What Part P actually requires
Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in dwellings in England and Wales. Some work is notifiable: new circuits and work in areas such as bathrooms are the common examples: meaning it must be signed off either by a registered installer or by your local authority building control.
Registration with a competent person scheme lets an electrician self-certify that notifiable work meets the regulations, and arrange the compliance certificate for you. Using an unregistered electrician for notifiable work is not illegal in itself, but it puts the notification obligation on you, and unnotified work can surface later during a sale or an insurance claim.
Scotland and Northern Ireland differ
Part P applies to England and Wales. Scotland regulates electrical work through its own building standards system, where a building warrant may be required for certain work, and SELECT is the long-established trade association. Northern Ireland has its own building regulations covering electrical safety.
If you are outside England and Wales, ask the electrician which regime applies to your job and who will handle any approval.
Certificates you should receive
Keep these. They are what a buyer’s solicitor, a landlord inspection or an insurer will ask for, and replacing them later is far harder than getting them at the time.
- An Electrical Installation Certificate for new circuits or a new installation.
- A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller alterations.
- A Building Regulations compliance certificate for notifiable work in England and Wales.
- An Electrical Installation Condition Report if you commissioned an inspection of an existing installation.
Landlords have additional duties
Rented property in England is subject to rules requiring the electrical installation to be inspected and tested at regular intervals, with a report provided to tenants and to the local authority on request. Scotland and Wales have their own equivalent requirements.
If you are a landlord, be explicit that you need an Electrical Installation Condition Report rather than a general once-over, and check the electrician is competent to carry out inspection and testing, which is a distinct skill from installation.
Registered for what, exactly
Scheme registration can be limited in scope. Confirm the electrician is registered for the type of work you need, not merely a member of the scheme, and verify the registration on the scheme operator’s own website.
Before you book
- Which competent person scheme are you registered with, and what is your registration number?
- Is the work notifiable, and who will notify it?
- Which certificate will I receive on completion?
- Is the quote fixed, and does it include making good afterwards?
- Do you hold public liability insurance?
Frequently asked questions
- Can I do my own electrical work in the UK?
- Some minor work is permitted, but notifiable work in England and Wales must be carried out by a registered installer or notified to building control. Unnotified work can cause problems when selling the property or making an insurance claim.
- What is a competent person scheme?
- It is a government-authorised scheme whose registered members can self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations. NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA and STROMA are among the operators in the electrical sector.
- How often should an electrical installation be inspected?
- Intervals depend on the type of property and its use, and rented property is subject to specific requirements. An electrician carrying out an Electrical Installation Condition Report will recommend the next inspection date.
- Does Part P apply in Scotland?
- No. Part P covers England and Wales. Scotland regulates electrical work through its own building standards system, and Northern Ireland through its own building regulations.
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About this guide
Written and maintained by the LocalListed editorial team. It describes UK regulation and consumer protections in general terms and is not legal, financial or professional advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and change over time: always check the position with the named regulator before relying on it.