Part P building regulations, explained plainly
Part P is short, frequently misquoted and genuinely matters when you sell a house. It does not say only electricians may touch wiring. It says certain work has to be notified and shown to meet the standard.
What Part P actually says
Part P of the Building Regulations applies to fixed electrical installations in dwellings in England and Wales. Its requirement is simple: reasonable provision must be made in the design, installation, inspection and testing of electrical work to protect people from fire and injury. The technical detail of how you meet that sits in BS 7671, the wiring regulations.
It does not create a licence to practise. There is no legal requirement in the UK to be a qualified electrician to work on your own home. What Part P creates is a notification duty for certain categories of work, and a route by which registered electricians can discharge that duty themselves.
Which jobs are notifiable
In Wales the notifiable categories are broader than in England. Notifiable work includes installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location such as a bathroom or a room containing a swimming pool. In Wales, work in kitchens and outdoors also falls within the notifiable scope, which catches out a lot of people who have read English guidance.
Non notifiable work generally covers like for like replacement of accessories, repairs, and adding a socket or a lighting point to an existing circuit outside a special location. That work still has to comply with the standard and still needs to be inspected and tested. Non notifiable does not mean unregulated.
- Notifiable: new circuits, consumer unit replacement, special locations
- In Wales: also kitchens and outdoor installations
- Non notifiable: like for like replacement and repairs, but still must comply
- All work should be tested and certificated regardless of notification
Self certification and the three routes
There are three lawful ways to get notifiable work signed off. The first and by far the easiest is to use an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, who certifies the work and notifies the local authority on your behalf. You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate and a building regulations compliance certificate, usually within a few weeks.
The second is to submit a building notice to the local authority before starting, and pay them to inspect the work. The third is to have the completed work assessed by a registered third party certifier. The second and third routes cost more and involve more of your time, which is why the first route accounts for almost all domestic work.
What happens if work was never notified
It usually surfaces during a sale, when the buyer's solicitor asks for certificates for the new kitchen or the extension and there are none. The practical outcomes are a retrospective regularisation application to the local authority, an indemnity policy, or a price reduction. None of those are catastrophic, but all of them are more expensive and slower than notifying at the time.
The route back is to have the installation inspected and tested by a registered electrician, who produces a condition report on what exists and certifies any remedial work. That report plus a regularisation application is normally what satisfies a buyer's solicitor. Start it early: it takes weeks, not days.
- Missing certificates typically appear during conveyancing
- An EICR documents the current condition of unnotified work
- Regularisation through the local authority is the formal route
- Indemnity insurance covers the risk but does not fix the wiring
Scotland, Northern Ireland and why guidance differs
Part P applies to England and Wales only. Scotland works to its own Building Standards and Northern Ireland to its own regulations, so advice found online frequently does not apply where you live. Within England and Wales the notifiable scope now differs too, with Wales retaining the wider list including kitchens and outdoor work.
For a homeowner in Merthyr Tydfil, Cardiff or Swansea the practical summary is straightforward: the scope of what needs notifying is wider than the English guidance most search results serve up, so assume a new kitchen circuit or an outdoor supply is notifiable and use a registered electrician.
Official guidance
This guide is general information. For the final word on your own situation, use the official sources below.
Common questions
Can I do my own electrical work legally?
In England and Wales you may work on your own home, but notifiable work must be notified and shown to comply, either through building control or a third party certifier. Most people use a registered electrician because it is simpler and cheaper.
Is adding a socket notifiable?
Adding a socket to an existing circuit outside a special location is generally not notifiable. In Wales, kitchens and outdoor locations are within scope, so the same job can be notifiable there.
What certificate proves Part P compliance?
The building regulations compliance certificate issued through the electrician's competent person scheme, alongside the Electrical Installation Certificate for the work itself.
What if previous owners did unnotified work?
Have it inspected and tested, then apply for regularisation with the local authority. Buyers' solicitors usually accept a condition report plus regularisation, though indemnity insurance is sometimes used instead.
Does Part P apply to commercial premises?
No. Part P applies to dwellings. Commercial installations are covered by other legislation and by BS 7671 in the usual way.