Part P requires notification to building control for specific types of domestic electrical work. This guide covers exactly what is notifiable, how the building notice process works, what it costs, and why the completion certificate is essential.
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Written and reviewed by Andrew Moore, founder of Elec-Mate, against BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, IET Guidance Note 3 and the IET On-Site Guide.
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Part P of the Building Regulations (England) introduced mandatory notification for certain types of domestic electrical work in January 2005. The notification requirement exists because electrical installations in dwellings had historically been carried out without any form of oversight, and the consequences — house fires, electrocution, and dangerous installations — were significant.
The system is based on two routes to compliance: self-certification by a registered competent person scheme member, or prior notification to building control. The intent is that higher-risk electrical work — work that creates new circuits, work in dangerous locations such as kitchens and bathrooms, or work that involves the main distribution equipment — is checked by someone who can verify it is safe and compliant with BS 7671.
Approved Document P was revised in 2013, narrowing the scope of notifiable work significantly. The 2013 revision removed the notification requirement for adding sockets to existing circuits in most rooms, which reduced the administrative burden considerably while maintaining oversight of higher-risk work.
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Approved Document P (2013) defines notifiable work precisely. The following categories of electrical work in dwellings are notifiable:
Any new circuit — for an EV charger, heat pump, battery storage system, new kitchen appliance circuit, additional lighting circuit, or any other purpose — is notifiable. This includes new circuits installed as part of a loft conversion or extension.
Replacing a consumer unit (fuse board) with a new unit is notifiable regardless of the reason. This is one of the most common notifiable jobs — consumer unit upgrades to provide RCD protection, metal enclosures (required post-2016), or additional ways.
Installing new circuits for a cooker, dishwasher, washing machine, or additional sockets in a kitchen is notifiable. Like-for-like replacement of existing accessories in a kitchen on an existing circuit is non-notifiable.
Any electrical work in a bathroom or shower room — other than like-for-like replacement of accessories on existing circuits — is notifiable. This includes new shower circuits, electric towel rail supplies, fan circuits, lighting changes, and shaver socket installation.
New outdoor socket circuits, garden lighting circuits, and supplies to outbuildings (garages, sheds, summer houses, workshops) are all notifiable because they involve new circuits from the consumer unit.
Where the electrician is not registered with a competent person scheme, the homeowner must notify the local authority building control department before notifiable work commences. The process is:
The building notice remains valid for 3 years from the date of submission. If work does not commence within 3 years, a new building notice must be submitted.
For working electricians, the most practical route to Part P compliance is membership of an approved competent person scheme. Registered members can self-certify notifiable work without involving building control. The scheme notifies the local authority automatically within 30 days of the work being completed.
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Building notice fees are set by each local authority and can vary significantly. The table below gives typical fee ranges for common notifiable electrical work:
| Type of Work | Typical Fee Range |
|---|---|
| Consumer unit replacement | £180 – £320 |
| New single circuit (e.g. EV charger, cooker) | £200 – £350 |
| New bathroom electrical work | £200 – £380 |
| Outbuilding supply (new circuit) | £200 – £400 |
| Full rewire (multiple circuits) | £400 – £800+ |
These fees represent a significant cost per job compared with the annual membership fee for a competent person scheme. An electrician carrying out just 3 to 4 notifiable jobs per year who is not scheme-registered would pay more in building notice fees than a year's scheme membership. For electricians doing regular domestic work, competent person scheme membership is nearly always the more economical route.
Building notice fees are the homeowner's cost, not the electrician's. However, the time delays associated with building control — waiting for acknowledgement before starting, arranging the completion inspection — are the electrician's problem. Scheme membership eliminates these delays.
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Start free trialA completion certificate (also called a Building Regulations completion certificate) is issued by building control after they have inspected the completed notifiable work and are satisfied that it complies with the Building Regulations. For work self-certified by a competent person scheme member, an equivalent certificate is issued by the electrician on behalf of the scheme.
The certificate confirms:
The homeowner should keep the completion certificate indefinitely. It is a permanent record of the electrical work carried out and will be requested by buyers' solicitors when the property is sold. Losing the certificate does not extinguish the record — building control maintains records, and the competent person scheme database retains records — but obtaining a copy retrospectively takes time and may cause delays in a property sale.
The Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate issued by the electrician is separate from the Part P completion certificate but is an important companion document. The EIC or MEIWC records the technical details of the installation, including test results, and should be issued alongside the Part P certificate for every notifiable job.
When a homeowner sells their property, the conveyancing process requires disclosure of any building work carried out. The buyer's solicitors will ask for evidence of Building Regulations compliance for any notifiable electrical work. Without a completion certificate, the sale can be delayed or complicated.
An EICR carried out at point of sale can provide some assurance about the condition of the electrical installation, but it does not substitute for Part P compliance documentation for specific notifiable works. Both the EICR and the original certificates serve different purposes.
The notification process should be seamless for electricians who are registered with an approved competent person scheme. The key is issuing the correct certificates at the end of every job and ensuring the scheme processes the notification promptly.
Elec-Mate lets you complete your EIC or Minor Works Certificate on your phone on site, and send the PDF to the homeowner immediately. No forgetting to issue certificates, no chasing paperwork later.
Not sure if a specific job is notifiable? Elec-Mate's AI assistant can check Part P requirements on site and help you advise the homeowner accurately. Avoid missing a notification or over-notifying non-notifiable work.
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