Part P and Notifiable Electrical Work: An England Homeowner's Guide

Part P requires domestic electrical installation work in England to meet safety requirements; new circuits, replacement consumer units and additions or alterations in defined special locations are notifiable.

For homeowners, the practical task is to classify the proposed work, agree responsibility for compliance and collect the right completion evidence. Approved Document P explains the notification categories and certification routes. EICR Certificates London sets out these distinctions below so you can discuss a project’s scope before commissioning it. An Electrical Installation Condition Report assesses condition; it does not retrospectively approve installation work.

What Does Part P Cover, and How Does BS 7671 Fit In?

Part P sets electrical safety requirements for dwellings and certain associated installations; BS 7671 supplies the technical requirements used when designing, installing and verifying electrical work. Its scope includes houses, flats, relevant communal access areas and shared amenities, plus associated supplies to gardens and outbuildings. Some business premises sharing a dwelling’s supply also fall within scope; commercial installations are not universally covered.

Approved Document P provides practical guidance on meeting the legal requirement. Its older standard reference should not be mistaken for today’s edition: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 is current. See What Is BS 7671? for the technical standard’s role.

Which Electrical Work Is Notifiable in England?

In England, notification covers new circuits, consumer unit replacement and additions or alterations to existing circuits within defined special locations. Use the actual proposed scope to classify your project, rather than relying on a quotation’s general label.

Project	Notification position	What to confirm
New circuit	Notifiable: installing a new circuit is a notification trigger.	Is a new circuit included, and who handles compliance?
Replacement consumer unit	Notifiable: replacing the distribution unit is expressly covered.	Which notification route and completion documents are included?
Full rewire involving new circuits	Notifiable because the project installs new circuits.	For rewiring work in London, which circuits and equipment will be replaced?
Partial rewire	Scope-dependent: check for new circuits, a board replacement or special-location alterations.	What does “partial” mean in this quotation?
Addition or alteration within a special location	Notifiable when existing circuits are added to or altered within the defined area.	Has the precise work position been assessed?
Addition to an existing circuit elsewhere	Generally non-notifiable if outside special locations and no other trigger applies.	Is this genuinely an extension of an existing circuit?
EICR remedial work	Depends on the repair or alteration undertaken, not the observation code.	Which items of remedial work following an EICR require notification?

For consumer unit replacement in London, agree certification and notification responsibilities when reviewing the quotation.

“Notifiable” does not necessarily mean you must personally submit a building-control application: the chosen compliance route determines who acts.

What Counts as a Special Location?

For notification purposes, special locations include the defined space around a bath or shower and a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater. Approved Document P defines the bath or shower boundary; it is not automatically the entire bathroom. Have the proposed position assessed during quotation.

• Bathroom: adding a point inside the defined space triggers notification; work elsewhere needs separate classification.
• Kitchen: the room name alone does not trigger notification, although installing a new circuit does.
• Garden: an ordinary outdoor position is not automatically a special location.

Notification boundaries do not establish where equipment may safely be installed. Electrical design requirements still apply.

What Electrical Work Can I Do Without Part P Notification?

Some work does not need notification, but domestic electrical installation work must still comply with Part P. Examples include straightforward replacement of an existing accessory and adding a point to an existing circuit outside special locations. A larger project containing either task may still be notifiable because of other work involved.

Non-notifiable work needs appropriate design, inspection, testing and certification. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate may suit a qualifying alteration to an existing circuit. This classification does not assess your competence to perform electrical work; use someone competent for the installation and its verification.

Choose the Compliance Route Before Work Starts

For notifiable work, agree the compliance route before installation starts. The options are registered installer self-certification, building control or a properly arranged registered third-party certification process. Record the responsible person, any application or notification arrangements and the expected completion evidence in your electrical works quotation. GOV.UK guidance identifies these as distinct routes; choose one explicitly rather than assuming paperwork will follow.

