Non-notifiable work still has to meet safety requirements
Part P is the electrical safety requirement for relevant domestic work in England. Notification is a separate question about particular work. A job not requiring notification is not a job that can ignore electrical safety, verification or appropriate records.
Avoid old statements that every kitchen or outdoor alteration must automatically be notified. The actual work and the defined special-location scope matter. Explain what is changing, where it is happening and whether a new circuit or board replacement is involved.
Which changes are being made?
Which changes are being made?
Adding an accessory to an existing circuit is different from installing a new circuit. Likewise, changing a bathroom product may involve a different scope from a new installation in a defined special location. The brief needs to identify the electrical alteration, not only the room name.
Ask the electrician to explain whether notification applies and why. If the project involves several contractors or work you have already started, say so before the appointment. Do not assume a later inspection will automatically cover another person’s notification obligations.
Who handles notification?
Who handles notification?
There are different routes for demonstrating compliance, depending on who carries out the work and the arrangements made. Confirm the applicable route before work begins, including any Building Control involvement and who is responsible for it.
Confirm the contractor’s notification arrangements for your project, particularly where more than one installer is involved. The quotation should identify who carries out each part, who handles any notification and what documentation you will receive.
Keep compliance records and electrical records together
Keep compliance records and electrical records together
An Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works certificate describes relevant electrical work and verification. A Building Regulations compliance certificate or Building Control documentation serves a different purpose where applicable.
Keep the records with the property paperwork and clarify expected delivery at handover. If old records are missing, explain the work and available evidence. A new EICR reports condition; it is not a universal retrospective approval of earlier installation work.
What to share with your enquiry
- Description and location of the work
- Whether a new circuit or consumer unit is involved
- Bathroom or shower layout where relevant
- Who will carry out each part
- Any existing Building Control or electrical records
Questions answered
Is all kitchen electrical work notifiable?
No. In England the actual scope matters; the room name alone does not make every alteration notifiable.
Ask Max about thisIs a Building Regulations certificate the same as an EICR?
No. An EICR is an installation condition report. Compliance notification and installation certification are different records.
Ask Max about thisCan notification be left until the job is finished?
Agree the applicable route before starting. Assuming that it can always be sorted out afterwards can leave important responsibilities unclear.
Ask Max about thisIs Building Control notification the same as planning permission?
No. Building Regulations compliance and notification are separate from planning permission. Electrical work may need a Building Regulations route even where no planning application is required. Describe the actual job and property to the contractor, and check any separate planning or listed-building constraints with the appropriate authority.
Ask Max about thisDoes replacing a consumer unit need notification in England?
Yes, consumer-unit replacement is notifiable work in England. Agree the applicable competent-person-scheme or Building Control route before starting, along with electrical testing and certification. Ask who handles notification and which records you will receive so the compliance arrangements are part of the quotation.
Ask Max about thisSources and further reading
Read the original guidance relevant to this question. Building Regulations and rental-law references here relate to England.