Building regulations are in place to aid your safety and reduce the death toll associated with DIY projects. The list of building regulations runs from part A down to the newest addition of Part P regulations.

Part P came into force on January 1 2005. Part P surrounds the installation of electrical wiring and electrical components for use in a house, flat or any small commercial building which is linked to domestic accommodation. The main reason that this change was brought about was to reduce the deaths and injury caused by faulty wiring.

The Part P regulations mean that if you have electrical work done on your property you need to have it done by a professional who is certified to do so. Under the new regulations any electrical work other than simple changes has to be notified to the local building control authority. So any work that goes beyond simple tasks such as adding extra lights or sockets to an existing circuit can be done safely and in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, provided it is not in a sensitive location such as a kitchen. Any other electrical work will have to be checked by one of two processes. You will have to show that you have complied with the Regulations by either:

Having the work done by a registered competent person, or
Applying to have the work checked by Building Control.

Alternatively, you can make a Building Regulations application to us and one of our highly skilled team will inspect and test your electrical installations.

Aspects of electrical installation that you dont need to tell your local authoritys Building Control Department about include:

Repairs, replacements and maintenance work; or
Extra power points or lighting points, or other alterations to existing circuits
(except in a kitchen, bathroom, or outdoors).

If you are not sure about this, or you have any questions, ask your local authorities
Building Control Department. All work, whether you need to tell your local authority about it or not, must be done to the standards in the IEE wiring regulations.

The simplest and quickest method of having electrical work done is by getting a competent person, who is a member of a registered scheme, such as a person who is registered by any of the following; BRE Certification Services Ltd, British Standards Institution, ELECSA Ltd, NICECI Certification Services Ltd or NAPID Certification Ltd.

All of the above are examples of people who are able to certify their own work and then inform the council that work has been properly installed and tested. These changes will then be logged as part of the properties history.

If the electrician you get in touch with to perform work on your property claims to be a member of one of these schemes but they are unable to produce written evidence; use someone else.

If you are unsure of any electrical installation process that you are able to do your self, always get a professional to do it. It is always better to get the work done safely and correctly.