Qualified Electrician? How do you Choose?

Experience, does it Equal a Qualified Electrician?

Its a common question in our trade, does years of experience working in the electrical trade make you a qualified electrician? Some out there seem to think so. We had a call from a local customer recently who had just this situation and was left in the lurch. The work carried appeared to be a good standard but there were no certificates issued and no apparent licence (Part P) held in the name given so why???

Very odd we thought?, the work was almost perfect. A few small issues that could be seen visually but some of the best installation quality seen in a long time. The person doing the work definitely had skills so why no qualification / licence?  This seems to be a big issue in the trade these days, we have none licensed electricians who can do a good job but let the side down not getting registered. Then we have qualified electrician registered people who can’t do the job for all their trying.

Another example of this is a job we attended the other week. A complete rewire of a property with a new consumer unit fitted. On first glance the relevant markers were there that the job was completed by a registered Part P company. With closer inspection (just removing the consumer unit lid) everything was not as it first appeared. Whilst the company in question may well have had the relevant qualifications & were registered the level of workmanship was awful. The customer that day was advised of what we found and that the installation would in all likely hood would not reach its expected life span and would therefore require remedial work.

How then to Choose your Tradesman?

Qualified Electricians are out there!, that is the good news. The Bad news is how to spot one can sometimes be harder than just looking at their adverts. Any electrician worth their salt is going to want you the customer to know they are the real deal. For Domestic works any Electrician should carry their Part P licence and be willing to present it on request. Make sure to request it. Other things to check is are they on the Competent Person Register . Search this government website for their details

If your still not sure then there are things like feedback to look at as well. We all live in this world of feedback these days. There are lots of opportunities for electrical companies to obtain feedback from their customers. Companies like “Checkatrade” are out there to show customers what others think of a companies service. There is also social media like Facebook, Twitter & Google+. All of these type of checks can build a good picture of the company who your looking to employ. Ignore these research tools at your peril. The final place we recommend to look your prospective tradesman up is on their own licensing body.

Whereas there used to be only one or two of these bodies there are now quite a list.  Your Qualified Electrician will tell you which company they are registered with. They will be happy to provide this information along with their membership number or licence number. This should conclude your background checks, now you can rest easier knowing  you have done all you can to ensure you have the right people for the job.