Electrical Requirements
Part P Competent Persons
Register
It is the responsibility of the owner of the property to arrange
a certificate to show compliance with Approved Document P at
completion of the work From 1st January 2005, people carrying out
electrical work in homes and gardens in England and Wales will have
to follow the new rules in the Building Regulations. The easiest
way for a property owner to comply with the new legislation is to
employ a registered installer who is also a member of the new
building trades Quality Schemes which will be launched in 2005. The
Quality Scheme members will offer consumers more protection than
the minimum protection registered installers must offer.
In addition there are further advantages to the homeowner in
employing a registered installer with the competent persons
scheme:
- Members of schemes can deal with all the new rules for
you
- Members are qualified to carry out electrical work
- Members will give you a certificate to confirm their work
follows the new rules
- You will NOT have to pay Building Control charges
- You will have the option of taking out an insurance backed
guarantee for the work
- You will have access to a formal complaints procedure if you
are not happy with the work
If it is the intention not to use a registered installer an
application for Building Regulation approval will need to be
obtained. The cost of the application will be based on the cost of
work. The Building Control section must be advised at the first fix
stage so that an inspection can take place. This will consist of a
visual check for cable sizing and routing. A second inspection will
then be made at completion of the work. It must be remembered that
the Local Authority, as a further check of compliance, will still
require a certificate. This extra check will be in the form of a
Periodical Inspection Report (PIR) and is carried out by a member
of one of the electrical authorising bodies, which must be arranged
by the property owner. A charge will be made by whichever approved
body is chosen. This charge is in addition to the fee for a
Building Regulation application.
What will happen if I do not have an approved installer to do the
work or apply for Building Regulation Approval?
- The reason for the legislation being introduced is to decrease
the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by faulty
installation
- To make it harder for “cowboy builders” leaving unsafe
installations
- You may have difficulty selling your home if you do not have
the correct safety certificates
- Your local authority completion certificate may be withheld
until you put right faulty work. Contravention procedures to
rectify the faults may result in action through the Magistrate
Court
NB To all agents: All applications must include
the wording 'All electrical work required to meet the requirements
of Part P (Electrical Safety) must be designed, installed,
inspected and tested by a person competent to do so. Prior to
completion the Council should be satisfied that Part P has been
complied with. This may require an appropriate BS 7671 electrical
installation certificate to be issued for the work by a person
competent to do so.'
