Compliance Certificate.

[Greenie9657]

Thanks for clearing that up so the next question is how do I get an EIC now it's been 12 months since completion?

 

[Greenie9657]

Which do I need if I want to sell/rent the house?

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks for clearing that up so the next question is how do I get an EIC now it's been 12 months since completion?

I would think that the first step/attempt should be to ask the person who did the work to provide you with an EIC - assuming you can find that person.

If that fails, then ask again and someone will offer further ideas. However, I don't think you should loose too much sleep over not having it - very many people who are given EICs manage to 'lose' them!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Which do I need if I want to sell/rent the house?

There is no actual 'requirement' - it's down to what 'satisfies' buyers/solicitors. I imagine that a Completion Certificate would probably satisfy many buyers/solicitors. However, provided that you are honest about the work having been done, I don't think you should worry - as I've just written, countless people lose the paperwork.

In the final analysis, even if there never was any paperwork (or even if notifiable work was not notified), you can simply tell a prospective buyer to 'take it or leave it'. As I said, the only important thing is not to lie - because that can, at least theoretically, get you into big trouble (if the sale goes through on the basis of your 'lie').

Kind Regards, John

 

[Greenie9657]

Thanks John. So if I come to sell then they are not going to ask to see if it was done by a competent person? How do they know it's safe? I should be able to get hold of the electrician so I'll see how I get on.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks John. So if I come to sell then they are not going to ask to see if it was done by a competent person? How do they know it's safe? I should be able to get hold of the electrician so I'll see how I get on.

They will ask, but if you don't have paperwork, you don't have paperwork - so, as I said, it is 'their problem' to decide whether they want to buy on that basis. They would probably try to knock down the price, but you need to stand fast and tell them that the asking price took ito account what you knew about the paperwork for electrical work.

Recent electrical work is no more likely to be 'unsafe' than the rest of the electrical installation - so if they are concerned about electrical safety, they should commission an EICR (and don't let them talk you into paying for it ).

Kind Regards, John

 

[Greenie9657]

I'm pretty good at setting a price and sticking to it so I'll remember that if/when we come to sell.

Another obvious question I can hear lots of diy electricians asking, including myself, is why bother paying for a spark in the first place if we could just do the work and say we "lost" the paperwork from the qualified electrical installer?

 

[ericmark]

If the work was not done by a scheme member you would get a completion certificate from the LABC, they are as vague as the compliance certificate in my case it was issued after submitting and insulation certificate, however had my skill been lower the council would have engaged an electrician to test my work, he would issue an EICR and the council would issue the completion certificate on the strength of that, and there would be no installation certificate.

I remember looking at the completion certificate and thinking how useless it was, it was for the wiring of the wet room, but worded in a way it could have refereed to the whole house. I have since had a rewire for rest of house, and to be frank although I know what bits the two compliance and one completion certificate refer to, it would be near impossible to work it out from the paperwork, the kitchen and wet room were not rewired with rest of house. But there is nothing on the paperwork for the rewire which makes that plain to see.

 

[JohnW2]

I'm pretty good at setting a price and sticking to it so I'll remember that if/when we come to sell.

Good for you!

Another obvious question I can hear lots of diy electricians asking, including myself, is why bother paying for a spark in the first place if we could just do the work and say we "lost" the paperwork from the qualified electrical installer?

I doubt that you are expecting much of an answer to that 'in public'

Bureaucracy aside, the most important thing is that the work should be done competently and safely. Even when they are knowledgeable and competent enough to undertake the design and execution of the work, where DIYers often fall down is in not undertaking the 'proper testing' that an electrician would do - primarily because they don't have the (fairly expensive) test gear required (even if they understood how to use it and interpret the results) - and that means that they often/usually cannot be certain that the work they have done is OK/'safe'.

Turning to legal things, in terms of house selling, as I've said, if you tell the truth about any work that has been done (since 1st Jan 2005), then you're OK. As for notification, failing to notify notifiable work is technically a criminal offence, but I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who had ever been prosecuted for this.

Beyond that, you have to decide. As above, the important thing is to make sure that you adequately 'know what you are doing' and are competent to do it properly/safely.

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

how do I get an EIC now it's been 12 months since completion?

From the electrician who did the work.

If you have only just received the other document, the electrician has only just notified it - the certificates are sent from the schemes within a few days of the notification.
Therefore it's reasonably likely the electrician has only just completed the other document as well.