Electrical Installations And The Law.
In 2005 the Government introduced electrical safety rules into the Building Regulations for England and Wales.Because of this,most fixed electrical installation work carried out in homes, must by law, meet the Building Regulations.
Part P states that anyone carrying out electrical installation work in a home must make sure that the work is designed and installed to protect people from fire and electric shocks.
Part P applies to newly-built homes and to any changes made to existing installations, including any parts that have been rewired. All electrical installation work in a garden, conservatory or outbuilding must also meet the Building Regulations.
Apart from some types of minor work,all electrical work needs to be reported to the Local Authority Building Control, or be carried out by an electrician who is registered by one of the Government-approved scheme providers,such as NICEIC,NAPIT or ELECSA who will notify LABC direct.
All electrical installation work needs to be certified under BS 7671 IET Wiring Regulations,2008, (Amendment No.1,2011). This is especially important, as not only does it prove an electrical installation has been tested and is safe, solicitors will ask for these documents when selling a property.
By law, all homeowners and landlords must be able to prove that all electrical installation work meets Part P, or they will be committing a criminal offence !
Therefore,the advantages of using a registered electrician are:
You will not have to pay high building control charges;
The electrician can deal with everything for you;
The electrician will arrange for you to receive a certificate that confirms the work conforms with Building Regulations;
You have access to a formal complaints procedure;
You can choose to take out an insurance-backed warranty when the work is done.
In short it is against the law to undertake electrical installation work in the home without proper notification to LABC.
