This is what happens when you try to do the right thing...
I phoned our local building control before starting my re-wire a few months back, to check what the procedure was for inspection of electrical work carried out by non-Part-P registered people (i.e. me!). This was to happen as part of a lot of notifiable building work.
I'd read all the advice on here, including about changes in April this year which allowed local authorities to charge you for inspections. So I was pleased to hear (after being passed around several people - only one person knew the answer!) that our local building control still get a qualified electrician to do two inspections - one at first fix, one at the end - and don't pass on the cost. Wonderful. I got on with the re-wire, in between lots of other work.
Notifiable building work finished over a month ago. Everyone happy. Just waiting for the electrics.
Finally finished the first fix last week. Phoned them up to tell them. No BCOs there - message taken, promised to phone back. Didn't. Phoned again today. No BCOs there - message taken, promised to phone back. BCO covering our case did this time.
I re-capped the situation - that I'd been told to let them know when I was ready to have the first fix inspected, and I now was, hence the call. BCO: "We don't inspect electrical work." "No," says I, "I was told that - I was told you'd send someone around
- probably an electrician." BCO: "Who's going to pay for that?". "You, I was told" BCO: "Oh no, we're not going to pay for it. Your building plans said the electrical work would be carried out by a competent person and signed off by a competent person. You have carried out work illegally in contravention of your original plans. From October 1st you need to pay to submit a certificate notifying us of this illegal work seeking retrospective approval. Or you could get a competent person to sign a certificate in accordance with the original plans." "But I've already spoken to someone there and been told I could do this" BCO: "Who did you talk to that told you you could do this, and when?" "I don't know who, but I might have a record of when" BCO: "Well we have no record of this, so you have contravened the original plans" "But there are lots of things on those plans that were changed, including this - all changed with your permission - as far as I know, changed by conversations, sites visits, chats with the builder, and conversations on the telephone - none of it in writing, including this" BCO: "We have no record of this change, and unless you can tell me who you spoke to and when..." "Am I supposed to document every phone call I have with building control in case someone later challenges the advice that building control has given me? Surely it's not my job to cross check you!" I reckon he was about to hang up, and I'm stuck with him so... "So what can I do to sort this out?" BCO: "Your best bet is to pay someone to inspect your work and provide the certificate to us." "Do you have anyone you'd recommend?"
Unsurprisingly, they did. Unsurprising, the district council, and the firm they recommended, seem to have quite a "cosy" relationship.
I'm cross with the surveyor for preparing plans with the wrong thing on them (he knew about this before submitting them, and wouldn't change it, saying "it's the way it's done, but you can always change it by talking to building control afterwards if they agree") - but I'm livid that (for the second time) I've been given contradictory advice by supposedly qualified council officials. In both cases, this is bad advice that's cost me time and money.
I mostly wanted to share a rant, but if anyone has any constructive suggestions, they'd be welcome too!
Cheers, David.