Do I Need a Part P Certificate? Electrical Work and Building Regs (2026)

Last updated: October 2026

If you are about to have electrical work done at home, sooner or later someone will mention a "Part P certificate". Your electrician might bring it up, your buyer's solicitor might ask for one, or you might simply want to know whether a new socket or an electric shower needs signing off. This guide explains, in plain English, which electrical jobs are notifiable under the Building Regulations in England, what paperwork you should actually receive, what happens if an electrician is not registered, and what changed in 2026.

TL;DR

In England, only three kinds of electrical work are notifiable under Part P: a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit (fuse box), and any addition or alteration to circuits in the space around a bath or shower. A registered electrician self-certifies the job, and you receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days.

The short answer: when Part P applies

Part P is the section of the Building Regulations that covers electrical safety in homes. It applies to all electrical installation work in a dwelling, but only some of that work has to be formally notified to building control. That notifiable work is what people mean when they ask whether they "need a Part P certificate".

In England, regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010 lists exactly three types of notifiable electrical work [1]:

• the installation of a new circuit
• the replacement of a consumer unit
• any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location

That is the complete list. Everything else is non-notifiable, which in practice covers most small jobs in most rooms.

Job	Notifiable in England?	Why
Replacing a consumer unit (fuse box)	Yes	Named in regulation 12(6A)
New circuit, such as a cooker, electric shower or EV charger circuit	Yes	A new circuit is notifiable wherever it is
Adding a socket or light within the zone around a bath or shower	Yes	Alteration in a special location
Any addition or alteration in a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater	Yes	Also a special location
Full or partial rewire	Yes	Involves new circuits and usually a new consumer unit
Adding a socket to an existing kitchen ring circuit	No	Kitchens are not special locations in England
Adding an outdoor socket or light from an existing circuit	No	Outdoors is not a special location in England
Replacing a socket, switch or light fitting like for like	No	Repair or replacement outside special locations

Non-notifiable does not mean unregulated. Planning Portal says all electrical work should follow the wiring standard, BS 7671 [3], and it must still be safe.

What counts as a "special location"?

The phrase sounds technical, but the legal definition is short. In England, a special location is the space around a bath tap or shower head in a room containing a bath or shower, measured from the finished floor up to 2.25 metres high (or to the shower head, if it is fixed higher than that), and out to 0.6 metres from the edge of the bath or shower tray, or 1.2 metres from the centre of the shower head where there is no tray [1]. A room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater is also a special location [1].

So a new light above the bath, or an extra socket close to a walk-in shower, is notifiable. A new socket on the far side of a large bathroom, outside that measured space and on an existing circuit, is not, although bathrooms have their own rules on what can be fitted where, which your electrician will apply.

What is not notifiable: kitchens, gardens and like-for-like jobs

Before April 2013, kitchens and outdoor electrics were also caught by the notification rules in England. The 2013 changes narrowed the scope. Electrical Safety First describes the update as reducing "the range of 'notifiable' work, removing some requirements in areas such as kitchens and outdoor spaces" [6], and the old exemptions schedule was rewritten for England from 6 April 2013 [2].

Planning Portal sums up what is left outside the rules: most repairs, replacements and maintenance jobs, and alterations or additions to existing circuits, are not notifiable as long as they fall outside special locations [3].

In practice, these jobs are not usually notifiable in England:

• replacing sockets, switches, ceiling roses and light fittings
• adding sockets or lights to an existing circuit in a kitchen, living room or bedroom
• adding an outdoor light or socket fed from an existing circuit
• replacing a damaged length of cable on a single circuit

The trap is the new circuit. A new induction hob or cooker that needs its own supply, a garden office with its own feed from the consumer unit, an electric shower or a home EV charger all normally mean a new circuit, and that is notifiable wherever it is. If you are planning a charger, our guide to EV charger installation costs in London covers the job in more detail.

There is no single "Part P certificate": what you should actually receive

"Part P certificate" is everyday shorthand rather than the formal name of a document. Even the scheme operators use it loosely: NICEIC tells homeowners that "You'd need a Part P certificate for changes to a consumer unit" [9]. For notifiable work done by a registered electrician, you should actually receive two documents:

1. An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), or for smaller jobs a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate. This is issued by the electrician and confirms the work was designed, installed and tested to BS 7671 [6][10].
2. A Building Regulations compliance certificate. This confirms the work meets the Building Regulations. It is usually sent to you by the electrician's scheme, not handed over on the day [5][10].

The law sets a deadline. Under regulation 20(3), the person carrying out the work must, "not more than 30 days after the completion of the work", give the occupier a copy of the certificate and notify the building control authority [4]. Planning Portal advises that if the compliance certificate has not arrived within 30 days, you should contact the electrician's registration body [5].

For non-notifiable work there is no Building Regulations compliance certificate, but a competent electrician should still give you a Minor Works Certificate or EIC for anything beyond a simple like-for-like swap. Keep every certificate with your house documents. You will want them when you sell.

