Is He A Certified Electrician? If Not What?
Well, I’ve just had a new kitchen fitted, looks great. Lots of new electric sockets and new ceiling lighting, plus 2 new 60Amp circuits for an oven and hob.
The fitter is coming back next week to finish off, tiling and a few odd jobs.
Now I’m getting concerned that he’s never mentioned anything about issuing a certificate for the electrics. Maybe he isn’t a certified electrician, (he has done a professional job though). Asking whether or not he was a certified electrician wasn’t something I thought about when we were choosing a fitter.
I there anywhere that I can find out if he’s registered or something, And what if he isn’t, can his work be inspected and certified by a qualified electrician without UNFITTTING the kitchen????
Also he capped the gas pipe that went to our old gas cooker, do I need a CORGI certificate or something for that???
A “certified” electrician isn’t something that is defined in UK law. What you need is a “Competent” electrician who has EITHER notified local Building control beforehand OR is a member of a “Part P” registration scheme. You should have a “Minor works” cert for alterations to a circuit and an “Installation certificate” for any new circuits
IF he has not done that then all you could realistically do is have a “Periodic Inspection Report” on the work. That WON’T cover things like cable routes, but will cover cable sizing, appropriate fuse ratings, overheating & shock protection.
You shouldn’t need a Corgi cert for capping the old supply; only for connecting a new appliance.
It is illegal for any un-qualified person to install, up-grade or otherwise make alterations to an electrical system. The company who employ the installer will be well aware of that. All is not lost, the work done can be signed off, by a qualified person who will issue a certificate, but you must pay for the service. A certificate will be required. As forthe Gas, the same applies, No Corgi registered, no touch, again this alteration must be inspected by a Corgi registered person and a certificate of competence issued, once again you must pay. Before you contact anyone, talk to the installer and find out if he has the authority to do the work he has carried out. If not tell him you want it inspected and a certificated, at his expence, BEFORE he completes the work.
he must give you a certificate and on ly corgi man can touch gas ..where did you get kitchen from ?..if recommended him they should know..certificate for electrics is meant to be sent to building control ..they are really hot on electrics im a builder
Contact NICEIC. They are the certificating body
for electrical contractors. Their contact details are -
Warwick House
Houghton Hall Park
Houghton Regis
Dunstable
LU5 5ZX
Tel: 0870 013 0382
yeah JollyJil is right. Also you could withhold final payment pending a check by qualified professionals.
Under Part P of the Building Regulations all electrical work must be tested and certified by an approved Competent Person. That is, he must not just be good, he must be formally trained, registered, insured and capable of doing the approved installation Test then producing a Certificate in the approved format.
If this is not done then it is a criminal offence and your household insurance will be probably invalid. I’m not trying to scare you, but you know how insurance companies wriggle if you make a claim. You will also have to have this certificate before you can legally connect to the incoming supply and it will be an essential part of your HIP if you want to sell the house.
You don’t need to remove the wiring unless the testing shows that it is dangerous and does not conform to BS7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations 17th Edition). Testing is done from the consumer unit and a sample of sockets.
Ask the workman if he is registered to an approved body such as the NICIET (www.niciet.org.uk). If he isn’t then make sure that he gets a registered person to provide the Test and Installation Certificate – at his expense. You can ask your local council or electricity supplier to arrange a Test for you but that will cost about £500.
You could try looking him up on the NICIEC registerhttp://niceic.org.uk/en/findacontractor/
and see if you can find him or his firm.
To do any work on domestic gas installations the craftsman must be CORGI registered.
Ask him for a copy of his certification for “insurance purposes”. If you got a permit for the renovation, the building department will have to come out and do a final inspection, anyway. If there are any problems with the work, it’s their job to find it.
What country are you in?In U.S.,contractors have to have a license and his work has to be checked by a building inspector.With a building permit before he can start working.
Did you say he capped the gas pipe he had no right in doing that i would ring the gas company if i was you and ask them about this.