any spark you ask to do the work.

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Hi, thanks for your reply. Building control are telling they want Part P certification, they might accept a periodic, but it's Part P they want. I don't understand what you mean by it's already been done with building control. They are familiar with my builder and the problems with him and why he won't return to finish, which is why they may grudungly accept a periodic. ('But we don't like doing it that way')

pbar said:

Building control are telling they want Part P certification, they might accept a periodic, but it's Part P they want.

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to help explain Im going to get pedantic, its not part p they want, part p is a building regulation that basically states the electrics must be safe, its down to building control to give the certificate to say that it complies with part p, how this is done does get confusing (and hence why people incorrectly talk of part p electricians who have done part p exams etc). read about part p in the wiki if you haven’t already.

its easier to explain with windows:

windows come under building regs so if you put one in you have to inform and pay building control who inspect the work. As windows are fairly routine companies can self certify that they are up to spec, to do this they register and are approved with a company called Fensa and Fensa handles the paper work. Its similar with electrics now, you either use an electrician that is registered (but instead of fensa, there are 5(ish) companies such as neic), OR you can inform building control before you start do the work. In this case either yourself or others do the work and then building control inspect and test, -the inspect and test part has confused building controls from the beginning, they all like it to be done different and many like to sidestep it and just let registered electricians do electrics so they don’t have the hassle.

What I mean by “it's already been done with building control” is you informed building control that the work was been done before you started as you are having an extension built which involves other building regs, so rather than it been a case of registered self certifying companies doing the work, it should be a case of plans been submitted to building control and Mr BCO making sure all is up to scratch and followed, as he has been with the other building regs but as he doesn’t know much about part p and electrics (like most BCO’s) it seams they are trying to side step it and get it done ‘the other way’ where someone who is registered to self certify handles the paperwork.

Thanks very much for taking the trouble to explain that so clearly, feel free to get as pedantic as you want!
That's an excellent explanation and does clarify it for me a little. Might show that to building control even.
I am going to speak to them about this (yet again), see what they have to say (yet again).