Building Regulations and Electrical Work in England

If you're planning electrical work at home, you may have heard that some of it needs "Building Regs" or "Part P". This guide explains in general terms what that means in England. The rules are set out in the Building Regulations and the government's Approved Document P, both published on gov.uk, and you should check the current versions there or with your local building control team for your particular job. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

What Part P covers

Part P of the Building Regulations deals with electrical safety in dwellings: houses, flats, and buildings associated with them such as garages, sheds and outbuildings that share the supply. It requires that electrical installations are designed and installed to protect people from fire and electric shock. All electrical work in a home has to meet that requirement. A smaller set of jobs also has to be formally notified.

What counts as notifiable work

In broad terms, the following are notifiable in a home in England:

• Installing a new circuit, whatever the voltage, such as a new circuit for an extension, an electric shower, a garden office or an EV charger.
• Replacing a consumer unit (fuse box).
• Adding to or altering an existing circuit in a special location, which mainly means the area around a bath or shower, or a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater.

Work that's usually not notifiable includes like-for-like replacement of sockets, switches and light fittings, adding a socket or light point to an existing circuit outside a special location, and repairing damaged cables. Non-notifiable work still has to be done safely and to the wiring regulations, and should still be tested and certified. The detail can be more nuanced than this summary, so check the approved document if you're unsure.

How notifiable work is notified

There are two main routes.

Through a competent person scheme

Electricians registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme can self-certify notifiable work. When the job is finished, they issue an electrical installation certificate and notify the scheme, which notifies the local authority. You then receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate, normally within a few weeks. You can check whether an electrician is registered for this type of work using the scheme registers. Our guide to choosing an electrician explains how.

Through building control

If the person doing the work isn't registered with a scheme, a building notice or full plans application has to be made to building control before work starts. Building control will then inspect the work, which may involve a fee and visits at key stages, and issue a completion certificate if it's satisfied. A homeowner can use this route for their own work, though building control will expect the work to be tested by someone competent.

Why the certificate matters when selling

When you sell a house, the buyer's solicitor will ask about alterations made during your ownership, including electrical work. They'll typically want to see the Building Regulations compliance certificate or completion certificate for notifiable jobs such as a new consumer unit, a rewire or an extension. If you can't provide it, the sale can be delayed while you obtain one, arrange indemnity insurance, or apply for regularisation.

Regularisation means applying to the local authority after the event. It usually involves an inspection and testing, and may require parts of the work to be exposed so they can be checked. It's far simpler to get the paperwork right at the time and keep it with your house documents.

Rented property

Landlords have an additional duty: privately rented homes in England need an Electrical Installation Condition Report at least every five years. That's separate from Building Regulations, but the certificates for any notifiable work carried out between inspections are useful to have on file. See our testing and certification page for how an EICR differs from other certificates.

Before you start

• Decide what you want done and ask whether it's notifiable.
• Ask the electrician how notification will be handled and which certificates you'll receive.
• Check gov.uk or your local building control team if anything is unclear.
• Keep every certificate safe for when you sell or let the property.

For questions about a specific job in your home, call 01235 430442, or see our domestic electrical services.