If you have ever had electrical work done at home and been told the work needs to be "Part P compliant" or "notified to building control", you may have wondered what this actually means and why it matters. Part P is a section of the Building Regulations for England that was introduced in 2005 specifically to address electrical safety in domestic properties. This guide explains what it covers, what it requires, and why compliance matters far beyond the day the work is done.
What is Part P and When Was It Introduced?
Approved Document P of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 covers electrical safety in dwellings. It was first introduced in January 2005, making it one of the more recent additions to the building regulations framework. Before 2005, there was no specific building regulations requirement covering electrical work in domestic properties, which meant that a significant amount of substandard and potentially dangerous electrical work was carried out without any formal oversight or verification.
The introduction of Part P was driven by concerns about the number of electrical fires and electrocutions in domestic properties, many of which were attributable to poor-quality DIY or cowboy electrical work. The regulations created a framework that requires certain types of electrical work to be either carried out by a qualified registered electrician or formally notified to and inspected by the local authority.
The regulations have been revised since 2005 — most significantly in 2013 when the scope was narrowed to focus on higher-risk work, reducing the administrative burden for straightforward jobs. The current version of Part P reflects a risk-based approach: the more potentially dangerous the work, the more formal the oversight required.
What Electrical Work is Notifiable Under Part P?
Not all electrical work in a dwelling requires notification. Simple maintenance tasks — replacing a socket faceplate, changing a light fitting on an existing circuit, or replacing a damaged light switch — do not need to be notified. But significant electrical work does.
The following types of work are notifiable under Part P:
- Installing a new circuit: Any new circuit from the consumer unit, regardless of where it goes or what it supplies, is notifiable. This includes new socket ring mains, new lighting circuits, new EV charger circuits, and new garden or outbuilding circuits.
- Replacing a consumer unit: Replacing the fuse box or consumer unit is notifiable work. This is one of the most commonly notified types of work.
- Electrical work in kitchens: Any new installation work in a kitchen — new circuits, new socket outlets — is notifiable. This applies even if it is adding to an existing circuit, because kitchens are considered a higher-risk location.
- Electrical work in bathrooms: Any new installation work in a bathroom, wet room, or room containing a bath or shower is notifiable. Like kitchens, these are considered higher-risk locations because of the combination of electricity and water.
- Outdoor wiring: New circuits or significant additions to circuits supplying outdoor locations — garden sockets, garden lighting, outbuildings — are notifiable.
Work that is not notifiable includes: replacing existing socket outlets or switches like for like; replacing a damaged section of existing cable; adding a single socket to an existing circuit in most locations (excluding kitchens and bathrooms); replacing an existing light fitting; and installing or testing equipment such as smoke alarms.
Who Can Certify Part P Work?
There are two routes to compliance for notifiable electrical work in a domestic property.
Route 1: Self-Certification by a Registered Electrician
The most common route — used for the vast majority of domestic electrical work in England — is self-certification by a qualified electrician who is registered with an approved competent person scheme. These schemes, which are approved by the government, allow registered members to certify their own work as compliant with Part P without needing to involve the local authority.
The main approved competent person schemes for electrical work are NICEIC, NAPIT, Elecsa, and STROMA. An electrician registered with one of these schemes can carry out notifiable work, test and certify it, and notify the work to building control on your behalf as part of their registration obligations. You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate confirming the work has been tested and certified as safe.
This is the route you should expect when you hire a qualified electrician to carry out notifiable work. Before the work begins, confirm that the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme and will self-certify the work. After completion, ensure you receive the Electrical Installation Certificate — you will need it.
Route 2: Local Authority Notification
If the work is to be carried out by someone who is not registered with a competent person scheme — including a capable DIYer — the work must be notified to the local authority building control department before it begins. The local authority will then arrange for the completed work to be inspected by a building control officer or an approved inspector.
This route involves a fee payable to the local authority, a lead time before work can begin, and the inconvenience of organising the inspection after completion. It is rarely used in practice because the vast majority of notifiable work is carried out by registered electricians who use the self-certification route.
What Happens if You Do Not Notify?
Failing to notify notifiable electrical work — either by having it self-certified or by notifying the local authority — is a breach of the building regulations. The immediate consequence is that you do not have the documentation you need to demonstrate compliance. The longer-term consequences can be significant.
In theory, the local authority can take enforcement action against a homeowner for failing to notify notifiable work, including requiring the work to be opened up for inspection or removed. In practice, enforcement against homeowners for past work is uncommon. The more immediate practical problem arises when you come to sell the property.
Implications for Selling Your Home
This is where Part P compliance has real and immediate financial implications for homeowners. When you sell a property, your solicitor will complete a seller's property information form that asks you to list all building regulations consents or approvals obtained for work done since 2005. If you have had notifiable electrical work done and cannot produce the certification for it, this creates a problem.
The buyer's solicitor will flag the missing certification. The buyer may be concerned about the quality of unverified electrical work. The mortgage lender may require confirmation that the work is safe. This can delay the sale, require indemnity insurance to be purchased, or in some cases cause the buyer to withdraw.
Indemnity insurance — which can be purchased to protect against enforcement action for historical unpermitted works — is one option, but it does not certify that the work is safe. It only protects against enforcement action. It does not give the buyer or their lender confidence that the work was carried out properly.
The straightforward way to avoid this problem is to always use a registered electrician for notifiable work and to keep all certification documents safe.
How to Check if Previous Work Was Notified
If you have bought a property and are unsure whether previous electrical work was notified, there are a few ways to check. First, look for any Electrical Installation Certificates or Building Regulations Completion Certificates stored with the property documents. Second, contact the local authority building control department — in Exeter this is Exeter City Council — and ask whether any building regulations applications were made for the property. Third, look for registration labels near the consumer unit, which some registered electricians attach when completing work.
If you cannot find evidence that previous work was notified and you are concerned about its safety, the appropriate step is to commission an EICR inspection. While this does not retrospectively certify the work under Part P, it will assess whether the work is safe and whether it meets the current standard. If serious defects are found, they can then be remediated by a registered electrician who will certify the remedial work.
Part P and Consumer Unit Replacement
One of the most common applications of Part P in practice is consumer unit replacement. As discussed above, replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work under Part P. If you commission a consumer unit replacement in Exeter through a NICEIC-registered electrician, the work will be self-certified and you will receive an Electrical Installation Certificate.
This certificate is an important document. It confirms that the work was carried out by a registered person, tested against BS 7671, and found to be safe. Keep it with your property documents. When you sell, your solicitor will include it in the information provided to the buyer's solicitor.
If you are planning a consumer unit replacement or other notifiable electrical work, our service connects you with NICEIC-registered electricians in Exeter who will carry out the work in full compliance with Part P and provide all necessary documentation on completion. You can also view our electrical rewiring service for full and partial rewires, which are also notifiable works requiring certification.
Summary: Key Points About Part P
Part P is not bureaucratic red tape — it is the mechanism that ensures significant electrical work in homes is carried out safely and documented properly. The key points to remember:
- Introduced in 2005 and revised in 2013 to focus on higher-risk work.
- Notifiable work includes: new circuits, consumer unit replacement, outdoor wiring, and work in kitchens and bathrooms.
- The most common compliance route is self-certification by an electrician registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, or another approved scheme.
- You must receive an Electrical Installation Certificate when notifiable work is completed. Keep this document.
- Missing Part P certificates for previous work creates complications when selling and may reduce buyer confidence.