Non-Notifiable Electrical Work: What Does Not Need Part P

Non-notifiable electrical work is work that does not need to be reported (notified) to the local authority building control department. Under Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales), certain types of electrical work in domestic dwellings require notification to building control — either by a registered competent person who self-certifies the work, or by the homeowner/builder who notifies building control directly and pays for an inspection.

Non-notifiable work falls below this threshold. It can be carried out by anyone — qualified electrician, general builder, or homeowner — without the need for building control notification. However, and this is critically important, non-notifiable work must still comply with BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 (the Wiring Regulations). The fact that notification is not required does not mean the work can be done to a lower standard or without following the regulations.

The distinction between notifiable and non-notifiable work is defined in Approved Document P (2013 edition with 2016 amendments) of the Building Regulations. Understanding this distinction is essential for every electrician to advise customers correctly and to know when certification and notification are required.

Part P of the Building Regulations applies to electrical installations in dwellings (houses, flats, maisonettes) in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building regulations with different requirements. Part P was introduced in 2005 to improve the safety of domestic electrical installations by requiring certain types of work to be inspected and certified.

The current version is Approved Document P, 2013 edition incorporating 2016 amendments. This version simplified the notification requirements compared to the original 2005 version. The key principle is that work which creates a new circuit or involves work in a special location is notifiable, while minor work on existing circuits in normal locations is non-notifiable.

Compliance with Part P can be demonstrated in two ways: by having the work carried out by a person who is registered with a competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA, etc.) who will self-certify the work, or by notifying building control before the work starts, paying the applicable fee, and having the work inspected by a building control officer or approved inspector.

Like-for-like replacement means replacing an existing electrical accessory or component with an equivalent item in the same location. This is the most common type of non-notifiable work. Examples include:

The key words are "like-for-like" and "same location." If you are moving the accessory to a different position, adding a new accessory, or upgrading the circuit (for example, replacing a radial circuit with a ring), this goes beyond like-for-like and may be notifiable depending on the location.

Note that like-for-like replacements are non-notifiable even in special locations. You can replace a bathroom light fitting with a new one in the same position without notification. However, adding a new light fitting in a bathroom where one did not exist before is notifiable.

Adding a socket outlet, lighting point, or fused spur to an existing circuit is non-notifiable — but only if the work is NOT in a special location. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of Part P.

Even when adding accessories to existing circuits in non-special locations (which is non-notifiable), the work must comply with BS 7671. This means the cable must be correctly sized for the circuit, the circuit must not be overloaded, the earthing and bonding must be correct, and the completed work should be tested.

Special locations are areas where the risk of electric shock is increased due to the presence of water, damp conditions, or reduced body resistance. Under Part P, any electrical installation work (beyond like-for-like replacement) in a special location is notifiable.

For clarity, here is a summary of work that IS notifiable under Part P and therefore requires either a registered competent person or building control notification:

If you are unsure whether work is notifiable, the safest approach is to treat it as notifiable. The consequences of carrying out notifiable work without notification can include enforcement action by building control, difficulty selling the property, and potential prosecution if the work is found to be unsafe.

Non-notifiable electrical work can legally be carried out by anyone — there is no legal requirement for the person to be qualified or registered. This means a homeowner can legally carry out non-notifiable work themselves as a DIY task.

However, the work must still comply with BS 7671. This is not optional — it is a legal requirement under the Building Regulations. Common DIY electrical errors include: reversed polarity (line and neutral swapped), missing or incorrect earth connections, cables not protected against mechanical damage, incorrect cable sizes for the circuit loading, failure to test the completed work, and failure to consider the impact of adding loads to existing circuits.

For homeowners, our strong recommendation is to use a qualified electrician for all electrical work, including non-notifiable work. The cost of having a professional carry out the work is modest compared to the safety risks of incorrect DIY electrical work. A qualified electrician will also issue a Minor Works certificate documenting the work, which protects both the homeowner and the electrician.

Although there is no legal requirement to issue a certificate for non-notifiable work, best practice (and most competent person scheme provider requirements) is to issue a Minor Works certificate for any electrical work carried out. This provides:

A Minor Works certificate is appropriate for additions and alterations to existing circuits that do not require a full EIC. For like-for-like replacements, some electricians issue a Minor Works certificate; others provide a simple written confirmation of the work carried out. Either approach is acceptable, but a Minor Works certificate is more professional and more useful as documentary evidence.

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Several types of work fall into grey areas where it is not immediately obvious whether the work is notifiable. Here are the most common:

Elec-Mate makes it easy to issue professional Minor Works certificates for non-notifiable work. The app includes a Minor Works certificate template that captures all the required information: description of work, circuit details, test results, and declaration. Every test result is auto-validated against BS 7671 limits.

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For notifiable work, Elec-Mate generates full Electrical Installation Certificates with complete schedules of test results. The 70+ electrical calculators help you verify cable sizes, voltage drop, and Zs values for every circuit. The 8 Elec-AI agents can answer Part P questions in real time on site.