When it comes to electricity, you should never take the risk of solving the problem yourself unless you have the required technical knowhow and a certificate proving it. It can cost you your life. In recent times of economic scarcity the concept of DIY or ‘Do It Yourself’ has taken on the common household with a bang. According to a survey, approximately 12,500 house fires, 750 serious injuries and 10 deaths are caused every year in the UK due to unsafe electrical works at home. Despite such horrifying statistics almost 60% of the populations in UK are still practicing DIY in their homes.
Why is it unsafe?
The answer is very simple. Without proper knowledge meddling with a faulty wire is nothing short of a death wish. The temptation of fixing your own appliance is not worth the consequences you might end up facing. According to a report carried out by NICEIC the common population of UK are requested to avoid such actions as by doing so not only are they putting themselves in danger they are putting the lives of his beloved at risk too.
The legal angle
Majority of the electric work carried out is a subject to law under the Part P building regulations even though one in ten householders are still not aware of this. The Part P of the buildings regulation limits what electrical work a common householder can do, one without any technical knowhow that a certified engineer has. For further information on the rules and regulations you should contact them.
Any violation even unknowingly would make you face prosecution and a lump sum fine which can mount up to £600 per property or room. The authority can even overtake your property by issuing an Interim Management Order. Just in case you happen to own multiple properties that would only further increase your penalty fees which exponentially exceeds the amount of money you were planning on saving by performing your own DIY electrical works.
If you happen to own multiple properties that would only increase your penalty fee. DIY electrical works are neither safe nor certified and this might prove to be a problem during resale of the property. This also leaves any future tenant at great risk in case they are not aware of your little electrical experiment.
How far would a householder go with DIY?
According to a survey by NICEIC two thirds of home owners would rather carry out any electrical work themselves than getting a certified electrician to do it. One out of ten owners has violated building and planning restrictions to make improvements worth more than a billion pounds at their homes. Even if one is willing to carry out their own DIY electric works they must notify the local authority building control department and get the finished job inspected for any faults. Whether you get your electrical works done by a certified electrician or you chose to do it yourself either ways you need to obtain a Part P certificate.
