From the 1st January 2005 all electrical work in dwellings needs to comply with Part P (Electrical Safety) of the Building Regulations. Therefore if you wish to carry out electrical works, first of all you must establish whether the work is notifiable to the Local Authority, (please refer to the NotifiableWork guidance note) and if it is, you must follow one of the routes noted below to achieve compliance.
Competent Person - Use an electrician or contractor who is a member of the 'Competent Person' scheme and is registered with an approved body to carry out the work involved (links to the various approved bodies can be found in the external links section of this page). A 'Competent Person' does not need to submit a Building Regulation application, however if you also intend to carry out other building work, then you may need to make an application for the building work only.
Qualified Person - Use an electrician who is not a member of the 'Competent Person Scheme' but is a 'Qualified Person' e.g. qualified to City & Guilds 2400, or similar (please refer to the Electrical Safety Guidance note, for a full list of acceptable qualifications). If the work is an integral part of an extension or new dwelling and is carried out by a 'Qualified Person', then a separate Building Regulation application is not required. However if the work is not part of an extension or new dwelling (but is carried out by a 'Qualified Person'), then a Building Regulation application must be submitted, and a fee will be required based upon the estimated cost of the work. N.B. This method of compliance is not recognised by many other Local Authorities.
DIY, or Non-Qualified - The work may be carried out as DoIt Yourself or by a 'Non-Qualified' person, however a separate Building Regulation application must be made (regardless of whether an application has been made for an extension or new dwelling) and a fee is required, based upon the estimated cost of the work (please refer to Charges for Building Control guidance note and the Fee Calculator below for further information).
