Can you tell me about the Part P legislation for electrical work?

You may find the following leaflet useful:

Compliance with Part P (Electrical Safety)This page provides information about using an electrician to carry out major electrical works and the new building regulations which apply to electrical works.

Electrical Safety: Building Regulations Part P
From 1 January 2005 the design, installation, inspection and testing of electrical installations has been controlled under the Building Regulations.

Part P applies mainly to dwelling houses and flats including gardens and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses.

Small jobs such as provision of a socket outlet or a light switch on an existing circuit do not need to be notified to Building Control, although there will be some exceptions for high risk areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.

All work which involves adding a new circuit to a dwelling, or electrical work in kitchens and bathrooms or in 'special locations' will need to be either notified to Building Control with a building regulation application, or carried out by a competent person who is registered with a Part P self certification scheme.

Use an electrician/installer who is registered with a Competent Persons Scheme
A building regulation application will not be required for the electrical work, as they will notify us on your behalf through their Competent Persons Scheme. We would strongly encourage the use of electricians/installers who are part of a Competent Person Scheme. To check if an electrician is Part P certified you can use the search facility provided by LABC by clicking the following external link http://www.competentperson.co.uk/

Submit a building regulation application to the council
We will arrange for our consultant to inspect the electrical work and issue a completion certificate on satisfactory completion. There will be a fee payable if you choose this option.

When should you notify?
Notification of proposals to carry out electrical installation should be given to Building Control before work begins, unless the work is undertaken by a person registered with a Part P self certification scheme.

Whether or not work is notifiable is dependent on the nature of installation work proposed and its location within a dwelling. The location is important because some special installations or locations, such as kitchens and bathrooms, may pose a greater risk to people. If you are unsure please contact Building Control.

Building regulation applications
If you intend to submit a full plans application for notifiable electrical work we will require a note on the plans which states:

"All new electrical work is to be designed, installed, inspected and tested in accordance with BS 7671 (IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition)." The works are to be undertaken by an installer registered under a suitable self certification scheme.

Building regulation charges
Charges for notifiable electrical work only will depend on the complexity of the work. Please contact Building Control to discuss this.

Information on the new Part P legislation can be found on the following web sites.