Covid Shielding and Rewire.

[Mike Johnson]

As a letting agent the council have a legal obligation to update their installation, if indeed they thought the property was still council owned they could consider legal action to gain access.

 

[Nitram]

I'm very happy to report here that " i spoke to management it looks like some mess up has happened on their end it seems like it was a group letter that went out and didnt get it in that we own it lmao but they are still advising us to get the work done. he said its nothing to actually do with them its just they are doing it to all houses in the area as it was one of their house so it still counts kind of as in the group just a courtesy thing. but it got all mixed up"
You were absolutely right Rockingit - great guess .... Thanks everyone for your input.... Stay safe

 

[Spoon]

I'm very happy to report here that " i spoke to management it looks like some mess up has happened on their end it seems like it was a group letter that went out and didnt get it in that we own it lmao but they are still advising us to get the work done. he said its nothing to actually do with them its just they are doing it to all houses in the area as it was one of their house so it still counts kind of as in the group just a courtesy thing. but it got all mixed up"
You were absolutely right Rockingit - great guess .... Thanks everyone for your input.... Stay safe

Are they going to send you the report?

 

[Mike Johnson]

So did anyone access the property to do an EICR or was it just a letter that was sent?

 

[Nitram]

Are they going to send you the rep

So did anyone access the property to do an EICR or was it just a letter that was sent?

I have advised him to secure a copy of the report. Yes access was granted before the lockdown - the council just made a totally stupid threat that was a clerical error so problem is sorted thanks mate - he is going to have the work done by his own choice of contractor when Covid is no longer a threat to his Mum - Thanks again to everybody who tried to help - some great feedback ...

 

[loz2754]

Are you absolutely sure that a copy of the report was not given to your friends Mother, I don't think any electrician would leave the premises without giving one to the occupier or informing them it will be in the post the next day, I would ring the council and ask for a copy.

Not really. The person ordering the report is the only person entitled to a copy. Unless the property is covered by the 2020 Private Rented Sector legislation, in which case the landlord is obligated to supply a copy of any EICR ordered by the landlord.

 

[Nitram]

Not really. The person ordering the report is the only person entitled to a copy. Unless the property is covered by the 2020 Private Rented Sector legislation, in which case the landlord is obligated to supply a copy of any EICR ordered by the landlord.

Thanks for clarifying : ) I will pass that on to him...

 

[littlespark]

I’m not casting aspersions here, but it is very easy for an elderly person to be duped into having work done.

My mother in law was phoned one day from someone claiming to be from her boiler manufacturer and got her to take out a warranty.... It was already under a paid warranty service from the installer.... Took 6 months to get them to stop asking for money.

I’m glad the issue has been resolved, and the council accepting responsibility, but threatening legal action, especially at this time, was a bad move on their part.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I thought that the legislation says a copy must be supplied to the "user"?

 

[Nitram]

I thought that the legislation says a copy must be supplied to the "user"?

Regs State - The person ordering the report should have received the 'original' report and the inspector should have retained a duplicate. The Original report should be retained and be made available to any person inspecting or undertaking work on the installation in the future.
I can't see any reason they wouldn't give him/sparks a copy but its not a big thing ... the future choice of contractor would likely prefer to do his own anyway... we know the installation is out of date so becomes irrelevant with a rewire... he'll need installation cert after the work is done...

 

[Risteard]

Are you absolutely sure that a copy of the report was not given to your friends Mother, I don't think any electrician would leave the premises without giving one to the occupier or informing them it will be in the post the next day, I would ring the council and ask for a copy.

I certainly wouldn't hand a copy of the Report over to the tenant before leaving the premises. For a start I wouldn't have compiled the Report at that stage, as this would need to be finalised and cross-checked on the computer later. Furthermore I would only ever send the Report to the person ordering the work.

