Clarification on compliance standards and certificates required

[gibbi]

Hi, I am a Level 2 (C&G) plumber and I am in the process of selling my house, it's only taken six months with solicitor's letters going backwards and forwards, anyway at least we have a buyer.

Now heres the rub, as they say;a
About two years ago, I put in three new ground floor radiators and renewed the pipe work with barrier pipework below the flooring. Then the central heating pump failed, so I exchanged the pump with a new one.
I have just recieved another solicitors letter saying that although I am a basic Level 2 qualified plumber, all of the above mentioned work should have been certified by a corgi/Gas safe contractor and that the work requires an appropriate certificate showing complience with current building regulations. Can anyone throw some light on this, is this actually true?
And obviously the bottom line is, without the appropriate certificate, I will have to pay an indemnity to the house buyers as my work does not meet current building regulation compliance standards.
Is this acually true! Did I really spend all that money to gain this basic qualification just to find that it is not worth the paper it's written on?
I will obviously be contacting my local council to talk to the building control officer but I thought someone might be able to clarify this for me and see if this is actually the case.

Any help and advice will be gratefully received

Regards

George

 

[GQuigley67]

what qualification is it that you have ?? the recognised qualification for a professional plumber is NVQ2/3 or the old C&G advanced craft(equivelent to the NVQ)

thought you only needed a certificate when new boiler was installed ?

 

[dontknowitall]

Tripe!

Just solicitors being difficult. Your own solicitor should be able to help you with this. It's not illegal to do your own pipework in the house, nor replace an electrical item like the pump.

Any gas work has to be done by GasSafe plumbers, electrical wiring by electricians and the rest is irrelevant, in my opinion, as long as you've stuck to the building regulations.

The buyer's solicitor sounds good though as he's effectively asking for a lifetime guarantee.

 

[bert large]

All total rubbish. Just another solicitor trying to bamboozle Joe Public to screw some more money out of them.
Its only boilers that require any certification re: Gas Safe.

Although they'd like you to register everything as well as boilers, hardly anyone does.
I've lost count of the number of customers who have moved house & been told that their boiler (standard efficiency & pre 2005, Part L) should have been registered with Corgi / Gas Safe. I take great pleasure in phoning the solictors up to tell them they are talking out of their a**

 

[fuzzy]

not needed for pipework only gas work

what C&G do you have? the 6129?

 

[gravytrain]

as has been said. buyers solicitor is talking rubbish. set your own solicitor onto them
if they're no good get a viscious nasty one !

 

[rocketmanbkk]

sounds to me as if the OP's buyers want to make a little back i.e. they are looking to have a discount and trying to talk utter rubbish!

Tell them to exchange contracts or the deals off, call their bluff but don't let them call yours with this drivvle.

 

[desrob]

although it's not a require ment,wouldn.t it be good if it was..? and as for qualification if it is the 6129 tech cert,your right it is not worth the paper it's written on.and why did you tell them you done the work.?

 

[davebigpipes]

Why did you even tell them about any work?

 

[gibbi]

Ye I know but being that I have a qualification and the designer radiators did stand out, I thought what could be the harm, more fool me!
I've spoken to my conveyancing team today and this is all to do with a guide line that states if the central heating system has been touched then a certificate/garantee is required. I had to explain that this was specifically designed with the electrical regulations and the gas regulations in mind and not with the repair and radiator work that I carried out. But as the guidence booklet they are using is not specific, a solicitor will always ask for certification.
Any way I am going to write to the other solicitor and try and get this nonsense squashed but I'm not holding my breath

 

[gibbi]

Thanks for your response, I also spoke to my local building control officer today and he agrees with your views, it's utter nonsense.


I've spoken to my conveyancing team today and this is all to do with a guide line that states if the central heating system has been touched then a certificate/garantee is required. I had to explain that this was specifically designed with the electrical regulations and the gas regulations in mind and not with the repair and radiator work that I carried out. But as the guidence booklet they are using is not specific, a solicitor will always ask for certification.
Any way I am going to write to the other solicitor and try and get this nonsense squashed but I'm not holding my breath

 

[rocketmanbkk]

change your solicitor, seems like they don't know what they are doing also!

 

[davebigpipes]

Or you could write a letter saying you guarrentte it for a month your self

 

[PlumbBobBob]

as the work was carried out over two years ago, i would say it was out of guarantee anyway if it was carried out by a contractor. but as it was carried out by yourself on your own home there would be no need for a certificate any way.