Part P regs and proerty insurance

[ekon]

I want to run a spur off a ring main into my adjacent conservatory in my UK house. I am capable of doing the job and did quite a lot of electrical work on the house before PartP(?) came in (just a few years ago if I remember). Back then I got an electrician friend in to check the work I did before going live. Sadly he has left our area.

Someone has told me that if I had a problem, albeit unrelated, e.g the house catches fire I might have problems with the house insurance company - who look to get out of any liability if they can? - if they knew I had done electrical work myself.

OK.. how could they know you might say?..but if they did find out there was amateur DIY electrical work carried out post-Part-P is it true that they could walk away.

 

[Chri5]

Imagine your an insurance Company that (as they all do) doesn't like to pay out on claims because it eats in to the Aston Martin / directors boats funds.

A claim arrives for fire damage due to an electrical fault.

They send an assessor around, he notes post Part P cable colours and finds a fitting or 10 with date stamps after Part P.

They accept the claim on the basis of you identifying that the work was done to Part P and documentation issued. You state the doc were burnt in the fire

They say, no problem which certifying body was the electrician's scheme provider. You don't know.

They run a d'base search across all the regulated scheme provides and find niche.

They will refuse to pay, since you have no paperwork and having checked the scheme providers, they have no record.

So if you were the insurance Co, would you pay?

 

[ekon]

thanks for that Chri5..as I thought then ..one is really taking quite a risk doing stuff yourself post - partP?

Can you or anyone elaborate on the post-partP cable colours and fitting issue. ..i.e. if I use old cable (new/unused and fit for purpose but bought pre-Part P..and old (but new ) sockets etc surely there would be no way of anyone telling it was not "old" i.e. pre-partP work?..is there?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I don't see why Part P is relevant at all, apart from it being a little bit easier, in theory, for an insurance comoany to do things like that.

Bottom line is what does your insurance policy say about who can do electrical work?

 

[Chri5]

The work your suggesting isn't notifiable and subject to old colours and non stamped fittings wouldn't be easily traced as post early 2005.

If it caused a fault I'm sure a CSI electrical detective would be able to detect the installation is new / newer than 2005, but would they employ such a person ?

It's a risk- like the guys that chip cars and don't tell the insurance Co's.

The grey issue is the word 'competent'- which is all you need to be, to do work per the situation you've detailed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They run a d'base search across all the regulated scheme provides

What tool do they use to do that?

 

[Chri5]

BaS

I've no idea if such searches are available or will be in the future.

I would think that such information will eventually be available to insurers.

Take your driving licence / car tax and car insurance- all on a d'base that can be accessed by the police and the insurers, and in the case of registrations- anyone that pays for it.

Information collection and the revenue streams through selling such details are common enough in many aspects of our daily lives.

If a LABC wanted to, do you think that data protection would stop them or an insurer getting such detail from the scheme providers ?
EIC's are held as copies by all scheme providers, not sure if it's the same for MWC.

Watch out big brother is here- lets hope they don't read these posts, check poster to IP addy's and log the work questions raised on this forum.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Spark123]

Why would the LABC even know about the work, given what he is wanting to do is non-notifiable (unless it involves work in a kitchen, special location or associated with a special installation)?

 

[nozspark]

BaS

EIC's are held as copies by all scheme providers, not sure if it's the same for MWC.

Sorry thats nonsense - There are only 2 people that get a copy of my EIC's, MWI's, PIR's etc. One is the customer and the other is ME... all I send to my scam provider is a form that gives a brief overview of the work done and where I have done it, they get no specifics!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

BaS

I've no idea if such searches are available or will be in the future.

So why did you say "They run a d'base search across all the regulated scheme provides"?

I would think that such information will eventually be available to insurers.

Why do you think that?

Take your driving licence / car tax and car insurance- all on a d'base that can be accessed by the police and the insurers, and in the case of registrations- anyone that pays for it.

The only information legally available re insurance is whether a car is insured or not.

But it is true that the DVLA are acting unlawfully in the way that they provide personal information, including, for example, giving names and addresses to people with criminal records for blackmail.

If a LABC wanted to, do you think that data protection would stop them or an insurer getting such detail from the scheme providers ?

Whether private companies such as NICEIC would be so disregarding of the law I don't know, but probably not.


I still think that the first place anyone concerned about this should look is the Ts'n'Cs of their policy.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They run a d'base search across all the regulated scheme provides

What tool do they use to do that?

A thing called a Telephone

Not what most people would regard, in IT terms, as a database search tool...

 

[ekon]

thanks all..interesting topic. I shall get on with my job tomorrow. I had forgotten that bit about non-notifiable work.

I don't think I would want to try and cheat the system though ..i.e. on a notifiable-type job.

 

[Click-Sure]

Pull the stickers off accessories and be carefull what cable you buy.

The prysymian T&E I'm using at the moment has H2008 stamped on it. Seen H2007 on stuff I used earlier in the year too.

 

[ekon]

Thanks m8 ..but I guess if the work is non-notifiable (and I think it is) then I need not worry so much..but I think I have enough pre-2005 cable and parts anyway.