Use an Installer Registered for the Relevant Work

An installer registered with an appropriate competent person scheme can self-certify work within that registration’s scope. Confirm the contracting identity and relevant registration, then agree notification and paperwork responsibilities in writing. How to Check an Electrician's Registration and Your EICR explains the checks to make. An inspection credential or electrical qualification alone does not establish authority to self-certify this installation.

• Who is the installer named on my quotation and contract?
• Which scheme registration covers this particular category of work?
• Who will submit the notification through that scheme?
• Which electrical and Building Regulations certificates should I receive?

The installer or scheme handles the relevant process, but you should retain the written agreement and check that the documents arrive.

Arrange Building Control Before Installation

If the project is not using self-certification or an arranged third-party route, involve the appropriate building control body before work begins. London homeowners should establish which authority or body is responsible for their property and project. Higher-risk buildings may have special building-control arrangements; do not assume every flat follows an identical application process.

• Agree the application route and provide a clear work description.
• Establish inspection stages and what must remain accessible.
• Confirm required electrical evidence, including the Electrical Installation Certificate and test schedules where applicable.
• Check fees, payment responsibilities and how completion evidence will be obtained.

Agree these arrangements before scheduling installation; acceptance depends on the relevant assessment.

Check Whether Registered Third-Party Certification Is Available

Registered third-party certification needs a certifier with the appropriate separate registration and an arrangement made before work begins. GOV.UK guidance distinguishes this from registration to self-certify an installer’s own work. The certifier needs opportunities to assess the installation at suitable stages; a later request for an ordinary inspection is not the same arrangement.

• Does your separate third-party registration cover the proposed scope?
• Which stages must you inspect, and what access will you need?
• Who handles notification and issues the resulting compliance evidence?

Establish that an appropriately registered certifier can accept the project before relying on this route.

How to Obtain the Compliance Documents After the Work

Obtain the electrical installation paperwork from the installer and the Building Regulations evidence through the compliance route agreed for the project. These serve different purposes: an Electrical Installation Certificate is distinct from a scheme compliance certificate. EICR, EIC and Minor Works Certificates Explained covers the document types.

Handover item	Check before filing
Appropriate electrical certificate and schedules	Confirm the address, completed scope and relevant inspection and test records match your commissioned work.
Scheme compliance certificate, where applicable	Check that it identifies the correct property and notified installation work.
Building-control completion evidence	Where this route was used, obtain the relevant completion document and check its project description.

For electrical self-certification, Approved Document P provides for the compliance certificate to be supplied within 30 days of completion. Contact the scheme operator if it has not arrived. This provision does not set a universal deadline for building-control cases. Keep both document streams together for future property enquiries.

What If Notifiable Work Has Already Been Done Without Approval?

First establish whether the work was notified and the paperwork is missing; if the required approval route was never followed, ask local authority building control about the appropriate next steps.

• Existing notification, missing document: check the installer’s, scheme’s or building-control records. Recovering evidence of an existing process is different from applying for approval.
• No required approval process: discuss regularisation with the local authority. This retrospective route may require supporting evidence, inspection, exposure of concealed work or corrections before a decision.

Address present safety concerns separately. An EICR can help assess the installation’s condition, but a satisfactory result does not automatically resolve absent notification. GOV.UK regularisation guidance makes clear that corrective alterations may be needed; approval should not be assumed.

Discuss Your Electrical Work in London

EICR Certificates London provides EICR-led remedial work, consumer unit upgrades and rewiring across Greater London. Have the property location, proposed scope and any existing EICR observations ready when you call. Ask which compliance route applies and which documents the quotation includes.

Qualified, insured electricians. Open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Free, no-obligation quotes for remedial and repair work. Call or discuss your planned electrical work using the contact form, with the relevant project details and report available.

Call 020 3677 6372 Contact us

Part P Questions Homeowners Ask

These answers cover Part P’s start date, electrician terminology, costs, older homes and the limits of an EICR.