Qualified Electrician

[tspark3009]

Is notification a legal requirement

 

[Spark123]

Yes, notification of notifiable works is a legal requirement - the building regs are statutory.

 

[Electrifying]

As a qualified approved electrician due to redundancy I'm looking at the possibility of going self employed as a domestic installer, is it possible for me to do installation work and have it signed off by building control until i get registered with a part p agency

Are you familiar with the Building Regulations and how they apply to electricians.......not just Part P?

Are you familiar with BS7671.2008?

Are you familiar with Inspection, Testing & Certification and assessment of the test results?

I ask these questions - not because I doubt your ability as an electrician - but because a lot of the time, sparks who have been 'employed' tend to have done specific areas of work and not done any in other sections e.g. testing.

As a 'self-employed' spark you will have to be able to do the lot

So, for now, I think 'notification' will be the least of your worries........unless you answered 'yes' to all the questions above.

 

[Paul_C]

Yes, notification of notifiable works is a legal requirement - the building regs are statutory.

Householder's responsibility though (or other person who is commissioning the work).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Let the householder commissioning the work decide whether he wants to notify and pay the fees or not.

It's not his responsibility.

 

[17thman]

to the op, whatever install you do, take it on the chin, pay for the install yourself or take a hit for building control fees. whatever, its an investment. as others have said, get an application in with a compentant person scheme straight away. you will need to invest in a library though, liability insurance too

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's a bloody racket this part p millions of pounds being generated off the back of tradesmen, I agree control needs to be in place but this is a total shambles of a system.

It was the electrical contracting industry that wanted it, not the government and certainly not local authorities (who, incidentally, are not the ones making millions out of it).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But if the customer doesn't care about notification, there's no £200 disadvantage.

It's not up to the customer to care.

And whatever you think of the legislation, shame on you for suggesting that a professional should incorporate deliberate lawbreaking into his business procedures.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes, notification of notifiable works is a legal requirement - the building regs are statutory.

Householder's responsibility though (or other person who is commissioning the work).

No - the words in the legislation are quite clear - they talk about the person doing the work.

 

[tspark3009]

We can argue till the middle of next week, the bottom line is sign up to a part p scheme or wave goodbye to any business, I suppose the best route is to do the work to be assessed at my mothers house she could do with a new CU and a couple of extra sockets and it stops the intrusion into a strangers home. I have 6 months to sort things out before I need to make a wage.

Thanks for your help chaps

 

[bernardgreen]

No - the words in the legislation are quite clear - they talk about the person doing the work.

In my experience it is the responsibility of the owner of the property to ensure the work is notified to the authorities and carried out in a way that complies with the relevant regulations.

The exact route of paper work has been flexible with sometimes the owner filing the notification and sometimes the tradesman. I believe the owner's consent has to be included in the application irrespective of who makes the application / notification.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We can argue till the middle of next week, the bottom line is sign up to a part p scheme or wave goodbye to any business, I suppose the best route is to do the work to be assessed at my mothers house she could do with a new CU and a couple of extra sockets and it stops the intrusion into a strangers home.

That would be ideal.

You can do work in your own house too.

The scheme assessors are well used to people in your limbo-like position - as long as what you show them is real work, properly done, you'll be fine.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

In my experience it is the responsibility of the owner of the property to ensure the work is notified to the authorities and carried out in a way that complies with the relevant regulations.

The exact route of paper work has been flexible with sometimes the owner filing the notification and sometimes the tradesman. I believe the owner's consent has to be included in the application irrespective of who makes the application / notification.

All I can suggest is that you read the Building Regulations (all of it) and try two different interpretations.

Where you encounter any variant of "person doing the work" try reading it as meaning the person actually doing the work and then try reading it as meaning the householder, or building owner etc.

See which makes that particular requirement make sense and which makes it complete nonsense.

 

[Paul_C]

Let the householder commissioning the work decide whether he wants to notify and pay the fees or not.

It's not his responsibility.

Yes it is.

No - the words in the legislation are quite clear - they talk about the person doing the work.

The phrase used is actually "a person who intends to carry out building work."

Where you encounter any variant of "person doing the work" try reading it as meaning the person actually doing the work and then try reading it as meaning the householder, or building owner etc.

See which makes that particular requirement make sense and which makes it complete nonsense.

Read the relevant sections of regulation 12, which is where the requirement to notify can be found:

Giving of a building notice or deposit of plans

12.— (1) This regulation applies to a person who intends to—

(a) carry out building work;

{.....}

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, a person to whom this regulation applies shall—

(a) give to the local authority a building notice in accordance with regulation 13; or

(b) deposit full plans with the local authority in accordance with regulation 14.

If that were actually taken to mean the person physically using the tools to install the wiring, fit the toilet, connect up the boiler, etc. then for something like an extension which involves an electrician, a plumber, a general builder, and so on each and every one of those people would be required to submit a building notice. Clearly that is not what happens, so it doesn't make sense to interpret it that way.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Notice of commencement and completion of certain stages of work

16. - (2) Subject to paragraph (8), a person carrying out building work shall not—

(a)cover up any excavation for a foundation, any foundation, any damp-proof course or any concrete or other material laid over a site; or.
(b)cover up in any way any drain or sewer to which these Regulations apply, unless that person has given the local authority notice of intention to commence that work, and at least one day has elapsed since the end of the day on which the notice was given..

Why would they have that requirement if the meaning of the term "person carrying out building work" was "person who commissioned building work to be carried out by someone else"? Big problem with householders employing builders and then covering up foundations and drains is there?


CO2 emission rate calculations

27. —(1) This regulation applies where a building is erected and regulation 26 applies.

(2) Not later than the day before the work starts, the person carrying out the work shall give the local authority a notice which specifies—

(a)the target CO2 emission rate for the building,.
(b)the calculated CO2 emission rate for the building as designed, and.
(c)a list of specifications to which the building is to be constructed..
(3) Not later than five days after the work has been completed, the person carrying out the work shall give the local authority—

(a)a notice which specifies—.
(i)the target CO2 emission rate for the building,.
(ii)the calculated CO2 emission rate for the building as constructed, and.
(iii)whether the building has been constructed in accordance with the list of specifications referred to in paragraph (2)(c), and if not a list of any changes to those specifications; or.
(b)a certificate of the sort referred to in paragraph (4) accompanied by the information referred to in sub-paragraph (a)..

Poor old householder has got to learn an awful lot of stuff these days before he can get the builders in, it seems.

Still - at least he shouldn't get into any arguments when he also gives an energy performance certificate...



... to himself ...


Energy performance certificates

29. — mechanical ventilation..
(2) The person carrying out the work shall—

(a)give an energy performance certificate for the building to the owner of the building;


And just think of how much money all these electricians, plumbers, window installers etc have thrown away over the years taking out totally unnecessary membership of various Competent Person schemes, because it's the householder who has to be a member, not them:

Provisions applicable to self-certification schemes

20. —(1) This regulation applies to the extent that the building work consists only of work of a type described in column 1 of the Table in Schedule 3 and the work is carried out by a person who is described in the corresponding entry in column 2 of that Table in respect of that type of work.

And there he goes again, giving a certificate to himself...

(3) Where this regulation applies, the person carrying out the work shall, not more than 30 days after the completion of the work—

(a)give to the occupier a copy of the certificate referred to in paragraph (2);