Why you can trust a TrustMark Approved electrician

Finding the right electrician to work in your home can be somewhat of a minefield. If you are looking for peace of mind and assurance of an expert electrical job, you will be already making a great job by searching for an NICEIC electrician in London. However this often produces a long list of prospective electricians, so to narrow it down further, we suggest searching for TrustMark registered electricians.

Why TrustMark?

TrustMark is the only Government endorsed 'find an electrician' scheme. It is not endorsed by companies out to make money from electricians, so as a customer you have peace of mind that electricians who sign up for the scheme have been independently assessed for their competence before being accepted as a TrustMark member. Here at Fulcher Edwards, we are proud members of TrustMark and encourage using tradespeople registered with TrustMark to carry out all essential works in your home.

The cost of using un-registered electricians

According to TrustMark, the cost of using unqualified and/or unregistered tradespeople cost UK home-owners £1.9 billion in 2013. This figure comes as no surprise to us as we often carry out work for customers who have unfortunately fallen into the hands of incompetent electricians without realising.

Normally, customers make the mistake of not double checking registration and qualification details and going by what is seen or said. Un-registered electricians have been known to pull all sorts of tricks out of the hat to gain your custom. It is not uncommon to find use of registration bodies such as the NICEIC on vans, using another electricians registration number without their knowledge or producing adverts with false registration details.

Post Easter weekend DIY

We are certainly being kept busy here this week at Fulcher Edwards with people calling asking us to put right some electrical DIY carried out over the bank holiday. As London electrical contractors, we are very familiar with such calls – in fact it is the DIY mistakes that keep us busy in domestic properties in South East London! The calls tend to peak at this time of year. In fact, over the coming Spring months, two thirds of householders will be spending an average of £3,342 on home improvements according to research carried out by Nationwide Building Society.

When we visit homes to put right DIY mistakes we are very used to the home owner telling us that they thought the job was simple. Although there is a small amount of electrical work that you can do yourself, we only suggest carrying out this work if you feel confident in doing so. Botched DIY electrical attempts can be more costly to fix as damage can often be caused to internal wiring systems. DIY electrical work that is carried out incorrectly can leave your home at risk of fire, your family at risk of electrical shock and you even risk invalidating your home insurance.

Always call an electrician for complex electrical work. Remember most electrical work in your home has to be certified as being Part P compliant. It is illegal to attempt to carry out this work yourself without intending to have the work certified.

Ensuring your electrician is right for the job

Always check the basics when inviting electricians to give you a quote for electrical work. Remember that unregistered electricians are geared up to entice unsuspecting customers into their net so make sure you are clued up before you begin.

• Always obtain a detailed written quote – 3 written quotes will give you an idea on price. Make sure the price includes VAT.
• If possible speak to people who have had work carried out previously by the electrician.
• Check qualifications and ask for proof of registration – always double check registration details with the correct body i.e. NICEIC.

Beware of prices that seem to good to be true

Never settle for the cheapest quote unless you are certain you trust the electrician. Prices that are significantly lower are cause for concern. It is imperative that the job is done to a safe and professional standard so check what costs are included for example –

• costs of Part P certification
• materials
• VAT
• The actual work being carried out for the price
• Is the electrician fully insured?
• Is all work guaranteed?

If the answers are no or you are not sure if you trust the electrician, it is better to walk away.

Now you have avoided disaster!

The 5 minutes it took you to read this article may have saved you from a DIY disaster. Remember DIY is not the cheap option when it comes to your home electrics. Stay electrically safe by only using a Part P registered electrician.