How registered electricians self-certify: competent person schemes

Most homeowners never deal with building control for electrical work, because their electrician is registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme. Members of these schemes can self-certify notifiable work, and the scheme notifies the council on their behalf [7].

Gov.uk lists the schemes currently authorised for electrical installations in homes, updated 17 September 2026 [7]:

Scheme operator	Notes
Certsure LLP, trading as NICEIC	Electrical installations in dwellings
NAPIT Registration Limited	Covers electrical and other trades
Building Engineering Services Competence Assessment (BESCA)
Blue Flame Certification
APHC (Certification)	Electrical work carried out as part of other work, such as plumbing
OFTEC	Dwellings only

Before you hire, check the business on the Electrical Competent Person Register at electricalcompetentperson.co.uk, which lets you search for a registered business by postcode or company name [11]. Planning Portal recommends checking using the scheme and membership number the electrician should give you [5]. A logo on a van or a website is not proof on its own. Our guide to finding a trusted tradesperson in London covers the wider checks worth making.

If your electrician is not registered

The Building Regulations do not restrict who may carry out electrical work. As Planning Portal puts it, "The building regulations do not restrict who may carry out electrical installation work" [3]. What changes is how notifiable work gets signed off.

If the person doing notifiable work is not registered with a competent person scheme, the job has to be inspected and certified another way, and in either case "The building control body or registered third-party certifier must be notified before work starts" [3]:

• Building control. You, or the installer, give a building notice or full plans application to the council (or a private registered building control approver) before work begins. Building control then inspects and tests the work, and a fee is payable.
• A registered third-party certifier. In England, an unregistered installer can instead use a registered third-party certifier, appointed before the work starts, who inspects and certifies the installation [3][8].

Building control fees are set by each council and published in its building regulations charges scheme, so check your own borough's current schedule before you start. One practical point: when work is done by a registered electrician through a competent person scheme, you do not normally need to make your own building control application for the electrical work, because the scheme notifies the council for you.

The same applies to DIY. You can do your own electrical work in England, but notifiable DIY work must be notified to building control before you start, then inspected and tested. Electrical Safety First's advice is direct: "Any electrical work should be left to competent professionals" [12]. This guide deliberately does not give step-by-step instructions for notifiable work.

What if notifiable work was never certified?

Missing paperwork is common, especially in older London housing stock that has been through several owners and landlords. There are three usual routes, depending on the situation.

1. Ask for a duplicate. If the work was done by a registered electrician and simply lost, the electrician or their scheme can usually supply a copy. For NICEIC work, for example, duplicate compliance certificates can be bought through the certificate-checking service linked from NICEIC's help hub [9].

2. Apply for a regularisation certificate. In England, regulation 18 lets an owner apply to the council for a regularisation certificate for unauthorised work carried out on or after 11 November 1985 [13]. The council may ask for the work to be opened up, tested or sampled before it is satisfied [13]. With wiring buried in walls, that can mean some disruption, and regularisation is usually charged separately from a standard building notice, so ask your council first.

3. Speak to your conveyancer about indemnity insurance. If you are selling, a buyer's solicitor may accept an indemnity policy instead. Be careful about the order of events: the HomeOwners Alliance warns that "indemnity insurance policies become invalid if anyone makes an approach to the local council" [14]. Take your conveyancer's advice before contacting building control.

Which? also points out that, if unregistered work leaves you with an uncertified installation, another electrician generally cannot simply sign off work they did not design or supervise [15]. They can, however, inspect it and tell you whether it is safe.

Is it a criminal offence?

Contravening the Building Regulations is an offence under section 35 of the Building Act 1984, punishable by a fine or, in serious cases, imprisonment [16]. Councils can also serve a notice requiring non-compliant work to be removed or altered, and in England the time limit for serving that notice is now 10 years after completion, up from 12 months, following changes that took effect on 1 October 2023 [17]. Transitional rules may apply to older work, but guidance that still quotes a flat 12-month limit is out of date for England.

What changed in 2026: BS 7671 Amendment 4

The notifiable list itself has not changed in 2026. What has changed is the wiring standard that electricians certify against.

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, known as Amendment 4, was published on 15 April 2026 [18]. BSI states that the previous edition, BS 7671:2018+A2:2022+A3:2024, "will be officially withdrawn on 15 October 2026" [18]. NICEIC tells its members that "From 15 October onwards, you will need to carry out EICRs to Amendment 4" [19].

For a homeowner, the practical effect is small:

• certificates and condition reports issued from mid-October 2026 should refer to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
• the amendment does not change which jobs are notifiable, because that list sits in the Building Regulations, not in BS 7671
• for landlords, NICEIC says that an "FI" (further investigation) code on its own no longer makes a condition report unsatisfactory [19]

Selling, letting and insuring your home

Selling. When you sell, your buyer's solicitor will usually ask about electrical work and request the certificates for anything notifiable, such as a rewire or a replacement fuse box. Which? warns that missing certification can delay or even stop a sale, and that an EICR or indemnity insurance may be needed, although an EICR does not replace the installation certificate [15]. Gathering the EIC and compliance certificate before you list saves time.

