Part P building regs explained

What Part P actually is

Part P applies to homes in England and says, in essence, that electrical work in a dwelling must be designed and installed safely. Certain higher-risk jobs — called notifiable work — also have to be declared to building control so there's an official record that the work was done to standard. It has been law since 2005, so any significant electrical work done since then should have paperwork behind it.

Notifiable work — the jobs that count

The main categories of notifiable domestic work are:

• New circuits — a new circuit for a shower, cooker, EV charger, garden office or hot tub, for example.
• Consumer unit replacement — swapping the fuse board is always notifiable.
• Work in special locations — bathrooms and shower rooms most commonly, where water raises the stakes.

A full rewire ticks the first box several times over, which is why rewires always come with building-regs certification.

What's not notifiable

Plenty of everyday work sits outside the notification net: like-for-like replacement of sockets, switches and light fittings, adding a socket or light to an existing circuit (outside special locations), and repairs to existing wiring. Not notifiable doesn't mean unregulated — the work still has to be done safely and to BS 7671 — it just doesn't need declaring to building control.

How registered electricians save you the council fee

There are two routes to compliance for notifiable work. Route one: notify building control yourself before starting, pay the fee, and have the council inspect. Route two: use an electrician registered with a competent-person scheme, who self-certifies the work and notifies on your behalf — no separate fee, no waiting for an inspector. We're NAPIT registered, which means jobs like consumer unit replacement include the notification and certification as part of the price. Route two is cheaper, faster and how virtually all domestic work gets done.

The paperwork you should receive

• Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) — for new circuits, consumer units and rewires, confirming the work was tested against BS 7671.
• Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate — for smaller additions and alterations.
• Building Regulations Compliance Certificate — posted or emailed after a scheme-registered electrician notifies your notifiable job. This is the one people lose, and the one solicitors ask about.

Why it matters when you sell

Conveyancing questionnaires ask directly whether electrical work has been carried out and whether certificates exist. Missing paperwork doesn't make a sale impossible, but it invites delays, indemnity insurance costs or a demand for an electrical inspection at the worst possible moment. A folder with your certificates in it is one of the cheapest stress-avoiders in the whole house-selling process. Certificates can usually be reissued by the original electrician or scheme if they've gone missing — another reason to use a registered firm that keeps records.

What about work done before you owned the house?

A common Blackpool scenario: you've bought a terrace, found a modern-looking fuse board, but the seller passed on no certificates. You're not on the hook for the previous owner's paperwork, and there's no obligation to rip anything out. The practical move is an EICR — it tests the installation as it stands and gives you your own dated record of its condition, which is usually what buyers, insurers and mortgage lenders actually want to see. Where uncertified work turns out to be sound, the report says so; where it doesn't, you'll know exactly what needs putting right.

The short version

New circuits, fuse board swaps and bathroom electrics need notifying; a registered electrician handles that for you invisibly. Keep every certificate you're given. And if you'd like to check our registrations before booking, they're all listed on our qualifications and insurance page, including NAPIT membership and £2M public liability cover.