Electricians - Do you make sure they're registered with Napit ?

[giddyauntie123]

I have just been told I need the following electrical work done:- 📧

Itemised Breakdown of Works
• Further Investigation (6 hours)
• Supply & Install double socket (2 units)
• Supply & Install double back box (1 unit)
• Supply & Install single socket (1 unit)
• Supply & Install decorative double socket (1 unit)
• Lighting Rewire (Per Point) (4 points)
• Supply & Replace hard-wired (wireless module) smoke detectors (2 units)
• Supply & Replace mains-wired smoke alarms (2 units)
• Supply & Install earth clamp (1 unit)
• Supply & Install IP / fire-rated downlights (4 units)

⸻

Further Investigation Includes:
• Sorting meter tails at both ends
• Rectifying cooker hood connection
• Checking lighting cable in kitchen containment
• Ensuring all switches are correctly earthed
• Correctly earthing all Class 1 light fittings
• Verifying all switches replaced since the last test

They want about £2k for this - does that sound reasonable?

Idk

Over the years, I've begun to form the opinion that these 'safety' schemes are nothing but a racket and the tradesmen aren't any better when registered with them than those who are not.

FENSA - I learned after not buying a house 'not all the windows are fensa so they may not be safe' - apparently fensa barely ever turn up to check the work anyway. That was my lawyer telling me that. Windows installed by a non approved fensa person may not be safe.

There's a lot of WTF behind that statement.

(they're British kitemarked, iirc)

Hetas for stoves - bloke turned up and told me that a chimney sweep couldn't have possibly displaced a chimney flue!! Idk if that's true but it seemed very unlikely, and the bloody thing was sticking out of the chimney pot at an angle.

Both napit and the other electrical one - I've had poor electrics in current and previous rental, all electrics were done by people registered with one or the other.

Last I heared napit charge £700 a year to be a member, but I'm entirely unimpresssed with the quality of the electricals in my house, done by someone who put themself on a course just to do this house. Previous house was the other scheme and those electrics were bad too.

It seems to me that these 'safety' organisations earn a lot of money a year to basically be Checkatrade for specific professions, and they're pretty lenient on how much of the work they actually check.

Just my two pennies worth.

DL;DR: I do NOT thing it equals quality/safety

Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better/has a different opinion, of course.

DP is an electrician and he is actually required to provide evidence of his work to Napit - certs and that kind of thing - and has an in person assessment where the inspector (?) reviews the work and then asks him questions. That’s an annual thing I think. I don’t think it’s quite a rubber stamping exercise.

Totally agree, I’m seriously wondering if they're just a way of the government creating extra jobs. Fensa is a classic example.
Safety certificates and regulatory bodies do seem like a racket. No disrespect to the properly qualified electricians out there but I just had an ECIR done and it "failed". The company quoted £2k to bring it up to standard. Then surprise! the same bloke says he can do it privately for £775. Feels a bit off like he failed a load of stuff just to get the job himself.
Has anyone else had something like this happen?
Honestly, I’ve never felt so bloody disempowered doing up a house. Having to rely on men all the time, listening to their bullshit, then watching them mess stuff up. My plumber didn’t even install proper downlighters in the bathroom, they’re apparently supposed to be fire-rated. I mean, really? Who’s out here starting fires in their bathroom, FFS? Sorry rant over

My father actually works/worked for NAPIT as an inspector.

All I can say is, I'd trust any electrician that he had inspected and passed as I know how incredibly moral and scrupulous he is and how keen he is to abide by the rules! But the issue with any safety inspection scheme is that the electrician is only as good as the person inspecting them. So unless you are sure about the integrity of the inspector, it's possible that the electrician isn't as good as they should be.

But I would be reluctant to use someone who isn't registered to NAPIT or NICEIC (would prefer NAPIT based on what I've heard!), because it would surely be considered negligence if you wanted to claim on insurance if something happened? (No experience with this, and don't want to ask my dad because I'd be listening for half an hour for a 30 second question 😅 )