Putting stuff right.

[La Poste]

Greetings.

A friend of the family has had extensive building work done and also a re-wire.
The state of the work is pretty bad to say the least.
The builder in charge of the job has since folded the company and morphed into a new company and the Sparky is not from these shores and also unobtainable.

I have been asked in my spare time to go over the place and fix anything I find wrong.
The work was never signed off.

If I decide to give the place a once over what are the risks to me?
I was thinking of doing an EICR and then presenting it to the owner, I am competent to do this, C+G 2330, 2391, public liability and professional indemnity insurance and I have a fair bit of on the job experience.

What are the risks to the home owner in terms of never having the work signed off?
The local council obviously know the place has had building work done due to plans being submitted for approval but as far as I know they have had no paperwork for the electrical installation, surely someone must have noticed this down at LABC.

I won't be laying any new circuits or changing any circuit protective devices I shall just be going through things like terminations and measuring IR, EFLI, checking cables are the right sizes and circuits are not over loaded etc.

What would more experienced sparks do in these circumstances?
If I take the job on I think I will be spending quite a bit of my spare time there.

Thanks.

 

[diditrain]

Insist on an in depth EICR first, also discuss the matter with building control

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Tread very carefully....friends,family and friends of friends are a pain in the arsenal as they generally expect something for nothing. This sounds like a major drain on your spare time if you get too involved,up to you if you want that. I feel your idea of an EICR is a good plan,if you are worried about getting in deep,tell them you will do a full report from which they can get estimates for remedial work. Based on the EICR you will know the extent of the work needed and are then in a position to decide if you are willing to take it on.

 

[Farmelectrics]

yes do a eicr and present it to your friend maybe do the eicr as good will but make sure you give him a price for putting right any defects

 

[Octopus]

Your friend will need a completion certificate from the LABC - they are the ones who will be able to say what's acceptable!

Do keep us posted.

 

[Welchyboy]

^^exactly my thoughts, I would first send them a quote for a full eicr then send them a quote based on the remedials you find to correct them then issue a satisfactory eicr after they paid you up, working for family/friends is a big no no, I won't do it unless it is literally parents or siblings they expect you to work like a dog for nothing, and what is 'spare time' in this day and age,

Then say to them 'that's what happens when you accept the cheapest quote!'

 

[UNG]

Isn't it strange you never get first bite of the cherry but when it all goes pear shaped they come knocking

 

[Deleted member 9648]

^^^^^^^Nail well and truly hit square on the head^^^^^^^

 

[Strima]

Deffo for a full EICR as you're only inspecting and not signing anything off. LABC would probably insist on one being carried out either by themselves on an independent spark.

Really grips my poo when builders and dodgy companies do this, gives the rest of us a bad name.

 

[Octopus]

Call your scheme techical line and see what they say too!!

 

[Guitarist]

Isn't it strange you never get first bite of the cherry but when it all goes pear shaped they come knocking

Sounds like the builder had his own (cheap) sparky and insisted that he did the work. It isn't nice when people choose someone else over us, but they may have felt somewhere between a rock and a hard place.

 

[La Poste]

Call your scheme techical line and see what they say too!!

Not in a scheme yet Murdoch, that's why I am asking advice.

I can show I have qualifications for testing and inspection and for an EICR but I can't do any signing off.

The place where I live now is my parents place and I am going to do a board change will a full EICR next week and then join Elecsa as I hear they are the best.

I feel I am treading in murky water here, I don't really know what I can and can't do and if I do any remedials I will be accepting responsibility for someone else's work.

On the other hand I don't want to drop the home owner in the Poo by getting LABC involved as the guy is a sort of friend of my father, the re-wire job was completed over three years ago.

It amazes me that LABC have not paid the guy a visit, they know he had electrical work done but they have no certificates for it.

I guess looking over the place and pointing out anything that is dangerous can't do me any harm.

Elecsa say there is a six week waiting list for assessments.

Sounds like the builder had his own (cheap) sparky and insisted that he did the work. It isn't nice when people choose someone else over us, but they may have felt somewhere between a rock and a hard place.

The builder by all accounts was a right @sshole who ripped the sparky off.
The home owner can not get any response from either of them.

 

[UNG]

Had one of these about 2 years ago the guy who I know quite well was demolishing a house that he bought and building a new house on the plot put some site temps in for him and was told he would get me in to do the wiring on the new house once the roof was on. Some months later I was at his business and he asked me if I could sort out some problems on the electrics on his new house that the brother in law of the roofer had done. Not 100% sure the "electrician" knew what he was doing I did some minor rectification work but short of ripping up carpets, tearing ceilings down and damaging newly decorated walls I couldn't fix all the problems best of all he wanted me to speak to the manufacturers of the lighting dimmers and a few other bits of problematic kit and pestered me for a few weeks, I told him if I had wired it and installed all the fancy dimmers I would have had no issues calling people but then again I wouldn't have had the problems to solve and I wasn't going to talk to people when I had no knowledge of the original design of the installation. Think he's learnt his lesson now calls me first off

 

[Octopus]

Elecsa will say you can not "adopt" another persons work and sign off an EIC.

I suspect the homeowner is in a corner and IF they come under Woking, I know that Woking LABC are going through all files to get "uncompleted" work completed. They and only they can say what they will accept. I for one wouldn't be signing a full EIC for somebody elses work.

 

[La Poste]

Elecsa will say you can not "adopt" another persons work and sign off an EIC.

I suspect the homeowner is in a corner and IF they come under Woking, I know that Woking LABC are going through all files to get "uncompleted" work completed. They and only they can say what they will accept. I for one wouldn't be signing a full EIC for somebody elses work.

Me neither, I definitely would not sign somebody elses work off, the guy comes under Guildford so I am not sure where he stands.

I mean what is he looking at worst case scenario?
A fine, will an EICR by a LABC recognised sparky do?

What is the procedure for this sort of thing because I know it is the home owner who is ultimately liable.

I think as far as the building work went the guy just went for the cheapest quote so he has himself to blame a little here.

 

[Octopus]

Get the homeowner to ring Guildford LABC, outline the situation and see what they say.

 

[La Poste]

Get the homeowner to ring Guildford LABC, outline the situation and see what they say.

I think he's just hoping nothing will happen and keeping quiet.

I think I will phone them myself tomorrow and see what they say and then tell him, I get the feeling this is going to be one big can of worms.

 

[Octopus]

I get the feeling this is going to be one big can of worms.

An understatement probably.

I've seen loads of really poor electrics recently, all done as part of extensions to houses. Makes me wonder about the competance of the sparkies involved.

 

[Guest55]

I mean what is he looking at worst case scenario?
A fine, will an EICR by a LABC recognised sparky do?

What is the procedure for this sort of thing because I know it is the home owner who is ultimately liable.

It wont come to a fine or anything else as its not the homeowners fault he didnt recieve any certs.
The LABC will accept an EICR , why ? because if they dont they wont get anything.

 

[Guitarist]

An understatement probably.

I've seen loads of really poor electrics recently, all done as part of extensions to houses. Makes me wonder about the competance of the sparkies involved.

Seems that more and more people are just using "any old electrician" who puts in the cheapest quote, regardless of whether they can actually sign off or not. They rely on the builder to "see them right", and as we all know, there are a lot of cowboy builders out there....