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Part P - Electrical safety requirements

The Government has recently amended the Building Regulations to include the safe installation or extension of electrical circuits in dwellings. These changes came into force on the 1st January 2005 and affect any dwelling that is to have electrical work carried out.

What is the scope of Part P?

All electrical work carried out in or around a dwelling that, for example, include:

  • The installation of a new circuit (major works)
  • (e.g. new dwellings, extensions, conservatories, porches, garden sheds, summerhouses, greenhouse, electrically operated garage doors).
  • The addition to or modification to any circuit (minor works) in or around;
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Locations containing a bath tub, shower or basin
  • Swimming pools, paddling pools, gardens and garden water features
  • Hot air saunas
  • Electric floor or ceiling heating systems
  • Garden lighting or power supply systems
  • Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems
  • Small scale generators such as microchip units
  • Extra-low voltage lighting installations


What should you do?

Generally, if you start the work after 1st January 2005 and/or your Building Regulations application is deposited after that date you need to ensure that the electrical work meets the requirements of the new electrical safety regulations.

If you are organising the work yourself speak to the electrician, or to the builder or installer who has employed the electrician to satisfy yourself that the work meets the requirements of this new regulation. If you are still unsure please contact any of the organisations that are shown below.

How to Comply

Option 1 - Use a Registered Competent Person (Notifiable)

It is in your best interest to use an electrician registered within the “Competent Person Scheme”, which allows registered electricians to design, install and certify that their work is in compliance with the new regulations and issue a “Domestic Inspection Certificate” to the Local Authority stating compliance has been met.

The “Competent” electrician will have to be registered to a Government approved scheme such as BRE Certification, British Standards Institute, NAPIT, NICEIC, ECA, Elecsa.  Contact details of these scheme operators are provided below.  A full list of Competent Person Scheme operators and a ‘search for an installer’ facility is available on the Competent Person webpage. Icon indicating external link

Option 2 - Use a Building Control service (Local Authority or private company)- Notifiable

If you intend to carry out electrical works, whether or not they are being carried out with other controllable building works, you need to complete the Electrical Safety Building Notice (ESBN) form.  A charge will be payable if the electrical works are being carried out in isolation to any other building works.

Under the various electrical organisation’s rules, work can be self-certified only by the competent person who carried out that work.  This rules out certification of compliance by a third party other than a Building Control Body, or an agent appointed by them.

Failure to use a Registered  Competent Person or a Building Control service may result in the work not being approved under the Building Regulations and could lead to a delay in issuing a Completion Certificate and the need to submit a regularisation application.  This would mean that additional expense would be incurred by the householder in having to prove compliance retrospectively and may involve opening up parts of the new work .  In certain instances legal action could be taken and this again may involve additional expense being incurred by the householder.

Option 3 - Use a Third Party Competent Person for Minor DIY work (Non Notifiable)

An exception for the need to use a Registered Competent Person or submit an ESBN application is made for minor work carried by DIY enthusiasts. Compliance would be achieved by following ‘authoritative guidance’, and then to have a “Competent” third party person inspect and test the work, and issue to the owner a “Minor Works Certificate”.  Contact Building Control if you need information as to what constitutes minor work.

Part P - Electrical Safety Notice form:

Regularisation Applications

Where electrical installation works have been undertaken since 1 January 2005 without;

  1. Using a member of an electrical Competent Persons Scheme), or
  2. Notifying Hertsmere Borough Council's Building Control

then an Electrical Regularisation application will need to be made.

 Building control charges

Useful Contacts