Part P is the section of the Building Regulations in England that covers electrical safety in homes. All electrical work in your home has to be done safely, but only three kinds of job are "notifiable": installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit (fuse box), and adding to or altering a circuit in a "special location" such as the area right around a bath or shower. If you're in Surrey and your job is one of those, the simplest route is an electrician registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, who can self-certify the work. The alternative is to tell your council's building control team before work starts and pay for them to inspect it. Either way, you should end up with an Electrical Installation Certificate (or a Minor Works Certificate) and, for notifiable work, a Building Regulations compliance or completion certificate.
The short version
- Every electrical job in a home must meet Part P, notifiable or not.
- Notifiable jobs are new circuits, consumer unit replacements and changes to circuits in special locations. They need certifying under the Building Regulations.
- Two main routes: hire an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or notify building control before the work starts.
- Keep the paperwork: an installation certificate from the electrician, plus a Building Regulations certificate for notifiable work. You'll want both when you sell.
- Check registration yourself on the NICEIC or NAPIT websites. Don't rely on a logo on a van.
What Part P actually covers
Part P sits in Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2010, and the government's guidance on how to meet it is Approved Document P. The requirement itself is short: electrical installations must be designed and installed so that they protect people using, maintaining or altering them from fire and injury.
It covers more than the wiring indoors: outside lights, solar panels, garden lighting and pond pumps, and sheds, detached garages and greenhouses supplied from the house. In blocks of flats it also covers corridors, staircases and shared facilities.
The work should follow the national wiring standard, BS 7671, and you should be given certificates and enough information to use the installation safely.
Only the new work has to meet today's standards
Adding a socket doesn't mean upgrading the whole house. Approved Document P says only the new work must meet current standards, unless it would make the existing installation less safe, or the existing installation is too poor for the new work to be used safely. The electrician should still check the existing earthing, bonding and equipment can cope with the extra load.
Which jobs are notifiable?
Notifiable work is set out in regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations and explained in section 2 of Approved Document P. Everything else is non-notifiable: additions and alterations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere in the home.
| Job | Notifiable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing a consumer unit (fuse box) | Yes | Named in the regulations |
| A full or partial rewire | Yes | It involves new circuits |
| A new circuit for a cooker, shower or outbuilding | Yes | Any new circuit is notifiable |
| A new circuit from the consumer unit to an isolator for an electric gate or garage door | Yes | It's a new circuit |
| Adding or moving a light or socket close to a bath or shower | Yes | It's in a special location |
| Altering circuits in a room with a swimming pool or sauna heater | Yes | The whole room is a special location |
| Adding a socket or light point to an existing circuit in a kitchen, bedroom or living room | No | An addition outside a special location |
| Replacing a socket, switch or light fitting | No | Replacements aren't notifiable anywhere |
| Fitting a built-in cooker to an existing cooker circuit | No | No new circuit is needed |
| Connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator switch | No | No new circuit is needed |
| Repairs and maintenance | No | Not notifiable anywhere |
What counts as a "special location"
The regulations define two. The first is the space around a bath or shower: from the floor up to 2.25 metres (or to the shower head, if it's fixed higher), and out to 0.6 metres from the edge of the bath or shower tray, or 1.2 metres from the shower head if there's no tray. The second is any room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater.
"Non-notifiable" doesn't mean "unregulated". The guidance says non-notifiable work should still be designed, installed, inspected, tested and certified to BS 7671, and councils can take enforcement action if they find it unsafe.
Route one: a registered competent person (NICEIC, NAPIT and others)
The government authorises competent person schemes so that registered installers can self-certify that their work meets the Building Regulations, without you having to apply to building control. For electrical work in homes, NICEIC (run by Certsure) and NAPIT are the two names most homeowners will recognise, though they aren't the only authorised schemes.
When a registered electrician does a notifiable job, Approved Document P says they should give you a BS 7671 Electrical Installation Certificate for the work. Then, within 30 days of finishing, the installer or their scheme must give the occupier a Building Regulations compliance certificate and send the details to building control.
Part P registration is held by the business, not the individual. NICEIC explains that it certifies businesses (or sole traders), each with a Qualified Supervisor who is responsible for making sure employees are competent. Registration also covers specific types of work, so check that the business is registered for the job you need.
Route two: building control through your council
If your electrician isn't registered with a scheme, notifiable work has to be notified to a building control body before it starts. GOV.UK explains that you can apply to your local council or a private registered building control approver, and that for smaller projects a building notice lets work start two days after it's submitted.
