Part P · England
Notifiable electrical work in England
Under Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 (Approved Document P, 2013 edition), certain electrical work in dwellings in England has to be notified to Building Control. Paul at All Cabling is a NAPIT registered Competent Person, which means notifiable jobs are self-certified and registered on your behalf — no separate Building Control application, no extra fee to your council.
This page covers England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regimes — ask Paul if you're working outside England.
Notifiable work
Must be notified to Building Control — done for you automatically when Paul carries out the work under NAPIT.
- Installation of a new circuit at any voltage (for example a new radial for an oven, EV charger, shower or outbuilding).
- Replacement of a consumer unit / fuseboard, or replacement of the main switch.
- Any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location — see the special locations list below.
Non-notifiable work
Still has to comply with BS 7671, but does not need notifying under Part P.
- Replacing accessories such as socket-outlets, switches and ceiling roses on existing circuits.
- Replacing a damaged cable on a single circuit on a like-for-like basis.
- Re-fixing or replacing the enclosure of an existing installed component (provided the circuit's protective measures are unaffected).
- Providing mechanical protection to existing fixed installations.
- Additions and alterations to existing circuits outside a special location (e.g. adding a socket or a lighting point in a bedroom or living room).
Special locations
In a special location, any addition or alteration to a circuit is notifiable — not just a new circuit. These are the locations Approved Document P calls out:
- Rooms containing a bath or shower (Section 701 of BS 7671) — including the zones around the bath/shower.
- Rooms containing a swimming pool or the surrounds of a swimming pool or paddling pool (Section 702).
- Rooms with a sauna heater (Section 703).
How Paul notifies your job
- 1Design, install and test the work to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
- 2Issue you an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) or Minor Works Certificate with all test results.
- 3Notify the work to your local authority Building Control through NAPIT within 30 days.
- 4You receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate from NAPIT — the document to keep for insurance, remortgage or sale.
Why it matters
- • Unnotified notifiable work is a breach of the Building Regulations — the local authority can serve an enforcement notice on the homeowner.
- • Conveyancing solicitors routinely ask for Part P certificates on any recent electrical work when you sell.
- • Insurers may decline claims arising from unnotified or uncertified electrical work.
- • Retrospective regularisation through Building Control is possible but slower and more expensive than doing it right the first time.