What is Part P?
Part P is the part of the Building Regulations that deals with electrical safety in dwellings in England and Wales. It became law on 1 January 2005. The requirement itself is short: installations must be designed and installed so they protect anyone using, maintaining or altering them from fire and injury. In practice that means working to BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations.
It covers low and extra-low voltage work in houses and flats, plus outbuildings, garden lighting, roof-mounted solar panels, common areas in blocks of flats and shops sharing a dwelling's meter. It does not cover business premises with separate metering, or the supply to lifts in blocks of flats. All work must comply with Part P, whether you have to notify it or not.
What work is notifiable in England?
Since the 2013 changes in England, three kinds of job are notifiable: installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. A special location is the zone around a bath or shower (up to 2.25 metres high and 0.6 metres out from the edge of the bath or tray), or a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater.
Everything else is non-notifiable. That includes adding a socket to an existing circuit in a lounge, and repairs, replacements and maintenance anywhere. Fitting a built-in cooker isn't notifiable unless it needs a new circuit. Non-notifiable work still has to meet BS 7671, and the council can take enforcement action if it finds that work unsafe.
The three ways to get notifiable work signed off
Route one is self-certification. A firm registered with a competent person scheme issues a BS 7671 certificate. Then, within 30 days, the installer or the scheme sends a Building Regulations compliance certificate to the occupier and notifies building control. This is how most domestic electricians work.
Route two is a registered third-party certifier. An unregistered installer appoints the certifier before starting work and tells them within 5 days of finishing. If the inspection and testing are satisfactory, the certifier's scheme issues the compliance certificate within 30 days. Route three is building control. The installer notifies the building control body before starting. Building control decides how much inspection is needed, then issues a completion certificate.
What homeowners and electricians have to do
Homeowners and landlords carry the legal risk. Electrical Safety First says they must be able to prove that installation work meets Part P, and the council can make them remove or alter work that does not comply. DIY is still allowed, but notifiable DIY jobs must go to building control before work starts.
For an electrician, joining a competent person scheme is what lets you sign off your own work. Scheme membership on its own does not let you certify another contractor's work. Some scheme providers offer a separate third-party certification option for that. Hand your customer the BS 7671 certificate when you finish. The compliance certificate follows within 30 days.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges are ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), moved to 2026 with a wage index. The regional figures are modelled. JIB rows are the 2026 national standard hourly rates multiplied by 37.5 hours and 52 weeks. Overtime, travel and self-employment all change what you actually take home. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Work to BS 7671All domestic electrical work, notifiable or not, should be designed, installed, inspected and tested to BS 7671.
- Competent person scheme registrationYou need this to self-certify notifiable work in England and Wales. Without it, the job has to go through a third-party certifier or building control.
- Electrical installation certificateA self-certifying installer completes a BS 7671 certificate for every job and gives it to the person who ordered the work.
- Building Regulations compliance certificateThe installer or their scheme must send this to the occupier, and notify building control, within 30 days of completion.
- Third-party certifier booked in advanceAn unregistered installer must appoint the certifier before work starts and notify them within 5 days of finishing.
- Scotland: Certifier of ConstructionUnder the NICEIC scheme, a Certifier of Construction must already be a Qualified Supervisor. They must work for an NICEIC Approved Contractor that has passed an assessment within the last year.
Across the UK
| England | Approved Document P, 2013 edition, applies. Notifiable work is limited to new circuits, consumer unit replacements and work in special locations. |
|---|---|
| Wales | Part P also applies in Wales, under its own Welsh Approved Document P. The ECA notes that the Welsh requirements differ from England's, so check the Welsh Approved Document P. |
| Scotland | Part P does not apply. Electrical work done under a building warrant must be certified by an Approved Certifier of Construction or checked by the local authority. Part P schemes from England and Wales are not valid there. |
| Northern Ireland | There is no statutory equivalent of Part P for domestic electrical work. Registration bodies still assess contractors, and Electrical Safety First recommends using a registered electrician. |
How to get there
- Before quotingDecide if the job is notifiableIn England, check whether the job involves a new circuit, a consumer unit change or a special location. If it doesn't, it still has to meet BS 7671 but doesn't need notifying.
- Before work startsChoose the sign-off routeRegistered installers self-certify. Unregistered installers must appoint a third-party certifier or notify building control.
- During the jobDo, inspect and test the workInstall to BS 7671 and carry out inspection and testing in line with its procedures.
- Within 5 daysNotify the third-party certifierOn the third-party route, tell the certifier the work is finished so they can inspect it.
- Within 30 daysIssue certificatesGive the customer the BS 7671 certificate. The compliance certificate goes to the occupier and building control is notified.
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Questions people ask
Can I do my own electrical work at home?
Yes. Anyone can do electrical work in a dwelling, but it must comply with Part P. In England, notifiable jobs such as a new circuit must be reported to building control before you start, and building control will want to inspect the work.
Is changing a consumer unit notifiable?
Yes. In England, replacing a consumer unit is one of the three types of notifiable work. A registered competent person can self-certify it. Anyone else needs a third-party certifier or building control.
Do I need to notify adding a socket in a kitchen?
Not in England, as long as it's an addition to an existing circuit outside a special location. Kitchens and outdoor work were notifiable before the 2013 changes. Wales has its own rules on notifiable work, set out in the Welsh Approved Document P.
Can a scheme-registered electrician sign off someone else's work?
Generally not. Competent person schemes cover self-certification of your own work. Some scheme providers offer a separate third-party certification option.
What happens if notifiable work was never certified?
The council can require the homeowner or landlord to remove or alter work that does not meet the Building Regulations. Uncertified work can also be an offence under the Building Act.
Does Part P apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. In Scotland the Building Standards system applies, and work under a building warrant is certified by an Approved Certifier of Construction or checked by the local authority. Northern Ireland has no statutory equivalent for domestic electrical work.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Approved Document P, Electrical safety, Dwellings (2013 edition)
- GOV.UK Find business regulations: Approved Document P
- IET: Part P, England and Wales
- IET: Part P, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- ECA: Part P FAQs
- Electrical Safety First: Building regulations across the UK
- Electrical Safety First: Part P explained
- gov.scot: Regulation of electricians in Scotland, Appendix 3
- NICEIC: Certifier of Construction Scheme, Scotland