 

[Mike Johnson]

The forms I have state:

"You should have received an original Certificate and the contractor should have retained a duplicate. If you were the person ordering this report, but not the owner of the installation, you should pass this Report, or a full copy of it, immediately to the user."​

 

[dodger421]

The forms I have state:

"You should have received an original Certificate and the contractor should have retained a duplicate. If you were the person ordering this report, but not the owner of the installation, you should pass this Report, or a full copy of it, immediately to the user."​

Which means it’s the person who ordered the report would should pass it on to the user, not the electrician.

 

[Nitram]

Which means it’s the person who ordered the report would should pass it on to the user, not the electrician.

Regs State - The person ordering the report should have received the 'original' report and the inspector should have retained a duplicate. The Original report should be retained and be made available to any person inspecting or undertaking work on the installation in the future.
Page 476 Guidance for recipients (EICR)Req for Elec Inst 7671

 

[pc1966]

I can't see any reason they wouldn't give him/sparks a copy but its not a big thing ... the future choice of contractor would likely prefer to do his own anyway... we know the installation is out of date so becomes irrelevant with a rewire... he'll need installation cert after the work is done...

I would still want to see it just in case there is anything needing more immediate attention.

If it is old but in good clean condition then no real pressure to have rewire work done. If they have found any C1/C2 then it is a very different story and you would want to know, check if the code is really warranted, and correct them pretty soon.

Also if no need for a "rewire" as such (IR good, rings complete, no observations of poor workmanship or damage) so just new CU, and maybe replaced sockets/switches, then you know its a far simpler job.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Which means it’s the person who ordered the report would should pass it on to the user, not the electrician.

Does not the Electrician have a duty of care to ensure that the report is passed on?

Having a copy of a previous EICR would allow a new contractor the opportunity to assess if any deterioration has occurred, between reports, if as someone has suggested it's not important then we may as well throw them in the bin as soon as they are completed.

 

[dodger421]

Does not the Electrician have a duty of care to ensure that the report is passed on?

Having a copy of a previous EICR would allow a new contractor the opportunity to assess if any deterioration has occurred, between reports, if as someone has suggested it's not important then we may as well throw them in the bin as soon as they are completed.

Not according to the wording of either the regs or the certificates you copied from. Morally and ethically I agree with you, but that’s not the same as a requirement and it’s not what the regs actually say.

Ultimately it’s the responsibility of the person ordering the report to ensure it is passed on to the relevant people be it a tenant, end user, next inspector or a different contractor doing remedials or other works. The regs make clear that the inspector only has to give the report to the person ordering it, what they do with it is up to them.

Just for arguments sake what if you carried out an EICR for a private homeowner found some C2’s and provided a quote for the remedial work. How far does your duty of care extend if the homeowner decides they don’t want the work doing even though you know the installation is unsafe for continued use and have reported as such to them?

 

[ipf]

I know it's awkward times with the shielding but maybe you should all have just kept schtumm...........and got a free council rewire out of it. Smiling.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Theres a nice Yiddish word to go to bed pondering, shame it comes from the German for silent.

 

[Dartlec]

Not according to the wording of either the regs or the certificates you copied from. Morally and ethically I agree with you, but that’s not the same as a requirement and it’s not what the regs actually say.

Ultimately it’s the responsibility of the person ordering the report to ensure it is passed on to the relevant people be it a tenant, end user, next inspector or a different contractor doing remedials or other works. The regs make clear that the inspector only has to give the report to the person ordering it, what they do with it is up to them.

Just for arguments sake what if you carried out an EICR for a private homeowner found some C2’s and provided a quote for the remedial work. How far does your duty of care extend if the homeowner decides they don’t want the work doing even though you know the installation is unsafe for continued use and have reported as such to them?

I think if you've notified them then your duty of care has been discharged.

If you left a C1 as it was, when the fix was simple (new socket, or some sort of isolation), then I think that's more arguable. Though unlike Gas, we have no legal rights to disconnect unsafe things without permission.