The LABC thing

[SkintEastwood75]

Hello. Glad to have found this site, learned a lot already, thanks!

So, I'm into my 3rd year of the C&G 2330. Mate wants power in his shed to put a dryer in. I already know (having read the relevant Wiki section) that without Part P registration I have to notify the LABC prior to starting work.

What I'm wondering is:

A) How much roughly is the charge that the LABC make for providing this 'service' ?

B) So I notify the LABC, they would usually ask to see my plans, yes? Or explain them? Then what sort of time-frame are we talking, between me contacting them and them giving me the green light?

C) How stringent are they likely to be, considering that I have very little experience outside of my college course, but am confident that my plans will be 100% kosher?

I imagine these things will vary in different areas, but just a rough idea would be helpful. Cheers.

 

[breezer]

you have answered your own question

I imagine these things will vary in different areas.

Person A says £500

Person B says £178.56

That is of no use what so ever since there is over £300 difference


it will cost nothing to ask YOUR local LABC then you will get the correct info

 

[Taylortwocities]

Why dont you try these people? http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/atoz/service_page.asp?id=1236

 

[SkintEastwood75]

Thanks for the replies & the link.

I wasn't expecting the council to provide such info on the net. I hope this is a good omen for my future dealings with them.

So the charge will be £170. Seems a bit steep for what is essentially just one bit of underground cable, but I understand the reasons. I was concerned coz I thought this was a charge (& therefore a penalty) for non-qualified sparkies, but now I realize that this amount would also be charged to them too, but AFTER completion.

Now I need to work on my plans. Sailed thru my exams so far, but actually doing some real-world electricianing from scratch, that's a totally different story!

Cheers.

 

[streetlighter]

Ive been told that if you complete the appropriate inspection and testing as an Electrician and send the LABC the completed test cirts they have to accept them and issue a part P cirtificate of compliance.

 

[TopTrumper]

who said that?

 

[SkintEastwood75]

Ive been told that if you complete the appropriate inspection and testing as an Electrician and send the LABC the completed test cirts they have to accept them and issue a part P cirtificate of compliance.

"...as an Electrician..." Do you mean 'qualified electrician', or merely 'competent person'?

"...they have to accept them..." surely only on the proviso that they are happy the work is in compliance? My thinking is that they would be very reluctant to send anyone out for such a minor job (especially now seeing that the they've lost £36 mill in an Icelandic bank! WHOOPS!)

 

[streetlighter]

I mean as a qualified electrician who has 2382 and 2391 plus a full set of calibrated test instruments.
It was a friend of mine in the trade who recently did this and the LABC acepted his Installation cirtificate for the job with no fees involved i belive.

 

[SkintEastwood75]

Hmmm. Maybe I was mistaken. From the Wiki:

Major work is classed as notifiable, i.e. it must be notified to your Local Authority's Building Control department (LABC). How this happens depends on who does it.

If the work is carried out by an electrician who is registered with one of the organisations who administer self-certification schemes...they carry out the work and report the details to their scheme organiser, who then notify the appropriate LABC that the work has taken place, and that it has been certified by the person who carried it out as being in compliance with the Building Regulations...

If the work is carried out by someone who is not registered with one of the schemes, be they an electrician or another type of tradesman (e.g. kitchen fitter) who has chosen not to register, or a DIYer, then it must be notified to LABC in advance in the same way that any building work which requires their involvement is notified in advance. And just like when you are building an extension, or converting a loft, etc, there is a fee payable to LABC to cover their activities related to checking compliance with the Building Regulations.

This implies that a fee is only payable where advanced notice is required. Someone in a scheme can essentially certify their own work, whereas a DIYer has to pay the LABC to do it. This is very relevant to my little job because I was planning not only to gain some experience but also save my pal some cash. If its gonna cost him an 'extra' £170 for the privilege of having me do the work rather than Mr Electrician Ltd then it looks like my tools are staying in their bag.

I hope someone can tell me this is not the case. I will also ask around at college tomorrow.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the work is done by a registered spark then no notice needs to be given.
The electrician does the work, tests it and gives you an installation cert.
If the work is notifiable under building regs part P he also tells his scheme provider that the work has been done. The scheme provider charges a small fee for this (£3 ish).*
The scheme provider tells the local authority that the registered electrician has done the work. The local authority records the fact (and may tie up the electrical works with other items if the whole job is something like an extension where Building Regs need to be complied with.)
You will also get a Cert of Compliance from the scheme provider to square the circle. The cert looks like this:

Untitled

• Taylortwocities
• 11 Oct 2008
• 14

If the work is not done by a registered spark (eg you, or a DIYer) then the LABC must be notified before any work commences and a fee is paid - the fee usually relates to the value of the job.
The lcal authority then will inspect the job as it progresses and then should sign it off at the end.

I suggest you might like to engage a registered spark and you could work with him and gain a bit of on site experience?

*Note, the electrician will have other expenses relating to this way of working - a full set of calibrated test equipment, up to date qualifications relating to wiring regulations, etc and an annual fee of several hundred pounds just for the fun of being in the Part P club. plus all the other costs of running a self-employed business.

 

[SkintEastwood75]

Thanks Taylor. That makes the who pays thing crystal clear, but

"...the fee usually relates to the value of the job."

My understanding was that its a flat fee, and according to Norwich City Council's document 'Fee For Planning Applications' (under Works other than new buildings) is £170 per 0.1 hectare of the site. I will email them to hopefully get a clarification.

I was thinking, with materials and just a few beers for me, I would be charging around £100 - £120. Assuming the fee is £170 that makes a big difference. Maybe my mate could get a free quote, but I doubt a sparky would take more than £300 for such a small job?

Cheers again all.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I think that the hectare fee is realting to full planning costs.
Most building control departments run a sliding scale depending on the complexity of the work. Give yours a call and ask..