Electrical safety

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.

##Which electrical work is notifiable:

Domestic Location	Minor Works (extensions or modifications to circuits)	Major Works (new circuits)
Bathrooms	Yes	Yes
Bedrooms	Yes	Yes
Bedrooms containing a shower or basin	Yes	Yes
Overhead heating	Yes	Yes
Communal area of flats	Yes	Yes
Computer cabling	No	No
Conservatories	Yes	Yes
Dining rooms	Yes	Yes
Extra low voltage lights	Yes	Yes
Garden lighting	Yes	Yes
Garden power	Yes	Yes
Greenhouses	Yes	Yes
Hallways	Yes	Yes
Integrated garages	Yes	Yes
Kitchen	Yes	Yes
Kitchen diners	Yes	Yes
Landings	Yes	Yes
Lounges	Yes	Yes
Remote buildings	Yes	Yes
Remote garages	Yes	Yes
Remote workshops	Yes	Yes
Saunas	Yes	Yes
Sheds	Yes	Yes
Shower rooms	Yes	Yes
Small scale generators	Yes	Yes
Solar power systems	Yes	Yes
Stairways	Yes	Yes
Studies	Yes	Yes
Swimming pools	Yes	Yes
Telephone cabling	No	No
TV rooms	Yes	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.

##Electrical Competent Person Schemes

• British Standards Institution (BSI)
• ELECSA
• National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT)
• National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC)