Many people, landlords included, are unaware of new regulations which now stop them using unqualified people to do electrical jobs, writes David Lawrenson.

In the old days it was possible for good DIYers to do a lot of electrical work themselves.

However, changes to government rules which came in last January (2005) now mean that the work amateurs can now do have been severely limited.

Part P of the building regulations were bought in partly to protect the DIY enthusiast from themselves but also to put an end to bad workmanship and faulty installations by cowboy builders.

Every year about 1 million DIY jobs are done - but these result in 10 deaths and 750 injuries each year.

When you can do it yourself

The Part P rules classify home electrical jobs into "notifiable" and "non-notifiable".

Non-notifiable work, which you can do yourself, includes replacing sockets, outlets, control switches and ceiling roses unless these are in what is deemed to be a high risk area where it is exposed to water, such as a bathroom, kitchen or a garden. You can also replace cable for a single circuit only.

...and when you can't!

Notifiable work includes any new installation, rewires or partial rewires, new consumer unit fittings, putting in one or more new circuits, extensions to circuits in kitchen bathrooms or gardens, lighting circuits, heating controls, air conditioning, ventilation and extractor fan systems.

Also, any work on showers (whether electrically heated or pumped) or on cookers and the installation of kitchen appliances are notifiable. Work on fire, security or environmental control systems are notifiable too.

For notifiable work, the job has to be done or inspected and certified by what's called a "competent person" who has attained at least the British Standard BS7671.

Any work not done by a competent person must be inspected by the local authority building control officer, who will charge to do an inspection. Typically this is around £200 but the cost varies by local authority.

So what is a "Competent person"?

A competent person is an electrician who is registered with one of the main bodies approved by the government - these include the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) and the National Council for Electrical Installations Contracting (NICEIC)

A good thing about using a competent person is that they don't need to notify the local authority before the work begins or to have it inspected after.

At the end of the job, they will also give you a BS7671 Installation Certificate to confirm that their work complies with the rules and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to say that the work meets with building regulations.

If you sell the property, this will need to be shown to a purchasing solicitor on request and will be required from June next year as part of the Home Information Pack.

Most suppliers will offer an insurance backed warranty. Depending on the terms of this warranty, work carried out by a competent person that does not comply with the Building Regulations will be rectified.

You don't have to take this out of course and in may cases you wont need to because all suppliers organisations' give you access to a formal complaints procedure too, if you are not happy with the work they have done.

A few years ago, I used the complaints system of NICEIC and found it to work reasonably well. They backed me up in a claim that I made against one of their members, which ultimately went to a small claims court. With their backing the case was cut and dried, though the member firm did not bother to defend it.

You can find a list of approved organisations for electrical work from the website at www.odpm.gov.uk. If you find someone direct, you should always ask to see their registration certificate.

The penalties for not complying with the Part P rules include fines up to £5,000 and the local authority will order the correction of any work that does not comply.

Contacts

NICEIC - 0800 013 0900 www.niceic.org.uk Tel 0207 564 2323
They will have a list of "competent persons" near to you.

Also ask your Buildings Control officer at your local authority if you are not sure whether any work you are considering is notifiable.

Want to read more of our in-depth, informative articles and enjoy FULL access to the Property Secrets website for just £7.99 a month or £79.99 for an annual membership?

Click here NOW to find out what we have to offer and sign up as a Property Secrets member.