Non-accredited electricians performing inspection work may find their report refused by the likes of letting agents, estate agents or solicitors where there is no CPS logo or registration number on the paperwork. That's not wholly unreasonable because such entities aren't necessarily in a position to vet contractors and rely on these reports being authored by someone with sufficient authority.
There are two options open to them...
- Use a contractor accredited with a CPS and who shows up on the Registered Competent Person database as being rubber-stamped for such work. This absolves agents and solicitors of responsibility because if a CPS says one of their own members is qualified and insured, then there's no need to question it. Should a report later turn out to be nonsense, the CPS would be liable for having provided reassurance of their member supposedly being up to muster. Not that the CPS will do much, if anything, in those circumstances to ensure anyone gets recompensed for not getting the accurate report that their member was paid for.
- The second option is for agents/solicitors to independently verify for themselves that any given contractor is fit to pass judgement on the state of an electrical installation. Obviously, that’s problematic without a CPS having done the deed, after all, what does some deskbod sat in an office next to a large pot plant and a Sasco year planner know about figuring whether any external contractor knows their electrical bananas?
The government’s Private Rented Sector guidance, which states properties are to be inspected and tested at least every five years, does not itself demand an electrical inspector must hold CPS accreditation. Someone undertaking inspections ought to have the requisite experience, insurance, and qualifications, which a reasonable person would think goes without saying, yet many installation sparks take on inspection work while lacking the backing for it.
An agent or solicitor might refuse to accept a condition report or certificate where no CPS accreditation is shown because, for their own protection, their internal policies and procedures perhaps won’t allow it. That said, if the author of such paperwork can demonstrate they are valid for having undertaken the task independently, any refusal to then accept the documentation could be problematic. Valid paperwork is valid paperwork and any commercial entity rejecting the submission of a bona fide, if non-accredited, electrical inspector may find themselves in legal hot water.
Any third party ought to accept reports or certification paperwork if the contractor can show:
- evidence of qualifications such as certification for City & Guilds 2391 or 2394/2395 or an EAL equivalent at level 3 (note that the C&G 2392 Level 2 is not enough)…
..and…
- that they hold in-date professional indemnity insurance.
Third parties don’t have to verify these documents, instead they should simply accept them on record along with the electrical paperwork that's being submitted. If that paperwork turns out to be false, fraudulent, or to not reflect what was tested or installed, then that’s down to the contractor and that’s ultimately where the liability lies.
In short, any third-party lacks the authority to refuse documentation from an electrician who isn’t affiliated with a CPS when said electrician can prove requisite competence via valid paperwork. It could lead to legal action if anyone insists only CPS accredited contractors be used for installation, inspection or remedial work.
The Resources for ElectriciansResources for Electricians section contains a sample covering letter that may be used when submitting paperwork outside of a CPS.
