I would be grateful if the experts here could tell me what paperwork I should expect having just had a new CU and complete rewire of a house. At the moment I have a certificate from NICEIC but all it states is “Building Regulations Certificate of Completion”, but nothing else. Should I expect more? When I last had this done at a different house I was given a list of works completed with test results, but I do not know what is expected now.
The electronic copies of documents used for archives are not "just PDFs" Graham, they are not editable and have embedded real electronic signatures and various other pieces of data to prevent alteration. You may have seen this with your electronic tax return, once you submit it, it cannot be altered without this being able to be checked. The reason why simple emails with a signature are not satisfactory is obvious, issuing fake certificates in the name of someone else is then trivial. Signature forgery is a serious crime, but proving it is a forgery as an email is probably impossible, or at least very difficult. This is why original documents are needed for important identity sensitive verification, copies not being acceptable. I would hope that any electronic certificate software did the entire electronic security properly, so that the signatures could be verified as coming from the right real people, otherwise such certificates are completely worthless, and in fact a serious risk to all electricians. Certain documents have "certified copies" made, typically by solicitors, as a way to deal with this problem, but the procedure is fully witnessed and controlled.
There is a court case in progress at the moment where a large number of emails have been sent, allegedly from an individual, but actually from someone else. It is common, you all have them all the time, Keep your own copies of all certificates you issue for your own safety, and if electronic, keep the files safe, not printed copies.
The electronic copies of documents used for archives are not "just PDFs" Graham, they are not editable and have embedded real electronic signatures and various other pieces of data to prevent alteration.
David, I am aware of the various formats and what they are used for ... I worked in compliance for many years on very very large projects, and this includes document and record management.
For most documents, including 'certificates' of the sort we are talking about, a simple PDF, or a PDF which is a scan of a paper copy, may well be acceptable.
PDF/A provides the most portability and future-proofing in terms of compatibility, which is why it is recommended for archiving purposes (future backwards-compatibility), but can still be edited. It's really no issue to put a password on an editable PDF, where necessary - but the password holder can still change the PDF. The act of transmitting a copy helps, such as a letter etc., the sent and filed copies can be later compared if there is a discrepancy.
The electronic document management platform (even something as simple as SharePoint) are as much a help in this respect as anything else.
I would hope that any electronic certificate software did the entire electronic security properly, so that the signatures could be verified as coming from the right real people,
That's not always necessary for most legal documents (deeds are an exception). https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/e-signatures-england-wales
The electronic copies of documents used for archives are not "just PDFs" Graham, they are not editable and have embedded real electronic signatures and various other pieces of data to prevent alteration.
David, I am aware of the various formats and what they are used for ... I worked in compliance for many years on very very large projects, and this includes document and record management.
For most documents, including 'certificates' of the sort we are talking about, a simple PDF, or a PDF which is a scan of a paper copy, may well be acceptable.
PDF/A provides the most portability and future-proofing in terms of compatibility, which is why it is recommended for archiving purposes (future backwards-compatibility), but can still be edited. It's really no issue to put a password on an editable PDF, where necessary - but the password holder can still change the PDF. The act of transmitting a copy helps, such as a letter etc., the sent and filed copies can be later compared if there is a discrepancy.
The electronic document management platform (even something as simple as SharePoint) are as much a help in this respect as anything else.
I would hope that any electronic certificate software did the entire electronic security properly, so that the signatures could be verified as coming from the right real people,
That's not always necessary for most legal documents (deeds are an exception). https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/e-signatures-england-wales
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