Electrical safety in your home
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Many electrical jobs in the home must be approved by your Local Authority’s Building Control department unless they are carried out by a qualified tradesperson who is registered with a Competent Person Scheme.
If electrical work in your home isn't carried out to a suitably high standard:
- The electrical work might not be safe, possibly endangering your family and home
- Your Local Authority's Building Control department may insist that you correct it
- You may have difficulty selling your home if you don't have the correct electrical safety certificates.
What electrical work must be notified to Building Control?
Not all electrical work needs to be notified to your Local Authority’s Building Control. The table below lists the most common locations in the home and whether or not electrical works taking place within these locations require Building Regulations Part P notification.
If you are in doubt about what electrical work needs to be notified, contact your Local Authority's Building Control department.
| Notifiable (Yes No) | ||
|---|---|---|
Domestic Location(where electrical work is to be carried out) |
Minor Works(extensions or modifications to circuits) |
Major Works(new circuits) |
| Bathrooms | yes | yes |
| Bedrooms | no | yes |
| Bedrooms containing a shower or basin | yes | yes |
| Overhead heating | yes | yes |
| Communal area of flats | yes | yes |
| Computer cabling | no | no |
| Conservatories | no | yes |
| Dining rooms | no | yes |
| Extra low voltage lights | yes | yes |
| Garden lighting | yes | yes |
| Garden power | yes | yes |
| Greenhouses | yes | yes |
| Hallways | no | yes |
| Integrated garages | no | yes |
| Kitchen | yes | yes |
| Kitchen diners | yes | yes |
| Landings | no | yes |
| Lounges | no | yes |
| Remote buildings | yes | yes |
| Remote garages | yes | yes |
| Remote workshops | no | yes |
| Saunas | yes | yes |
| Sheds | yes | yes |
| Shower rooms | yes | yes |
| Small scale generators | yes | yes |
| Solar power systems | yes | yes |
| Stairways | no | yes |
| Studies | no | yes |
| Swimming pools | yes | yes |
| Telephone cabling | no | no |
| TV rooms | no | yes |
| Underfloor heating | yes | yes |
How do I notify my electrical work?
The Government recognises two ways of notifying Part P electrical work.
- Direct notification through Local Authority Building Control - the homeowner must contact Building Control directly. A Building Control Officer inspects the installation and issues a certificate.
- Self-certification through a tradesperson who is qualified and registered with a Part P competent persons scheme. These tradespeople are qualified to carry out electrical work in accordance with safety rules and issue you with a certificate of compliance on completion. They will also deal with Building Control on your behalf.
