HMO full electric safety inspection

[emjga]

Folks

What is the Average price people pay for a
Full electric safety inspection

I have just had to fork out £320 for a 6 bed HMO Property
That has never been inspected.

A local sparky thought it should be more like £75 but he was not qualified to do the work.

If it makes any difference this is in Scotland Aberdeen

Any thoughts / comments.

Matt

[propman2]

I have done 5 houses recently at a cost circa £90 per property plus costs of remedial works

[baldelectrician]

A pir is as long as a bit of string; it depends on
1. Age of property
2. How thorough the check is
3. How large the property is.

For example a thorough PIR in a 2-3 bed semi will take 2-4 hours plus 1 hour to do report, and probably be between £120-£150.

At £90 per house you probably aren't getting a thorough check, the industry charging rate is around £37 per hour so 2 guys for 3 hours = £222, plus off site time for 1 guy doing paperwork.

This is a ballark figure and price varies depending on who you ask- if you ask a guy who is not registered you may get little or no testing, but a good price- with little or no comeback- is he qualified- does he have insurance?

If you ask someone who is registered with NICEIC or ECA/SELECT you will get a more thorough check (usually). Remember if you use a registered electrical firm these people have been vetted before you use them,and there are complaints procedures in place.

It is important to get to know a local electrician- I do a lot of work for local solicitors / letting agencies and get recommended by them. The more work you throw someones way the better the price.

The chap I do work for gets a rewire for more than £200 less than joe public- including all the usual certification etc.

Your price of £320 seems very fair considering it is a 8 or 9 room property - by the time you add in kitchens, laundry rooms, bathrooms(with showers and bonding).

I probably would be around the same, but you get what you pay for. I like to be thorough, and take photos- then if any questions arise about bonding or a consumer unit I have info on file, this could also help the landlord if something arose due to a tenant's poor DIY.

[emjga]

Folks

Thanks for all the replies , very intersting.

The comapny we did use were NICEIC registered.
So I dare say you pay a bit more for that.

It was a 2 man job and they did spend 8 hrs on it , so yes the price was ok.

Matt

[propman2]

I can assure you that the tests I had for £95 (+vat) are fully compliant periodic inspection report IPMA2.

This is not rocket science if the electrician is fully trained the only possible variable being the honesty of the person themselves.

And to boot the guy I use is reliable and turns up when he says I will which is an achievement in itself!


he operates from South yorkshire if anyone wants contact details

[js12111]

Interesting reading so far. I have had the inspections and necesary remedial work done. What period are the certificates for? Mine have been made out for three years.

[baldelectrician]

The certificate period is the opinion of the electrician- if the wiring is new then the period may be 5 or more years, if it is all a bit old - or at more risk (say lots of short term lets possible) then the period may be 2-3 years.

It's a 'how long is a piece of string?' type question.

[propman2]

mine are all 5 years and i believe this is a standard.

my layman view is if the wiring passes the safety tests it passes and therefore should attract a 5 year safety certificate

surely there cant be wiring which passes but is not very good and wiring which passes and is in excellent order?

if its safe its safe

[baldelectrician]

propman

The time scale depends on the age of the property.
Remember a wiring PIR is just like a MOT on a house wiring. From your argument (5 years if it passes) is a bit simplistic.

A PIR is a snapshot in time, and like a car standards will vary- old car = more things to go wrong and check, new car = less hassle.

Also another thing- poor DIY is a nightmare- did 2 PIR's for the same family.
1. First house (ex local authority with no alterations)- took 3-4 hours plus paperwork time.

2. Second house (ex local authority) with new consumer unit (DIY) and alterations (DIY) sockets not earthed, switches live and operating nothing; switches screwed onto wood -no plastic or metal box. Total time (including installing bonding to gas meter, testing and replacing circuit breakers with ones of correct size) 11 hours.