Sips and stones may break my bones...

When we contacted the local council BC regarding the new electrics planned for our renovation house, we were told they dont have anyone qualified to check electrics!.  We'd have to find an electrician prepared to inspect it for us.  Instead the OH joined a certifying Company.  He had not bothered while he didnt need it but it cheaper to join up for a year then pay a local electrician.

Lets hope you get somewhere with the senior staff at the company.

13 minutes ago, TheMitchells said:

When we contacted the local council BC regarding the new electrics planned for our renovation house, we were told they dont have anyone qualified to check electrics!.  We'd have to find an electrician prepared to inspect it for us.  Instead the OH joined a certifying Company.  He had not bothered while he didnt need it but it cheaper to join up for a year then pay a local electrician.

Lets hope you get somewhere with the senior staff at the company.

 

This was exactly our experience, too, building control apologised, said they had no one certified to do test and inspection on work undertaken by someone else and suggested that we use a Part P qualified electrician.  It annoyed me a bit, as I was intending to do our electrical installation myself, but after a day spent ringing and emailing around I couldn't find a single electrician within 50 miles that had the required ticket to inspect, test and sign off work done by others.

 

I suppose I could have done the Part P chit, as I used to teach apprentice electricians electrical engineering science many years ago, but the thought didn't occur to me.  As it happens, I think I gave a newly qualified electrician a bit of a helping hand, but giving him his first whole house wiring job (he used it as a part of his assessment by Elecsa), so I feel I gave a bit back by paying him.  He also let me work as his "labourer" which reduced the cost a fair bit!

And a lot of electricians will NOT certify others work unless they see it being installed.  We've done most of the electrical work now so once his annual registration runs out, I doubt he will renew it.   Unless we find that elusive plot or we do another renovation that needs the electrics replaced again. 

Actually I can understand that because once stuff is installed it is invisible, so without either seeing it or having total confidence in the competence of the installer, the issuing electrician would be going out on a limb certifying stuff he/she had not seen. I'm fortunate enough to have 1. a father who is a retired electrician but keeps his copy of the regs updated, 2. I grew up doing electrical work and learning from him and 3. A nephew whose full time job is checking and certifying the electrical work carried out by the electricians employed by his firm, and is kind enough to be overseeing our work and certifying it when he is happy it is correct. He's been happy with everything thus far, no doubt because 1. & 2. means we really should be on the ball (and wouldn't dream of cutting corners anyway, in fact quite the reverse).  So inspection and certification are covered - which is another reason the BCO annoyed me with his completely unqualified opinion. He knows less about the subject than me, my father or my nephew! My nephew tells me they come across this from time to time, and unfortunately, even if a part P certificate was to be issued in a property , an awkward BCO can (and have) simply refuse to issue the completion if he/she thinks they know better! So even well qualified electricians end up having to sometimes do unnecessary extras where there is an ego trip going on with the BCO or the poor customer gets stuck between the two! 

Edited January 7, 2018 by curlewhouse