How do I know if my electrician is registered?
by Admin
Posted on 05-09-2022 09:03 AM
You must have our permission before any electrical work is carried out in your home – and we'll need confirmation that the work has been done by a qualified person.
Electrical work must always be carried out by an electrician registered with the national inspection council for electrical installation contracting (niceic). The niceic
website
allows you to search for registered electricians in your area, as well as providing safety advice for householders.
Your landlord must make sure electrical safety checks are done in your home. Checks should be done by a registered electrician. Checks must be done every 5 years, or 3 years if you live in an hmo (house of multiple occupation). An hmo is shared by 3 or more people who are members of more than 2 families. If something does not pass the check, your landlord should get it replaced or repaired immediately.
If you fit a plug yourself, make sure you wire it correctly and always use the right size fuse. Always use short, undamaged wires and don't join two pieces of wire together. You can also get an independent registered electrician to do the work for you.
As a general principle, the electrical wiring, switches, sockets and all supplied electrical equipment must be safe and in good working order. There are safety standards explained within building regulations and wiring regulations that are explained in british standard bs 7671: 2018. In you are in any doubt about the safety of any installation, a qualified electrician registered with one of the government-approved providers work to uk national safety standards and will be able to advise on the give you a safety certificate to confirm that their work has been designed, built, inspected and tested in line with that standard the minimum standards depend on whether you are an owner occupier or a landlord/tenant.
What is a fuse?
For plugs and sockets, watch for:
hot plugs or sockets, scorch marks, fuses that often blow or flickering lights - these are signs of loose wiring or other electrical problems
badly wired plugs – any coloured wires sticking out could come loose and debris could also get into the plug
overloaded sockets – plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating.
The ‘fixed’ electrical parts of the property, like the wiring, the socket-outlets (plug sockets), the light fittings and the consumer unit (or fuse box) will be inspected. This will include permanently connected equipment such as showers and extractors.