Clearance of electrical work for selling house

[doggyvonne]

Hello we had a lot of small jobs done by a qualified electrician who we met via qualified bathroom fitter who got him initially to do the pump on the power shower.
At the time we were given handwritten receipts some of which we kept but some of the jobs were small like snipping out and making safe old wall and over kitchen counter lights etc and not sure they were detailed separately. Other jobs were larger like installing new trip switch system and smoke detectors. I am not sure we have certificates for it ..how can I obtain a certificate? We may not have received them or else not kept them. I am certain the work was safely done by conscientious and qualified man but I am not sure I can contact him as he has divorced and left his address. Is there a way of getting the work approved..an electrical inspection maybe etc.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Firstly you need to contact the electrician, if this cannot be done I would be contacting the bathroom fitter, as they may have the electricians details.
If that fails, then if you have the electrician's name/business name, you can look on this website http://www.competentperson.co.uk/, if they are with a scheme you should be able to find them there and contact their scheme provider regarding this.
If they are not a member of a scheme, then notifiable work should have been applied for prior to the consumer unit being fitted, therefore building controls should be aware of this, so it would be logical to contact them and ask if the work had been notified.
If all this fails then an electrical installation condition report (EICR) can be made to see if the installation is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. But this is a report not a certificate.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Is there a way of getting the work approved..an electrical inspection maybe etc.

Have you had a potential buyer ask about the electrics?

Keep stum unless asked, would be my advice.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If they are not a member of a scheme, then notifiable work should have been applied for prior to the consumer unit being fitted, therefore building controls should be aware of this, so it would be logical to contact them and ask if the work had been notified.

Which would scupper any chance of getting a valid indemnity policy, should that be needed. Not that there would ever be a need to claim on such a policy, but if taking one out assuages a buyer.....

 

[doggyvonne]

Is there a way of getting the work approved..an electrical inspection maybe etc.

Have you had a potential buyer ask about the electrics?

Keep stum unless asked, would be my advice.

No we ahve not got as far as that but
the questions are on the conveyancing forms we need to send to our solicitor required by law..we had a lot done on this house as it was a bit neglected..we had to actually put right a lot of things which were unsafe but the previous owner didnt cause that or do the work it was done a few owners back in 70s. By degrees the house has been safely rewired including sockets.
My husband is a very honest professional man and he wont lie about it.

 

[mfarrow]

What is the actual question on the conveyancing form?

Word for word please.

 

[JohnW2]

.. No we ahve not got as far as that but the questions are on the conveyancing forms we need to send to our solicitor required by law..we had a lot done on this house as it was a bit neglected..we had to actually put right a lot of things which were unsafe but the previous owner didnt cause that or do the work it was done a few owners back in 70s. By degrees the house has been safely rewired including sockets. My husband is a very honest professional man and he wont lie about it.

The only answer you have to give on the conveyancing form is yes/no to whether any electrical work has been undertaken since 1st January 2005. If (as you will have to, if you're being honest) you answer 'yes', you will probably be asked to provide any documentation you have. If you have not been able to obtain any, you simply say so, and tell the truth about the details/ circumstances (as per what you wrote in your original post). If a (serious) prospective buyer feels that an inspection of the electrical installation (an Electrical Installation Condition Report, EICR) is necessary, you can negotiate with them as to who (maybe shared) is going to pay for it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[doggyvonne]

What is the actual question on the conveyancing form?

Word for word please.

'Has the property been rewired or had any electrical installation work carried out since 1 january 2005?'

If 'yes' please supply one of the following

a) A copy of the signed `BS7671 Electrical Safety Certificate
b) The installers Building Regulations Compliance Certificate
c) The Building Control Completion Certificate'

 

[doggyvonne]

What is the actual question on the conveyancing form?

Word for word please.

'Has the property been rewired or had any electrical installation work carried out since 1 january 2005?'

If 'yes' please supply one of the following

a) A copy of the signed `BS7671 Electrical Safety Certificate
b) The installers Building Regulations Compliance Certificate
c) The Building Control Completion Certificate'

I have traced the electrician just now and he is saying all his work was non notifiable and quoting section P..says as long as no new circuits were not added (and I take his word for that) the work is non notifiable but usually on such forms they want the details anyway so they can make up their own minds - he says just say yes but that they were all non notifiable jobs under section 'p'. I will try it. What say you?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

My husband is a very honest professional man and he wont lie about it.

That is very commendable.
As I have posted earlier, investigate whether the electrician is registered as a competent person or on the electrical safety register http://www.electricalsafetyregister.com/index.html.
If an electrician is not register with a provider, then they cannot self-certificate the work, the work would normally be applied for prior to work starting and approval given by building controls for work to start. (The application does involve a fee)
If the electrician is registered, then they can via their scheme, notify the work after completion. The electrician in both cases should hand over a completed electrical installation certificate (EIC), this would give details of the parts of the installation they have fitted and include schedules of inspection and test results. Then a compliant or completion certificate should be issued by building controls.
An electrician on a scheme, generally has no longer than a month to notify the work on completion of the work, to their provider, but should hand over the EIC to you within a reasonable time on completion of the work.

 

[mfarrow]

'Has the property been rewired or had any electrical installation work carried out since 1 january 2005?'

Well you can answer yes to that.

If 'yes' please supply one of the following

a) A copy of the signed `BS7671 Electrical Safety Certificate

That is not a certificate which can be issued under BS 7671.

I suggest you answer honestly and just supply what you have.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I have traced the electrician just now and he is saying all his work was non notifiable and quoting section P..says as long as no new circuits were not added (and I take his word for that) the work is non notifiable but usually on such forms they want the details anyway so they can make up their own minds - he says just say yes but that they were all non notifiable jobs under section 'p'. I will try it. What say you?

They have installed an new consumer unit, which is notifiable work! If that is what you mean be trip switch system or do you mean they have retro fitted tripped switch (MCB) to an existing board and the board was not changed?

 

[doggyvonne]

'Has the property been rewired or had any electrical installation work carried out since 1 january 2005?'

Well you can answer yes to that.

If 'yes' please supply one of the following

a) A copy of the signed `BS7671 Electrical Safety Certificate

That is not a certificate which can be issued under BS 7671.

I suggest you answer honestly and just supply what you have.

The electrician has just mailed me and said to say 'yes' we had works done but they were all non notifiable works under section 'P'

 

[doggyvonne]

I have traced the electrician just now and he is saying all his work was non notifiable and quoting section P..says as long as no new circuits were not added (and I take his word for that) the work is non notifiable but usually on such forms they want the details anyway so they can make up their own minds - he says just say yes but that they were all non notifiable jobs under section 'p'. I will try it. What say you?

They have installed an new consumer unit, which is notifiable work! If that is what you mean be trip switch system or do you mean they have retro fitted tripped switch (MCB) to an existing board and the board was not changed?

I have asked him about that. Thanks to everybody you have been very enlightening and helpful

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The electrician has just mailed me and said to say 'yes' we had works done but they were all non notifiable works under section 'P'

Can you detail the work they did?
I may have misunderstood that they installed a new fuse board, also they should regardless of this, produced evidence of any electrical work that was carried out, was safely done, this means although they may not need to notify the work they still will have to issue either an electrical installation cert or minor work certs.