UK No Building Installation Certificate

[burmeses]

We had electrical work carried out by a NICEIC electrician in early 2016. We are now selling the property and have been asked for the Building Installation Certificate which we weren't given and didn't know we needed it. I have the Electrical Installation Report and have searched on NICEIC Online Certification - http://www.checkmynotification.com/ and our address and work is not listed. I can't contact our electrician and we urgently need this. If he didn't report the work is there anything we can do to resolve this? Many thanks for any help.

 

[Strima]

If you can't contact the original installation electrician then you need to speak direct to the NICEIC. However don't expect a lot of joy from the NICEIC as they will more than likely tell you to contact the original electrician...

Speak to your estate agent and tell them your having problems getting hold of the certificate and ask if an Electrical Installation Condition report would suffice? If they are happy with that you can then engage an electrician to come round to inspect and test your installation and issue a certificate accordingly.

 

[Andy78]

I would deal with the NICEIC firstly to insist that they help sort this out. If they can't help then you can apply to the local building control office for regularisation, which is proved compliance after the fact, most likely involving having an inspection done.
The simplest option may be to take out an indemnity policy for the buyer which i believe can be as cheap as £30.

 

[burmeses]

Thanks for the replies. We are days from completion and this has now been raised. The buyer's solicitor is not accepting the installation report. Should the electrician not be held accountable for not reporting the work. We'd rather not have to instruct a new electrician due to the delay and additional cost. I was under the impression that an indemnity policy was likely to cost in the £100s so I suppose that's the second best option.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Another electrician cannot produce a Building Installation Certificate, whatever that is.
I think you mean a. Building Regulations Completion Certificate.
It is provided to you by NICEIC once the work has been notified to them by the installing electrician. This is supposed to be done within 28 days of the work.
Are you sure he was/is a registered NICEIC spark? Check their website, there are people who lie about this!

Another electrician can only give you REPORT (= EICR) which details the condition of the installation. Your buyers solicitor may be happy with that, but you’ll need their agreement beforehand.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Just get your solicitor to buy a indemnity policy to cover the missing paperwork

Should cost you no more than about 80 quid

 

[robd]

Dusty dazzler is spot on here, that's what you need to do. As an aside I have had people ask me to sign off other people's work on the same basis but for signing off extensions etc where the paperwork has been lost/never done, having had them go back and speak to their building inspector they have agreed to accept an EICR (electrical installation condition report) to get it past building control.

 

[burmeses]

Sorry if I had the wrong wording! As mentioned it was not provided after the work and I didn't ask as presumed the NICEIC installation report which we already have was the official documentation (I have checked his NICEIC membership and it's genuine). The buyers/solicitor will not accept this and if it can't be provided three years down the line we'll have to go for the indemnity policy. I'll have to ask for a quote as suggestions range from £20 to £300!

 

[robd]

We had to get them for our property and they were £50 in the grand scheme of it we just paid to get on.

 

[davesparks]

Sorry if I had the wrong wording! As mentioned it was not provided after the work and I didn't ask as presumed the NICEIC installation report which we already have was the official documentation (I have checked his NICEIC membership and it's genuine). The buyers/solicitor will not accept this and if it can't be provided three years down the line we'll have to go for the indemnity policy. I'll have to ask for a quote as suggestions range from £20 to £300!

If you have the original electrical installation certificate (EIC) then theoretically local authority building control should be able to give a regularisation certificate based on this.
Your best bet is probably to take the paperwork you do have to the building control office and talk to the relevant building control officer about it.
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Should the electrician not be held accountable for not reporting the work.

No, as far as the building regulations are concerned you are responsible for ensuring compliance.

 

[Pretty Mouth]

We had electrical work carried out by a NICEIC electrician in early 2016. We are now selling the property and have been asked for the Building Installation Certificate which we weren't given and didn't know we needed it. I have the Electrical Installation Report and have searched on NICEIC Online Certification - http://www.checkmynotification.com/ and our address and work is not listed. I can't contact our electrician and we urgently need this. If he didn't report the work is there anything we can do to resolve this? Many thanks for any help.

What work was carried out by your electrician? It's possible that the work was non notifiable anyway, if say he extended existing circuits, rather than installing new ones. If you can post a copy of the certificate he provided you with that may help us advise.