Electricity certificate for bathroom and kitchen refit, including new lights, sockets and underfloor heating

If this job has been done by builder than him probably not part P approved. In this case you had to notify Building control before any work starts (it is your responsibility not builder's). Most people never check traders for proof they can do electrical works and to many unqualified just does it and get money. Too many qualified electricians who have knowledge, experience etc., but people looking for cheapest way and get what they paid for. Vadims

Good Morning. Looking at your description this is our advice. Under the new Part P regulations work undertaken within a kitchen is now none notifiable which means that this work does not need to be declared to the local building office. Most electrical companies are registered with a government body (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA) These bodies do the work for us. We test the work we undertake then notify them and then issue a certificate. Under the new scheme, bathrooms still remain and therefore should issue a certificate. Just because the kitchen is none notifiable doesn't mean that the installation should be tested. The electrician has a duty of care to you and who ever lives in that property and therefore should offer a certification. If he cannot do it himself he will have to get a third party involved. They will charge in the region of £120-£150 approx. £600 seems extortionate and I would strongly advise you say no. What my recommendation would be is let him complete the work then get an electrician who is registered under one of the 3 schemes mentioned above to test, inspect and certify the work. It sounds like this electrician is not registered and although this is not illegal he should get it inspected by someone else but looks like he is taking a nice tidy profit for himself there. On one final note it is approx. £600 to join one of these organisations so he could be using that money to get himself set up. Hope this is of help. Many thanks from us all at Hague Electrix Ltd

All new works/alterations in bathrooms are notifiable to LABC requiring a compliance certificate (not optional) as is electric underfloor heating. But it would be best practice to always issue an installation/minor works certificate for works carried out as all alterations should be tested and this is not a pointless waste of time as you could not be sure that there are no faults without testing. Electricians issue certificates as a matter of course for works they have carried out.

£600 for a certificate that he needs to provide is a SCAM and is outrageous! It sounds like the builder is not a Registered Part P electrician and has most likely broken the law, which puts you as the householder at risk of a potential £5000 fine (see link below for information). Under the IET 17th Edition Wiring Regulations BS7671:2008, any electrical circuit alteration or addition requires thorough testing using specialised electronic test equipment and the results for those tests need to be written down and form part of the three page electrical installation certificate that needs to be given to the person who ordered the work. Time and time again people hire cowboy builders on the basis that they will provide a one stop shop and carry out all aspects of the renovation/building work. The fact is that customers will ALWAYS get a better deal both price wise and quality wise by hiring separate specialist trades for each aspect of the job. It's worth contacting your local trading standards or a solicitor and inform your builder that you will be withholding final payment until he provides the electrical certificate and part P building regulation notification that he is legally responsible to provide. If he fails to provide this the you should take legal proceedings via small claims court.