Part P Building Regulations: Which Electrical Work Is Notifiable in England? (UK Guide 2026)

What is Part P of the Building Regulations?

Part P is the section of the Building Regulations that governs electrical installations in dwellings in England. It applies to houses, flats, HMOs, and garden buildings that are used as habitable space. It does not apply to commercial premises, which are covered by separate regulations.

Part P was introduced in 2005 and significantly revised in 2013. The 2013 revision narrowed the scope of notifiable work, removing a number of categories that had been notifiable under the original rules, and brought the regulations more in line with how the electrical industry actually works in practice.

The purpose of Part P is to reduce the risk of fire and electric shock from electrical work carried out in people's homes, particularly work done by homeowners or unqualified tradespeople who may not be aware of current wiring standards. Before Part P, there was no legal mechanism for ensuring that domestic electrical work was safe or recorded — a homeowner could rewire their kitchen themselves with no oversight whatsoever.

It is important to note that Part P applies in England only. Scotland has its own technical standards under the Building (Scotland) Regulations. Wales follows its own version of the Building Regulations, and Northern Ireland operates under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland). If you are working outside England, you will need to check the relevant regulations for your jurisdiction.

Notifiable vs non-notifiable work: the key table

The most important practical question under Part P is whether the work you are planning to do needs to be notified. The table below summarises the two categories. When in doubt, the safe position is always to treat the work as notifiable — either by using a registered competent person or by notifying Building Control before work begins.

The logic behind the notifiable categories is risk. Bathrooms and kitchens are high-risk areas because electricity and water are in close proximity. New circuits introduce new wiring to the installation, where errors in sizing, routing, or protection can cause fires. Consumer unit replacements affect the safety of every circuit in the property. Garden and outbuilding work is notifiable because underground cables and outdoor installations are particularly vulnerable to damage and corrosion.

Non-notifiable work is generally replacing existing equipment on a like-for-like basis, where the circuit and its protection remain unchanged. The risk introduced by swapping a socket for a new socket is low enough that the law does not require formal oversight — though the work must still comply with BS 7671 and be done competently.

The two compliance routes

If the work is notifiable, there are two ways to comply with Part P. Both are legally valid. The route you choose will depend on whether you are using a registered contractor or doing the work yourself.

Route 2 is the standard route for professional electricians. The vast majority of notifiable electrical work in dwellings is certified through a competent person scheme rather than through Building Control. For homeowners and DIYers doing their own notifiable work, Route 1 via Building Control is the only available option.

Competent person schemes for electricians

To self-certify notifiable work under Part P, an electrician must be registered with a government-approved competent person scheme. There are several approved schemes for electrical work in England:

When hiring an electrician for notifiable work, always ask for their scheme registration number and check it on the relevant scheme's website before work begins. A legitimate registered contractor will be listed, and their registration will show the scope of work they are authorised to self-certify. An electrician who cannot provide a valid registration number cannot legally self-certify the work — you would need to use Route 1 through Building Control instead.

What happens if notifiable work is done without notification?

Carrying out notifiable work without notifying Building Control or using a registered competent person is a breach of the Building Regulations. In most cases, this does not result in immediate enforcement action — but the consequences typically surface when the property is sold.

• Difficulty selling the property: When a property is sold, the buyer's solicitor will ask for evidence of compliance for any notifiable electrical work carried out since 2005. If no certificate or Building Control completion notice exists, the solicitor may require the seller to obtain a Regularisation Certificate from Building Control, take out indemnity insurance, or have the work inspected and potentially remedied before exchange.
• Building Control enforcement: Building Control has powers to issue an enforcement notice requiring non-compliant work to be opened up for inspection, remedied, or removed. In practice this is rare for domestic electrical work, but the power exists and can be exercised.
• Fines: Non-compliance with the Building Regulations can result in a fine. The legislation provides for fines for contravening the regulations, though prosecutions for domestic Part P breaches are uncommon.
• Insurance implications: If an electrical fault causes a fire and the work was carried out without the required notification, a home insurer may use the breach of Building Regulations as grounds to dispute or reduce a claim. This is a real risk that homeowners and landlords should take seriously.

A Regularisation Certificate can be obtained retrospectively from Building Control, but it requires the work to be inspected (and potentially opened up to allow the inspector to see what was done), and it costs more than notifying in advance. The correct certificate at the time of work is always cheaper and simpler than dealing with the problem later.

Part P for landlords: does it affect rental properties?

Yes. Part P applies to all dwellings in England, including rental properties. If you commission notifiable electrical work at a property you let out, you are responsible for ensuring that the work is either carried out by a registered competent person who can self-certify, or that Building Control has been notified in advance.

The Electrical Installation Certificate or Building Control completion notice issued after the work is completed is a document that belongs to the property. You should keep it alongside your other electrical compliance records — including the EICR — and you are required to provide it to tenants on request. When a tenancy ends and a new tenant moves in, this paperwork forms part of the evidence that the property's electrical installation is safe and compliant.

Landlords who have notifiable work carried out by an unregistered electrician who does not obtain Building Control approval are in a difficult position. Their EICR obligation (separate to Part P, under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations 2020) requires a valid EICR every five years, but an EICR does not substitute for Part P compliance — they are separate requirements. An EICR inspects the installation as it exists; it does not retrospectively certify compliance with the notification requirements for earlier work.

In short: always use a registered electrician for notifiable work at rental properties, and always retain the certificates. The combination of an up-to-date EICR and proper certificates for all notifiable work is what gives landlords a clean compliance record and protects them in the event of a dispute.

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