Part P Explained for UK Electricians — Notifiable Work, Building Regs and Competent Person Schemes (2026)

What Part P Actually Is

Part P is a section of the Building Regulations for England and Wales. It covers electrical safety in dwellings — that is, homes — and the areas associated with them: gardens, outbuildings, sheds, detached garages, greenhouses and shared amenities such as the communal areas of a block of flats. Its core requirement is simple to state: electrical installation work must be designed and installed so that it protects people against fire and electric shock.

In practice, "designed and installed safely" means built to BS 7671 — the IET Wiring Regulations. BS 7671 is the technical standard; Part P is the legal duty that points to it. Meeting Part P is about doing the work to BS 7671 and then making sure the right work is notified and certificated.

Crucially, Part P only applies to dwellings. Commercial, industrial and most non-domestic installations still have to comply with BS 7671 — they're not exempt from electrical safety — but they fall outside Part P. So a shop rewire is a BS 7671 job but not a Part P job; a kitchen rewire in a house is both.

Notifiable vs Non-Notifiable Work

Not all domestic electrical work has to be reported to anyone. Part P splits jobs into two groups: notifiable work, which must be notified to building control (or self-certified by a registered electrician), and non-notifiable work, which still has to comply fully with BS 7671 but doesn't require a notification.

As a general guide, notifiable work includes:

• Installing a new circuit (for example a new ring final, a dedicated cooker circuit or a new outdoor supply)
• Replacing or changing a consumer unit (fuse board / distribution board)
• Any work in a special location — most commonly a room containing a bath or shower, i.e. the zones around baths and showers where the risk of shock is higher

Non-notifiable work — which you must still carry out and certify to BS 7671 — generally includes things like:

• Like-for-like repairs and maintenance
• Replacing accessories such as sockets, switches, light fittings and ceiling roses
• Adding a socket, light, fused spur or other point to an existing circuit, provided it is not in a special location such as a bathroom

The exact boundary between notifiable and non-notifiable has changed several times since Part P was introduced — at one point a wider range of jobs was notifiable, and the scope was later narrowed. Don't rely on memory or an old training course. Always check the current Approved Document P for the definitive list before deciding whether a job needs notifying.

The Three Ways to Comply With Part P

When a job is notifiable, there are three recognised routes to getting it signed off legally. Most professional electricians only ever use the first.

1. Self-certify through a competent person scheme

This is the normal route for working electricians. If you are a registered member of a government-authorised competent person scheme, you can self-certify your own notifiable work. You complete the installation to BS 7671, issue the electrical certificate, and notify building control through your scheme — which then arranges for the homeowner to receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. No separate visit from the council is needed, no extra building control fee, and the job is fully compliant.

2. Notify building control before you start

If you are not registered with a competent person scheme — which includes most DIYers and some non-registered installers — you must notify the local authority building control department before the work begins. Building control then inspects the work (often at first-fix and on completion) and signs it off, issuing the compliance certificate. This route is slower and costlier because of the building control fee and the inspection visits, and it can delay a job significantly.

3. Use a registered third-party certifier

In limited circumstances, work carried out by a non-registered person can be inspected, tested and certified by a separate registered third party (a registered electrician acting as an independent certifier through an authorised scheme). This is less common in day-to-day practice but exists as a route where the installer isn't scheme-registered but wants a registered professional to certify the outcome.

Competent Person Schemes

A competent person scheme is a government-authorised body that registers electricians who have demonstrated they can carry out work to BS 7671 and self-certify it against the Building Regulations. The main schemes for electrical work in England and Wales include NICEIC, NAPIT and ELECSA, alongside others such as STROMA and BSI-registered routes. Being on one of these schemes is how the vast majority of electricians handle Part P efficiently.

Joining a scheme isn't a formality — it involves an assessment of your competence, evidence of the right qualifications (typically the relevant Level 3 electrical qualifications plus the current edition of BS 7671 / the 18th Edition), proof that you have the correct test instruments and that they're calibrated, and a review of sample installations. Membership is then maintained through periodic on-site assessments and ongoing checks, so it's a continuous commitment rather than a one-off badge.

The benefits are significant:

• Self-certification of notifiable work without involving building control
• A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate issued to your customer automatically through the scheme
• Credibility — homeowners, letting agents and surveyors recognise the scheme logos, and many customers will only hire a registered electrician

The Certificates That Matter

Whatever route you use, the homeowner should end up with paperwork. There are two documents to be clear about:

• An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) — or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller jobs — confirming the work was designed, installed, inspected and tested to BS 7671. This is the safety record for the installation itself.
• A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate — the notification record confirming the notifiable work was reported and complies with Part P. This is issued via your competent person scheme or by building control.

These matter for more than tidiness. They're the safety record for the property, they're routinely requested by solicitors and surveyors when a house is sold or remortgaged, and they support the homeowner's insurance position if there's ever a fire or claim. Always hand the customer their certificates and keep your own copies — missing paperwork is one of the most common reasons a sale stalls.

Penalties and Consequences of Unnotified Work

Carrying out notifiable work without notifying it is a breach of the Building Regulations, and the consequences land on both the installer and the homeowner. Local authorities have a range of powers:

• They can require the work to be put right or removed to bring it into compliance, at the responsible person's expense.
• Building control can issue an enforcement notice compelling correction within a set period.
• There are financial penalties for contravening the regulations — you can be prosecuted and fined for unnotified notifiable work.

Beyond enforcement, the practical fallout is severe. When the property is sold, the lack of certificates flags up in the conveyancing process — buyers' solicitors ask for them, and their absence can delay or collapse a sale, or force the seller to pay for a retrospective inspection (a regularisation application) to put things right. On top of that there are the reputational and safety risks: word travels fast, and unsafe or undocumented work can leave you exposed if something goes wrong. The cost of doing it properly is always lower than the cost of fixing it after the fact.

Practical Tips for Electricians

• Know what's notifiable. Before quoting, decide whether the job is notifiable and price the certification and notification into the job from the start.
• Join a competent person scheme. NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA membership lets you self-certify and is the cheapest, fastest way to stay compliant on domestic work.
• Always test and certificate. Issue the correct EIC or Minor Works Certificate for every job, notifiable or not — your test results are your proof of compliance with BS 7671.
• Register notifications promptly. Notify notifiable work through your scheme as soon as it's complete, not weeks later.
• Give the customer their certificates. Hand over the EIC and Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, and keep your own copies on file.
• Check the nation. Part P is England and Wales. If you're working in Scotland or Northern Ireland, follow the relevant local building standards instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What electrical work is notifiable under Part P?

Broadly, installing a new circuit, replacing or changing a consumer unit (fuse board), and any work in a special location such as a room containing a bath or shower. Like-for-like repairs, replacing accessories and adding points to an existing circuit outside a special location are generally non-notifiable — though they must still comply with BS 7671. Because the scope has changed over the years, always confirm against the current Approved Document P.

Do I need to be registered to do domestic electrical work?

You don't legally have to be registered to carry out domestic electrical work, but for notifiable work you must either be registered with a competent person scheme (so you can self-certify) or notify building control before you start so they can inspect and sign it off. Registration is what makes notifiable work practical to deliver — without it, every notifiable job means a building control application, fees and inspections.

Does Part P apply in Scotland?

No. Part P is part of the Building Regulations for England and Wales only. Scotland operates under its own building standards system, and Northern Ireland has separate building regulations too. The underlying electrical standard (BS 7671) is used across the UK, but the legal framework for notifying and certifying domestic electrical work differs by nation — always check the rules where you're working.