Part P of the Building Regulations and how it affects you
Since 2005 any electrical installation work carried out in homes must, by law, meet Part P of the Building Regulations
What Part P means for you
If you are planning, or have had, some electrical work in your home or garden then you must be able to prove that the work meets Part P of the Building Regulations, or you may be committing a criminal offence.
If the electrical work in your home does not meet the Building Regulations then local authorities have the power to make you remove or alter the work, which could potentially be disruptive and costly.
Similarly, if you later come to sell your house, having the correct test certificates will be valuable proof of the quality of the work you have had done.
How can I ensure that electrical work in my home is done to Part P standard?
The Electrical Safety Council recommends that you use an electrician who is registered with one of the Government approved Part P schemes such as ELECSA or NICEIC. This provides you with several important advantages. These include:
- You will not have to pay any building-control charges;
- The electrician will notify Local Authority Building Control for you;
- The electrician will arrange for you to receive a certificate that confirms that the work meets Building Regulations
- You have access to a formal complaints procedure if the work does not meet Building Regulations; and
- You can choose to take out an insurance-backed guarantee when you have the work done, and you can make a claim if the work is later found to not meet regulations
