subject: Hiring The Right Electrician [print this page] Finding a tradesperson can be a little bit of a lottery at the best of times , and in addition trying to find a reputable electrician is unhappily by no means an exception . If recommendations from friends or neighbors aren't available it is wise to make contact with several local electricians . Phone the electricians and give them an idea of the job to be carried out and request them to take a look at the premises with a view to provide a quotation . Make sure to be specific as to the actual extent of the job and if you are then not sure concerning any aspect you can ask their advice . Don't hesitate to seek advice so you can be confident on the exact procedures involved . A legitimate electrician would be only too happy to specify in layman's terms instead of aim to bamboozle you with trade specific talk .
When the quotations have been presented don't just select the most economical , seek to be certain that are correlating like with like . At least one electrician might have identified potential difficulties or alternatively recommended additional work be performed , so examine diligently . After you have made a choice contact your preferred electrician and ask if they can provide work references , an established electrician will certainly have no problem with this , and additionally check that they are government approved or a member of a accredited trade organisation . It ought to go without stating that you need to then seek confirmation from the organisation that they state to be a member of and also check with the referees that the references are legitimate . Too many people put their faith in spoken reassurances that , as the old saying goes , aren't really worth the paper they are written on ! You should also ask to see their Public Liability Insurance papers .
Should all things checks out to your approval come to an agreement on a timescale , beginning date as well as payment schedule . A number of electricians would like payment at the beginning for materials and also with larger jobs will probably be likely to desire staged payments throughout the span of the task . Occasionally we overlook that tradesmaen must eat and pay monthly bills just like everybody else and so commencing a 6 week task with total payment on completion may undoubtedly cause them issues . However I suggest virtually any staged payments to be due by milestone in place of actual set intervals .
If possible you should not make adjustments to the work to be carried out , or demand alternative work once the electrician has started out . Should this be necessary nevertheless accept a total price and additionally confirm in writing and also come to an understanding with regards to exactly how this will likely effect the timescale . I never fail to be amazed at how surprised people are once they realize that pretty much all the "while you're here . . ." jobs have an impact on both the price and the finish time of the task !
All electrical work , no matter just how little and immaterial it may seem has to be certificated . The electrician ought to , on fulfillment , give you an electrical installation certificate . This is to confirm that the work carried out complies with the UK Safety Standard , BS 7671 . Furthermore whenever the work is covered by Building Regulations then you should certainly expect to be given a certificate acknowledging Building Regulation compliance .
