Building regs sign off.

[chucky76]

Hello all.

Have finally finished a side and rear extension after having to put the build on hold for 2 years.

Have come to the final sign off however the original Qualified electrician that did the work back in 2018 is nowhere to be found. Last communication with him was an email stating he was filing the certificate of compliance with council and the correct bodies and that he would drop a copy to me. This never happened and now he's disappeared from the area.

I had checked his validity at the time and he was all above board and registered. seemed like a good guy with references supplied.

My question is getting the work checked for building control? am i right to think electricians cant sign off work done by others? so where does this lead to? someone mentioned some national companies that can sign off after an inspection? again any thoughts or guidance would be highly appreciated.

cheers

 

[EFLImpudence]

You need to discuss it with the Building Control and ask them what you should do and what they will accept.

 

[conny]

There's a possibilit he filed the paperwork with the council but 'forgot' to send you a copy. May be worth contacting them to see f they received his paperwork. If not then you may have to get another spark to do an EICR but he may not be able to see/say what installation methods have been used.

 

[Taylortwocities]

There's a possibilit he filed the paperwork with the council but 'forgot' to send you a copy. May be worth contacting them to see f they received his paperwork.

That’s not how it works. The electrician registers that he has completed the works with his CPS (NICEIC, etc). The CPS sends notification of completion to your LABC, and you get the certificate of completion in the post.
The NAPIT one looks like this

Untitled

• Taylortwocities
• 11 Oct 2008
• 14

 

[EFLImpudence]

The electrician registers that he has completed the works with his CPS (NICEIC, etc). The CPS sends notification of completion to your LABC, and you get the certificate of completion in the post.

That's not how it works either.

The electrician should have given you the Electrical Installation Certificate which he completes.

The electrician then registers within thirty days that he has completed the works with his CPS (NICEIC, etc). and you get the certificate of compliance in the post.

I'm not certain whether they actually notify the LABC or not.

 

[JohnW2]

... The CPS sends notification of completion to your LABC, and you get the certificate of completion in the post. The NAPIT one looks like this ....

I'm a bit confused by that. Who 'sends' the Compliance Certificate? The one you depict bears a NAPIT logo but is signed by the CEO of the DCLG.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I'm not certain whether they actually notify the LABC or not.

Presumably they must, since otherwise the LABC would have no record that notifiable work has been notified.

Also, as I just wrote, that 'NAPIT Compliance Cert' TTC posted was signed by the CEO of the DCLG (which is sort-of 'LABC') - so who sends it - NAPIT or the LABC?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

To clarify

electrician does the job. He should be providing an Electrical installation Certificate to the client.

Within thirty days he contacts his CPS (electronically) to say that he has completed the work.

The CPS NOTIFIES the appropriate LABC that the work has been completed. The LABC can then tick off on the Building Notice (or whatever) that the electrical works comply with Building Regulations.

The CPS also NOTIFIES the client (by post usually) with a Certificate of Compliance per my picture above to confirm that the electrician has notified that the works have been completed.

@JohnW2 The Certificate of Compliance is from several years ago and is signed by John Andrews who headed up NAPIT. IHNI why he has a title CEO of DCLG, you’d have to ask him, but you’ll need a medium as he’s not with us anymore.

 

[JohnW2]

@JohnW2 The Certificate of Compliance is from several years ago ...

Yes, I noticed - in the days when extension of a circuit in a garden was notifiable!

... and is signed by John Andrews who headed up NAPIT. IHNI why he has a title CEO of DCLG, you’d have to ask him, but you’ll need a medium as he’s not with us anymore.

Oh, I see. I presumed that the DCLG designation indicated that he was in some way signing on behalf of the LABC, not NAPIT. Thanks for clarifying.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Presumably they must, since otherwise the LABC would have no record that notifiable work has been notified.

I don't think they do - until the Building Inspector visits the householder IF he needs to.

For something like one new circuit, why would the LA want a record.


The CPS does not know the extent of the work completed other than the description of the work for notification purpose, i.e. now only the three categories: New Circuit, Replacement CU and/or Addition or Alteration of ...

 

[JohnW2]

I don't think they do - until the Building Inspector visits the householder IF he needs to. For something like one new circuit, why would the LA want a record.

Maybe in case the LA subsequently received an enquiry (e.g. from a buyer's solicitor) as to whether notifiable electrical work (for which paperwork was said to be 'lost') had actually been notified?

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Do they do that?

 

[JohnW2]

Do they do that?

They've certainly been known to try.

However, isn't this getting a little silly? Notification of work which is subject to the Building Regs is surely all about LABCs, so an LABC surely wants/needs to know what such work has been notified on their turf, doesn't it?

Kind regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Well, if, like the OP, when part of an extension the Building Inspector will inspect the building work and ask about the electrics. The OP will then need to produce the EIC and CofC - hence his problem.


With the likes of merely a new circuit (or one of the other two categories), all the electrician has to tell the scheme is that he has installed a new circuit; he does not give them a copy of the EIC; they then send the customer a CofC noting 'New circuit installed / Dwelling' (or words to that effect, similar to the above certificate).

I think it fanciful (maybe wrong but don't think so) that - the scheme would inform the LA that a new circuit has been installed in no. 6 Acacia Avenue, East Cheam and that the LA would be interested when they have no idea about what is already there.

Perhaps hence 'self-certification' which we know really means 'self-notification'; the electrician being supervised by the scheme rather than the LA.
Plus, of course, initially there would have been far more jobs when all the ancillary trades has to be registered ' the prime purpose of the schemes.

The system is now so watered down to be virtually pointless but there we are.

 

[JohnW2]

Well, if, like the OP, when part of an extension the Building Inspector will inspect the building work and ask about the electrics. The OP will then need to produce the EIC and CofC - hence his problem.

I'm getting confused by all this, and I think I probably need to leave this to people who are used to seeing this system in operation, specifically in relation to electrical work undertaken as part of a larger project which was subject to Building Control (which I don't think is what either TTC or I have been talking about in recent posts).

In such a situation does the electrician do any 'self-certification' or 'self-notification' in the same way that they would if it were a standalone piece of electrical work? I thought not.

Kind Regards, John