Question on Ethics

[mltech]

I have a home owner who has hired an unlicensed individual to come behind me on my low voltage permit while I am still installing the electric.
Unlicensed guy ran a pipe up an FPL pole for customers security camera? this has to be a violation of some sort?
Not to mention the fact that he is effectively stealing from me.
Not sure what to do just want to get out and get whats owed to me.
Thoughts are appreciated.
Very frustrated.
Thanks
M

 

[Sierrasparky]

Tell the owner to get a separate permit. Provide written notice that the work is excluded and may not use your permit. Notify the building dept that this work is not yours.

 

[gadfly56]

Exactly what Sierrasparky said. Put it all in writing UP FRONT so the AHJ doesn't come after you like the wrath of God for the trunkslammer's handiwork.

 

[petersonra]

what exactly has he stolen from you? you are being paid to do certain work. as long as you get paid for that, no one is stealing from you.

if you object to the unlicensed work rat him out to the authorities.

otherwise it is probably best to just move on.

 

[mjf]

I assume since you pulled a permit, you will get an inspection?? If so, be on site and tell inspector the precise scope of YOUR work. Nothing else will be covered by YOUR permit.

 

[chris kennedy]

Unlicensed guy ran a pipe up an FPL pole for customers security camera? this has to be a violation of some sort?

FPL won't be to happy about that.

From the FPL white book;

M. Unauthorized Attachments

FPL prohibits any attachments to its poles or other equipment unless specifically authorized by
agreement. Such attachments include, but are not limited to fences, banners, signs, clotheslines,
basketball backboards, antennas, placards, political posters or any advertising matter. FPL will
remove unauthorized attachments without notice.

 

[__dan]

Tell the owner to get a separate permit. Provide written notice that the work is excluded and may not use your permit. Notify the building dept that this work is not yours.

No question do it exactly like that in writing.

Then next year when they have trouble, can't remember, and want to blame you, just make sure you remember where your letter is and that it says what you want it to say. Your giving written notice should make it someone else's problem and not yours.

 

[kwired]

FPL won't be to happy about that.

From the FPL white book;

M. Unauthorized Attachments

FPL prohibits any attachments to its poles or other equipment unless specifically authorized by
agreement. Such attachments include, but are not limited to fences, banners, signs, clotheslines,
basketball backboards, antennas, placards, political posters or any advertising matter. FPL will
remove unauthorized attachments without notice.

Many POCO have similar policy. But I still have seen in some places a pole that was wood but is pretty much steel on the surface from about 30 inches to 90 inches above grade from all the nails driven into it to support yard sale or similar signs over the years.

 

[junkhound]

pretty much steel on the surface from about 30 inches to 90 inches above grade

snork!

Since the advent of bucket trucks a few decades ago, pocos don't seem to worry much about signs, etc. Have not seen a lineman with spikes for a LONG time.

'course, that there wire up the pole is a different matter.

 

[texie]

I have a home owner who has hired an unlicensed individual to come behind me on my low voltage permit while I am still installing the electric.
Unlicensed guy ran a pipe up an FPL pole for customers security camera? this has to be a violation of some sort?
Not to mention the fact that he is effectively stealing from me.
Not sure what to do just want to get out and get whats owed to me.
Thoughts are appreciated.
Very frustrated.
Thanks
M

As you probably know, Florida is a state that regulates low voltage contractors. Some of the more rural counties may not choose to enforce this heavily but places like Broward and Miami-Dade counties would likely take a pretty hard line on this from my experience. Up to you-turn 'em in if you like.

 

[kwired]

As you probably know, Florida is a state that regulates low voltage contractors. Some of the more rural counties may not choose to enforce this heavily but places like Broward and Miami-Dade counties would likely take a pretty hard line on this from my experience. Up to you-turn 'em in if you like.

You don't have much choice if you have a permit and someone else is installing things that maybe are not up to code, unless you want to fix their violations.

 

[growler]

I have a home owner who has hired an unlicensed individual to come behind me on my low voltage permit while I am still installing the electric.

Not to mention the fact that he is effectively stealing from me.

what exactly has he stolen from you? you are being paid to do certain work. as long as you get paid for that, no one is stealing from you.

What people really steal from you when they do things like this is time.

When you give a price (quote ,bid) on a job then a certain amount of time is calculated to do the work and pass required inspections.

