What does Part P actually cover, and what certificate should I get?

The short list of domestic electrical work that must be notified in England and Wales, what a competent person scheme does, the three certificates and which one applies, and how the rest of the UK differs.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 12 min
Read: 5 min

Short answer

Part P makes new circuits, consumer unit work, and any work in a bathroom or outdoors notifiable in England and Wales. Everything else on an existing circuit in an ordinary room is not notifiable — though it still has to comply with BS 7671. Ask for an Electrical Installation Certificate for new circuits and board work, and a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for additions and alterations.

Part P is widely misunderstood in both directions: some people believe all electrical work is illegal for a householder, and others believe none of it is regulated. Neither is right. Part P is a short list of higher-risk work that must be notified, sitting on top of a technical standard that applies to everything regardless.

Step by step

Separate the two things Part P does not do.It does not make DIY electrical work illegal, and it does not exempt anything from the wiring regulations. It defines which work must be notified to building control or certified through a scheme.
Learn what is notifiable in England and Wales.Installing a new circuit. Replacing a consumer unit. Any addition or alteration to circuits in a special location — which for domestic purposes means a room containing a bath or shower, and outdoors. That is the list.
Learn what is not notifiable.Replacing accessories such as sockets, switches and light fittings. Replacing a damaged cable for a single circuit on a like-for-like basis. Adding sockets, fused spurs or lighting points to an existing circuit — provided it is not in a special location.
Understand that not notifiable is not the same as unregulated.All electrical work must comply with BS 7671, the Wiring Regulations, and must leave the installation safe. The difference is only who has to be told about it. Doing non-notifiable work badly is still leaving an unsafe installation.
Understand the competent person scheme route.Registered electricians with NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA or similar can self-certify notifiable work and notify building control on your behalf. You receive a certificate and building control receives the notification, usually within thirty days.
Understand the building control route.If the person doing the work is not scheme-registered, the work must be notified to the local authority building control before it starts, and they will arrange inspection and testing. It costs more and takes longer, which is why scheme registration is the normal route.
Know the three certificates.An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for new circuits and consumer unit work. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) for additions and alterations to an existing circuit. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is not a certificate for new work at all — it is an inspection of an existing installation.
Check the certificate is complete.It should carry the contractor's details and scheme registration, a description of the work, the circuit details, and a schedule of test results with actual measured values. A certificate with blank test results is not worth having.
Know the position elsewhere in the UK.Scotland works under the Building (Scotland) Regulations and Building Standards, and Northern Ireland under its own Building Regulations. The technical standard, BS 7671, is the same across the UK; the notification categories and processes differ, so check locally.

Tips

Keep every electrical certificate with the house papers. When you sell, a conveyancer will ask about any electrical work, and having the paperwork avoids indemnity insurance and price chipping.
You can verify an electrician's registration on their scheme's public register before they start. It takes a minute and it is worth doing.
If a tradesperson tells you a consumer unit change does not need notifying, that is a clear signal to use somebody else.

Common mistakes

Believing that non-notifiable means no rules apply — BS 7671 applies to all electrical work. Notification is an administrative requirement layered on top of a technical one.
Accepting an invoice instead of a certificate — An invoice proves you paid. A certificate records what was installed and the test results, and it is the document that matters at sale, at an insurance claim and at the next EICR.
Assuming a general builder can certify electrical work — Only a person competent and, for the self-certification route, scheme-registered can certify. Electrical work by a builder without those qualifications should be notified to building control before it starts.

If it doesn't work

Work was done and no certificate was issued

Cause: Unregistered installer, or a regularisation gap — Fix: Ask the installer first. If nothing is forthcoming, a regularisation application to building control, or an EICR by a registered electrician confirming the work is satisfactory, are the practical routes.

Buying a house with an unnotified consumer unit change

Cause: Previous owner used an unregistered installer — Fix: Have an EICR done. It gives you the actual condition, which is more useful than a missing piece of paper, and it is what a mortgage lender or insurer will accept.

Certificate has blank test result columns

Cause: Incomplete certification — Fix: Go back and ask for the schedule of test results. Without measured values the certificate records nothing.

Questions people ask

Can I legally do my own electrical work?

In England and Wales, yes for non-notifiable work, and for notifiable work only if it is notified to building control in advance and inspected. In practice, the cost of building control inspection usually exceeds the cost of an electrician, so DIY notifiable work is rarely sensible.

What happens if notifiable work is never notified?

The work is a breach of the Building Regulations. In practice it usually surfaces at sale, when the buyer's solicitor asks for certificates. The remedies are regularisation through building control or an EICR confirming the installation is satisfactory.

Does Part P apply to a garden shed or a garage?

A new circuit to any outbuilding is notifiable, and work outdoors is notifiable. So yes, running power to a shed is squarely within it.

Do I need an EICR to sell my house?

Not legally, for an owner-occupier. Landlords in England must have one every five years for rented properties. As a seller, an up-to-date EICR is a useful thing to have, particularly if there is no other paperwork.