Has the UK gone mad?

[Malc]

I have just browsed the FAQ for my local building control. Apparently if my hot water cylinder goes and I replace I should involve BC . What! Note this is for unvented (due to safety) and vented (to be energy efficient). Since the lowest BC charge is £58.75 and a cylinder from screwfix is £100 I'm sure I will pay, not!

The whole thing is getting ridiculous. Change a window, replace a cylinder, what next!

Note that this NOTHING at all to do with safety only energy efficiency. Yet even if I was daft enough to buy say and uninsulated cylinder how long would it take me to recoup the 60 quid the "advice" cost me!

 

[croydoncorgi]

You think you're hard-done-by as a consumer!!!!!

I hope your discovery highlights what's already happening to us int'trade.

Quite apart from all the normal irritations of daily life on the road - road humps, traffic jams, ..., we've now got Waste Carrier Licensing. If I want (!) to carry 'building waste' in my vehicle I MUST (by law) have a license to do so. Cost (AFAIR) 133 pounds initially then 91 pounds annual renewal. The purpose of this new 'tax' - to reduce fly tipping. The mechanism by which it will achieve this - never explained. (in fact, licensing without proper enforcement will obviously ENCOURAGE fly tipping...). Oh, by the way, anything that comes out of a building except from my own home counts as 'construction waste' and therefore needs a licence.

With effect from next April, CORGI proposes to introduce 'gas work notification'. Every time I install, replace or move 'an appliance', I will need to notify CORGI, pay a fee and CORGI will certify that the work was done by a CORGI-registered person. Benefit to me: none. Benefit to customer: negative (extra 5 pounds on bill to cover fee). Purpose: to reduce the number of cowboy gas fitters. Practical result: none, except to encourage more installers to stop installing and / or become cowboys! Oh, by the way: NICEIC is apparently trying a similar move with electricians.

Both these moves are tied up with information being sent to Building Control in accordance with latest Building Regs. But I'm not holding my breath waiting for BC to actually DO anything with all this information. for a start, they have no extra resources. I doubt if they'll even file it for more than a couple of months.

The list of pointless taxes and bureaucracy grows ever longer!

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

DITTO

 

[ChrisR]

Don't ask me to explain this piece of nonsense, but if you're Corgi regd you can self-certify for the replacement of a vented HW cylinder.

How do they expect us to take regulations seriously

 

[oilman]

.............if you're Corgi regd you can self-certify for the replacement of a vented HW cylinder.

Ditto OFTEC.

 

[bripl]

the cly must be bs1566 to comply for self cert

 

[Slogger]

all part of the MONGRELS way to make cash more for them less for the gas fitters oh no sorry the customer takes it on the chin or will he hmmm seems this will encourage more ( cowboy fitters ) or diy,ers i know one gas reg company that wont be asking the customer to pay but will still inform MONGRELS R US ( CORGI ) that the work was done and that corgi should bill the customer direct see how that one lasts