Building control decides how much inspection and testing it needs, and may bring in a specialist. If it's satisfied, the occupier gets a completion certificate (from a council) or a final certificate (from a private approver). Approved Document P also allows a third option: an unregistered installer can appoint a registered third-party certifier before work begins to inspect and test it.
What this looks like in Surrey
Building control in Surrey is run by the borough and district councils, and some councils run it jointly, so start with your own council's building control pages. Expect to pay for this route. For example, Waverley Borough Council's 2026/27 charges say that where the installer isn't Part P registered, the council brings in an electrical subcontractor to test the work, with a minimum fee of £450 including VAT for up to eight circuits and two visits. The council's testers only test; any put-right work is arranged and paid for by the owner. Other Surrey councils set their own charges, so check yours.
If you're planning an extension or loft conversion, ask early whether your builder's electrician is registered: Waverley's charges note that electrical work by an unregistered electrician adds cost.
The certificates you should get
Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate
These are the electrician's BS 7671 certificates. NICEIC explains that you should get a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate when something is added to or altered on an existing circuit, such as a socket being moved, and an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for a new circuit, a new consumer unit or a rewire. NICEIC says it would expect you to have a completed certificate shortly after the job, and suggests you follow its complaints procedure if you haven't had one within a month.
Building Regulations compliance certificate
For notifiable work done by a registered electrician, this comes from the scheme, usually by post. Approved Document P sets 30 days from completion. NAPIT's guidance gives the same 30 days and suggests contacting them if it hasn't arrived a week after that. NICEIC says to follow its complaints procedure if you've waited more than a month.
Completion certificate from building control
If you used the council route, this is your proof of compliance instead. Keep it safe: you may be asked for it when you sell.
How to check an electrician is registered
- Ask which scheme they belong to and for the exact name they're registered under.
- Search the register yourself. Use NICEIC's online search on its website, or the NAPIT member search. Check the trading name and address match the business you're dealing with.
- Check the scope. Make sure the registration covers the work you need. A business registered only for electrical work alongside other jobs, such as kitchens, may not be able to certify a standalone rewire.
- Phone if they're not listed. NICEIC's householder help hub says some registered businesses choose not to appear in its search, so call its customer services to check. If the business isn't registered but is using the NICEIC logo, NICEIC wants to hear about it.
Whichever website you found the electrician on, including TradesAround, do this check yourself before you book. TradesAround doesn't check NICEIC or NAPIT registration.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Is this job notifiable? If so, will you self-certify it, or do I need to go through building control?
- Which scheme are you registered with, and under what business name?
- Will I get an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate, and when?
- Will you notify the work so that I get a Building Regulations compliance certificate?
- Can I have a written quote that sets out the work, the certificates included and any warranty?
Red flags
- They say a consumer unit change or new circuit "doesn't need notifying".
- They suggest skipping the certificates to save money.
- They show a scheme logo but can't give you a name you can find on the register, and the scheme can't confirm it on the phone.
- The business on the paperwork is different from the one you hired.
- They ask you to notify building control yourself after the work is done.
- No written quote, or pressure to pay everything up front.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change a light fitting or socket myself?
Like-for-like replacements aren't notifiable, so you don't need to tell building control. The work must still be safe and meet Part P, and councils can take action if non-notifiable work is unsafe. If you're not confident, hire an electrician.
Is a kitchen a special location?
Not under the current Approved Document P. The special locations are the zone around a bath or shower and rooms with a swimming pool or sauna heater. Kitchen work becomes notifiable when it needs a new circuit or a consumer unit change, which is common with a new kitchen.
What if work was done in the past without a certificate?
GOV.UK says you can apply to a council for "regularisation", retrospective approval for work done without consent, for work carried out after 11 November 1985. You may need to make changes before the council will sign it off. Details are on GOV.UK's how to apply page.
Is an EICR the same thing?
No. An Electrical Installation Condition Report checks the condition of an existing installation, rather than certifying new work. Read our guide to what an EICR actually checks.
How long does a rewire take?
It depends on the house. Our house rewire timeline planner helps you think through the stages.
Need a tradesperson? Find electricians across Surrey, including Guildford, Woking, Epsom, Farnham and Redhill. Each listing has a Trust Score, an automated assessment of the business's Google reviews, Companies House record and TrustMark registration. Read how it works. Trust Scores aren't for sale; Pro members are listed first, with a Pro badge. Before you book, check the electrician's NICEIC or NAPIT registration yourself.
