Signing off my work.

[Rhysspark]

Hi

Just wondering if any one has recent experience of becoming registered.

Ive been through collage and done my NVQ 2 and 3. Ive passed my AM2 and am in the middle of doing my 17th edition.

What i want to do is be able to sign off my own work.

Im employed at the moment 5 days a week and have been asked to wire a house and isue a cert when im done.

Im a house basher by trade so have no problems with the work its just getting it signed off.

I know of two options which are getting the council to sign it off (£350)or registering with elecsa or NIC EIC type which will cost a little more.

I dont have my own tester but have access to one.


Has anyone else taken this half way step from being employed to being self employed?

 

[riveralt]

I know of two options which are getting the council to sign it off (£350)or registering with elecsa or NIC EIC type which will cost a little more.

I dont have my own tester but have access to one.

Don't forget your insurance as well.

 

[TEC2006]

£350 to sign work off? pretty expensive i think! NICEIC will charge around £1000 for initial membership registration and 1st yrs membership, so that may be good option. You will need calibrated test equipment though and all relevant regs - onsite guide etc etc

 

[Rhysspark]

Ye ive got the insurance in mind.

Just wondering if there is any advice with making the jump.

The local council have recently put their prices up. Thanks!

It seems as if there needs to be a large financial investment.

Test kit and Insurance being the biggest two.

Test kit seems to be between £500 and £1,000.

Insurance i think is around the £300 mark.

If im to join an org then im going to have to have the property signed off first rite?


Seems like a lot of effort to sign off my own work. Just want to take the next step before eventually going self employed.

 

[riveralt]

If im to join an org then im going to have to have the property signed off first rite?

You need to speak to one of the competent person schemes - some will agree to use the work you are engaged in now (the rewire) as the example of your work. So you would be able to pass your assessment and then be in a position to sign of your own work.

Seems like a lot of effort to sign off my own work. Just want to take the next step before eventually going self employed.

It would cost me, or the customer, £312 to have the LABC sign of my work. As opposed to £2000 first year startup and then approx £600 each year.
You will have to work out whether it is worth your while or not - work is sporadic at the moment. I have had no real work (minor bits and bobs) this month until last week when I got one full rewire job and two Consumer Unit replacements in the space of two days. Which immediately puts the value of being part of a competent persons scheme into perspective.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It seems as if there needs to be a large financial investment.

Test kit and Insurance being the biggest two.

Test kit seems to be between £500 and £1,000.

Insurance i think is around the £300 mark.

If you are going to work self-employed then you will have to have test kit and insurance whether you are registered or not.

If im to join an org then im going to have to have the property signed off first rite?

If you are not registered then you cannot self-certify compliance with the Building Regulations.

Seems like a lot of effort to sign off my own work.

The only extras are the NICEIC/NAPIT/ETC fees.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It would cost me, or the customer, £312 to have the LABC sign of my work. As opposed to £2000 first year startup and then approx £600 each year.

A big chunk of that £2000 has to be borne whether you register or not - it's not optional, and doesn't go away if you don't self-certify.

 

[riveralt]

A big chunk of that £2000 has to be borne whether you register or not - it's not optional, and doesn't go away if you don't self-certify.

Well half of it at least. But having obtained registration I am more able to compete in the marketplace by not having to charge customers £312 for even the simplest of notifiable jobs. Example fitting a bathroom extractor fan tomorrow - Total Cost £165 - if not registered and doing it legally around £450.

 

[Rhysspark]

The question is does the house need to be signed off before the man comes to asses me?

At what point will i be able to issue a cert?

The way i read the info i have been given is that he needs to inspect a house thats already been signed off?

also riveralt. Are you with the NIC EIC? I was thinking of going with elecsa.

was there a reason for choosing one or the other.

 

[JohnnyG]

If you go with Elecsa the assessor won't even question whether the job's been notified or not.
After you pass the assessment (which you will) you can just notify it within 28 days.

 

[riveralt]

also riveralt. Are you with the NIC EIC? I was thinking of going with elecsa.

NAPIT

was there a reason for choosing one or the other.

I had the qualifications they required 2330 level 3, 2382, 2391 etc and they were cheaper than NICEIC when you took into account that I also do PIR work - which I think you have to pay extra for with NICEIC (could be wrong on that one though).

 

[sparkiemike]

Ye ive got the insurance in mind.

Just wondering if there is any advice with making the jump.

The local council have recently put their prices up. Thanks!

It seems as if there needs to be a large financial investment.

Test kit and Insurance being the biggest two.

Test kit seems to be between £500 and £1,000.

Insurance i think is around the £300 mark.

If im to join an org then im going to have to have the property signed off first rite?

Seems like a lot of effort to sign off my own work. Just want to take the next step before eventually going self employed.

As you are starting up you might want to keep costs low.

So the DI scheme from NICEIC is £444.00 (incl VAT)
To get you started Metrel do some good basic kit £418.00 (incl VAT) Once you are making more then a second tester is always worth having and you can upgrade to FLuke, Megger etc
You only need Public Liability Insurance to start with, and you can get that for less than a £100.
So to get started it is only £1000.00 (unless you need to purchase other tools or equipment)

Although in practice you 1st jobs should be properly notified in reality this does not always happen even with the NICEIC, and it is done retrospectively (unofficially)

 

[sparkiemike]

The question is does the house need to be signed off before the man comes to asses me?

At what point will i be able to issue a cert?

There are two certificates.

1. You will issue your electrical installation certificate straight away, and "the man" will want to see this.
2. Once the job is notified then a "Certificate of Compliance" will be issued. This will be done by building control if you notified direct to them or by your scheme provider on behalf of building control. This is usually issued direct to the customer so "the man" won't expect you to have a copy.

 

[Spark123]

also riveralt. Are you with the NIC EIC? I was thinking of going with elecsa.

NAPIT

was there a reason for choosing one or the other.

I had the qualifications they required 2330 level 3, 2382, 2391 etc and they were cheaper than NICEIC when you took into account that I also do PIR work - which I think you have to pay extra for with NICEIC (could be wrong on that one though).

I think the NAPIT one is full scope, not just domestic installer so is a good one to go for if you have the qualifications.
The NICIEC sell Domestic Periodic Inspection Report pads for their DIs so I take it they must allow them to do PIRs, however they may require them to have professional indemnity insurance to do this.
Technically you don't have to be a member of a competent person scheme to do a PIR using the forms in BS7671.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You don't have to be a member of anything to use any of the forms in BS 7671, or downloaded from the IET website, or bought from a tester manufacturer, or made yourself in Word/Excel/Other Equivalent Tools.

Or to have any particular qualifications, but credibility and "not worth the paper it's written on" issues can easily arise.