Letting. Landlords have a separate duty. Under the private rented sector electrical safety rules, the installation must be inspected and tested at least every five years, usually through an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), and any remedial work must be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so [20]. An EICR is not a Part P certificate: it checks the condition of an existing installation, whereas an EIC certifies new work. Our EICR guide for London explains costs and timescales.

Keeping records. Whoever asks, whether a buyer, a council or your insurer, having the right certificates for notifiable work is the simplest way to show it was done properly.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ

This guide covers England, which includes London. The rules elsewhere in the UK are different:

• Wales kept a wider scope. Planning Portal notes that "In Wales, special locations include kitchens and outdoors" [3], so more jobs are notifiable there.
• Scotland does not use Part P. Electrical work is covered by the Scottish building standards system, with building warrants where required [6][21].
• Northern Ireland has no equivalent statutory notification requirement, according to Electrical Safety First [6], although using a registered electrician is still strongly advised.

How much does certified electrical work cost?

For a registered electrician, certification is part of doing the job properly, so ask for the EIC or Minor Works Certificate and the scheme notification to be included in your written quote. As a guide to scale, Which?'s survey of its Trusted Traders put a fuse box replacement at £500 to £1,500, excluding VAT, adding that "Prices are likely to be at the upper end of the scale if you live in London or the South East" [22]. Prices vary with the size of the home, access and what the electrician finds, so always get written quotes.

Our fuse box upgrade cost guide and house rewire cost guide give London figures for the two most common notifiable jobs. If you are not sure whether your wiring needs work at all, start with the signs you need to rewire your house.

Before you hire: six questions to ask your electrician

1. Is this job notifiable under Part P? A good electrician will answer clearly, and explain why.
2. Which competent person scheme are you registered with, and what is your membership number? Check it on the Electrical Competent Person Register.
3. Will you notify the work and issue the certificates? Expect an EIC or Minor Works Certificate on completion, and a compliance certificate from the scheme within 30 days.
4. Is certification included in the quote? It should be, for a registered installer.
5. Will the work be certified to BS 7671 Amendment 4? From 15 October 2026 it should be.
6. What insurance do you hold? Public liability insurance protects you if something goes wrong during the job.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Part P certificate for a new socket?

Usually not, in England. Adding a socket to an existing circuit is not notifiable unless it is in the space around a bath or shower, so no Building Regulations compliance certificate is needed. The work must still be safe and meet BS 7671, and a competent electrician should give you a Minor Works Certificate. Wales has wider rules.

Is kitchen electrical work notifiable?

Not in England, since the April 2013 changes, unless the job involves a new circuit or a replacement consumer unit. Adding sockets or lights to an existing kitchen circuit is not notifiable. A new dedicated circuit, for example for a cooker or induction hob, is notifiable because every new circuit is. In Wales, kitchens remain special locations.

Is replacing a fuse box notifiable?

Yes. In England, replacing a consumer unit is one of the three types of notifiable electrical work named in the Building Regulations. A registered electrician will self-certify the job through their competent person scheme. If your electrician is not registered, building control or a registered third-party certifier must be notified before the work starts.

How long does it take to get a Building Regulations compliance certificate?

The law says the installer must give you a copy of the certificate and notify building control within 30 days of completing the work. In practice the compliance certificate is usually posted to you by the electrician's scheme. If nothing arrives after 30 days, chase the electrician first, then contact their scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT.

Can an electrician sign off someone else's work?

Generally not. A registered electrician self-certifies work they have designed, installed or supervised, so they cannot usually issue certificates for an installation they did not do. They can inspect it and produce a condition report on its safety. For uncertified notifiable work, the usual routes are a council regularisation certificate or, when selling, indemnity insurance.

What happens if I sell a house without electrical certificates?

The buyer's solicitor will usually ask for certificates for notifiable work, such as a rewire or new fuse box. You can request duplicates from the electrician or scheme, apply to the council for regularisation, or agree indemnity insurance. Speak to your conveyancer before contacting the council, because an approach to the council can invalidate an indemnity policy.

Find a registered local electrician

Whether you need a new circuit, a replacement fuse box or simply a clear answer on whether your job needs signing off, Loacally connects you with verified local tradespeople across London. Find a trusted local electrician near you and ask them to confirm the certification in writing before work starts.

Sources

1. legislation.gov.uk. "The Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12" (England, regs 12(6A) and 12(9)). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/regulation/12 (accessed 15 October 2026)
2. legislation.gov.uk. "The Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 4." https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/schedule/4 (accessed 15 October 2026)
3. Planning Portal. "Electrics: Building Regulations general information." https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information (accessed 15 October 2026)
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