ELECSA

The Building Regulations are managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Part P is an amendment of the Building Regulations introduced by the government, effective from January 1st 2005. These regulations introduced safety standards to electrical installations within domestic properties.

This means that, with few exceptions, any electrical work undertaken in your home such as the addition of a new electrical circuit or any work in your kitchen, bathroom or garden area must be notified to the Local Authority Building Control for inspection.

The Part P requirement is that “Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury.

Work affected by Part P is subject to notification to, and inspection by, building control bodies. However, calling in a building control officer takes time and costs money. The solution to this problem is self-certification.

Part P Competent Person Schemes like ELECSA were introduced at the same time as Part P to permit firms that had been assessed as sufficiently competent, to self-certify that their work complies with all applicable requirements of the Building Regulations.

Self-certification benefits the householder because by using a Competent Person they don’t have to pay building control fees or submit a building notice. In addition, householders have the important reassurance that by using a Competent Person, they are using a firm that has been independently assessed and certified as competent to carry out the work.

In addition, all authorised Competent Persons schemes are required to give the customers of their registered installer firms the opportunity to purchase an insurance backed warranty against the risk that the work carried out does not comply with the Building Regulations.

TrustMark

TrustMark is a not for profit organisation, licensed by Government and supported by consumer protection groups, helping you find local, trustworthy & reliable tradesmen, operating to Government endorsed standards.

TrustMark is a quality mark which operates a framework under which 30 plus scheme operators working in the Repair, Maintenance and Improvement sectors are approved to carry the TrustMark logo and recruit reputable and trustworthy tradesmen.

All of these scheme operators are audited annually by TrustMark, to ensure processes, standards and complaints procedures are being maintained.