Building Regulations Part P in Wimbledon south London
Building Regulations Part P and Your House Sale in Wimbledon south London Mention Wimbledon and the first thing that most people think about is Tennis. But there is much more to it than that – green spaces, a football team and of course quality housing. Confidence is retuning to the UK housing market, especially since the introduction of the Government backed ‘Help to Buy’ initiative and prices rose by about 10% in Wimbledon during 2013. But during the downturn in the housing market, house owners tended to stay put, preferring to extend and improve rather than move. But that could have implications for both buyers and sellers in a number of cases. One way of saving money when improving your house is to do the electrics yourself. Whilst not being illegal, there are specific laws and procedures that must be followed as set out in Part P of of the Building Regulations. This became a legal requirement on January 1st 2005 and was revised in April 2006 to give greater clarity. Part P states exactly what electrical work is notifiable to local government building control. Building control will issue a compliance certificate for the work (unless you are using a contractor registered to self-certify the work) which must be passed to the buyer’s solicitors when selling your house. This shows that any electrical work carried out at the house for or by the vendor is safe and fully complies with BS 7671. A lack of this certificate could compromise the sale and it is up to you, the house owner, to ensure that notification is made. d by plug and socket connectors is not – but only if the final connection to the fixed wiring, if in a kitchen or special location, is made to an existing connection unit or socket-outlet. See what we mean! So if you have carried out electrical work in your home since January 2005, you may need BS7671 certification otherwise it is illegal. The simplest and safest way forward is to employ a professional electrician. Look for NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors) registered contractors for complete peace of mind, they will deal with the whole process. It’s just not worth cutting corners, your house sale in Wimbledon could be compromised or worse, you could be looking at a hefty fine. In essence, if you self-install a new circuit in your property, it is notifiable. The building control officers must be notified prior to the work and will check the work after completion in order to issue the compliance certificate. It is quite complex and there are many inclusions and exceptions, for example, bathrooms and kitchen circuit’s and new fuse box.