The Lemon Fool

I need to have a new RCD consumer unit fuse box fitted and some other wiring.

What legal things should I check for when engaging someone please?

Get quotes

This will provide your initial filter - anything produced on notepaper headed "Benson & Hedges", "Silk Cut", "Lambert and Butler" (other versions of fag packet are available) or otherwise coming across as unprofessional can be rejected.

Then for any contractor you are considering, look at http://www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk/ and/or https://www.niceic.com/ to make sure that they are pukka.

You should check that the electrician is registered with a competent persons scheme (CPS), both with them and with the scheme.
Your contract with them should make it clear you are expecting them to notify Building Control via their CPS and provide an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for the installation. Ideally you will only pay the last 25% of the bill when you get the Completion Certificate back from Building Control.

I'd also suggest that your contract should include a cost for them to inspect the installation [but not produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)] and to provide an estimate or quote to remediate any issues you want to get fixed, before proceeding with the board change.

feder1 wrote:I need to have a new RCD consumer unit fuse box fitted and some other wiring.

What legal things should I check for when engaging someone please?

I agree with the others. Legally the potential electrician really needs to be registered with a Part P scheme, typically NAPIT or NICEIC. Getting quotes is not a legal requirement but good practice.

The thing with quoting for a replacement fuseboard is that the installer is obliged to sign off on the whole installation. That installation might be sufficiently dodgy that it will simply not work with a new consumer unit as they are more sensitive to faults. The only safe way from the point of view of the electrician is to conduct an inspection, produce a condition report (at cost) then quote for the remedial work.

What usually happens is that the electrician makes an educated guess at the likelihood of problems and conveys this risk to the customer before changing of the board. The customer then lives with the consequences.

Chris

Thanks all for most helpful replies.

The chap we have selected seems to have met the relevant requirements.

I,m glad I asked about this.

feder1 wrote:I need to have a new RCD consumer unit fuse box fitted and some other wiring.

What legal things should I check for when engaging someone please?

Ensure that the quote includes the Part P Certificate.
Failing to do that, because I assumed that it would, when I had my work done caused some problems after the work was done.

Slarti