No matter how the OP decides to deal with this situation it's going to take more time than calculated. You would think that a five minute phone call to the AHJ would take care of it but that's just the beginning. I have no idea how much time the OP will spend getting this matter cleared up but you can bet that he is probably not going to get paid for it.

 

[petersonra]

What people really steal from you when they do things like this is time.

When you give a price (quote ,bid) on a job then a certain amount of time is calculated to do the work and pass required inspections.

No matter how the OP decides to deal with this situation it's going to take more time than calculated. You would think that a five minute phone call to the AHJ would take care of it but that's just the beginning. I have no idea how much time the OP will spend getting this matter cleared up but you can bet that he is probably not going to get paid for it.

he has already wasted more time than necessary just writing about it here.

all he needs to do come inspection time is make sure the inspector knows what work is covered by his permit, something he would have to do anyway. if he wants to, he can make a point of showing the inspector work he did not do that is not covered by his permit.

 

[CobyRupert]

Turn him in and/or consider renegotiating your fee. How much did he steal?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[__dan]

he has already wasted more time than necessary just writing about it here.

all he needs to do come inspection time is make sure the inspector knows what work is covered by his permit, something he would have to do anyway. if he wants to, he can make a point of showing the inspector work he did not do that is not covered by his permit.

Writing it is exactly what he has to do to cover himself. A verbal complaint or show and tell at inspection time could be treated like it never happened, at a later date. A written complaint to the building official is a different process. The BO may have a statutory duty to enforce the code, which may or may not happen, but most importantly, the licensed person has carried out his duty that holding the license requires him to do. This places the duty to perform on the BO, and not potentially, the license holder who just happened to be nearby and close to the wrongdoing.

At a later date when the SHTF and they want someone to blame, there will be a letter in the file for the property, where the permit holder was diligent in making a written complaint to the BO, that he saw, objected to, and states he will not be held liable for.

 

[GoldDigger]

Note also that in at least one Right Coast state, a license holder who does not report unlicensed work on or about the project they are working on may be risking their own license.
(It really is not quite that bad, but it is still a wakeup call. )
Especially if they have the only permit open for the job site....

 

[kwired]

Note also that in at least one Right Coast state, a license holder who does not report unlicensed work on or about the project they are working on may be risking their own license.
(It really is not quite that bad, but it is still a wakeup call. )
Especially if they have the only permit open for the job site....

Having the only open permit for a site is the problem, put yourself in inspector's shoes and you have to assume all work was done by the one that has the open permit, until other evidence is presented that there is another party involved here.

 

[John120/240]

They took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles
And arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each
One was to be used as evidence against us.

Alice's Restaurant-Arlo Guthrie

Pictures are worth a thousand words

 

[GoldDigger]

They took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles
And arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each
One was to be used as evidence against us.

Alice's Restaurant-Arlo Guthrie

Pictures are worth a thousand words

And like Justice and the judge in the song, the inspector will turn out to be blind.

 

[growler]

I have a home owner who has hired an unlicensed individual to come behind me on my low voltage permit while I am still installing the electric.

he has already wasted more time than necessary just writing about it here.

all he needs to do come inspection time is make sure the inspector knows what work is covered by his permit, something he would have to do anyway. if he wants to, he can make a point of showing the inspector work he did not do that is not covered by his permit.

He could wait for the inspection if the two jobs are completely segregated. Most of the time in electrical that's not how things are.

If I'm doing a kitchen remodel and the homeowner wants to install some can lights in the kitchen at the same time a they are not up to code I'm not going to pass inspection. I'm not allowed to let anyone work under my permit for one thing. They won't issue two permits for the same job so just how am I to get a rough or final inspection?

If I'm doing a kitchen remodel and they want to do an unpermitted bathroom remodel at the same time I could care less because the two jobs are seperate. I permitted and get paid to do a kitchen and there is nothing to tie me to the bathroom remodel.

If the OP has a permit that would cover the whole house then it's going to be real hard for him to get his inspections passed.

I wouldn't wait for the inspector I would talk to the Building Code Official as soon as possible and see how they want to handle this. As a matter of fact as soon as I learned the homeowner had hired an unlicensed contractor to work under my permit I would have walked off the job and give the authorities a chance to catch him trying to work under my permit.

Bob even if you want to you are not allowed to let this unlicensed person work under your permit unless he/she is an employee of your company.