PART P The Facts Quick Reference
What is it?
Part P Is one part of the Building Regulations, it covers electrical installations within dwellings. It was introduced on 1st January 2005 (updated 2013) with the aim of further enhancing the protection of homeowners and reducing the risk of electric shock when using electricity. It aims to improve electrical safety in the home and reduce the number of accidents, which are caused by faulty electrical work.
Part P aims to improve standards of electrical installation by ensuring key electrical tasks are carried out by competent persons or by ensuring a competent third party have inspected the design, installation & testing of new electrical work.
Part P is not in use in Scotland. Wales has slightly different rules regarding Part P. This information covers England only. Industrial & Commercial properties are not covered by Part P, providing there is no dwelling attached.
Domestic houses, flats, maisonettes and Houses of multiple occupation are covered by Part P.
Is the work covered by Part P?
If you are carrying out or engaging a professional to carry out electrical work in your home you may need to comply with Part P and ensure building control are notified of the work.
The following common jobs DO require Part P notification so must be notified:
- Circuit alteration or addition in a special location*
- Installation of one or more new circuits
- Installation of a replacement consumer unit (fuse box)
- Rewire of all circuits
- Partial rewire
- New full electrical installation (new build)
* Certain zones within a room containing a bath or shower, or a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater.
The following common jobs DO NOT require Part P notification: (unless in a special location*)
- Installing a new cooker or other appliance
- Replacing or adding a socket or switch
- Replacing or adding a light fitting
- Installing or upgrading main earth and bonding
There are three routes to get your installation work certified under Part P:
- To use DC Electrix who belong to the NIC-EIC and will self certify your work and provide an insurance backed warranty against non-compliant work. Alternatively you could use another company who belong to a competent person scheme
- DIY electrical work is not recommended by us, however where a householder feels they are competent and wishes to carry out electrical work they must notify building control before commencing work. Building control will arrange for the work to be, inspected and tested at various stages and will charge a fee to cover any costs incurred.
- Find a third party who can certify the work on your behalf and take advantage of the rules introduced in 2013, although at this time we are not aware of a scheme which registers companies or individuals for this work as yet.
Most electrical work would require inspecting & testing which would provide the client with a Minor Works or Electrical Installation Certificate, If notifiable under Part P then you should expect a Building Control Compliance Certificate from your local council in addition to the Minor works or Electrical Installation Certificate.
Part P in More Detail
Background
Part P was introduced in 2005, Updated in 2006, 2010 and 2013 which is the current version. You can download a copy of Part P here. It was introduced after Mary Wherry (BBC) | Mary Wherry (Telegraph), 34, the mother of two young sons, was electrocuted in 2004, after non-compliant work was carried out during the installation of her fitted kitchen.
Part P covers specific electrical work within a dwelling. The term dwelling includes houses, maisonettes and flats. It also applies to electrical installations in business premises that share an electricity supply with dwellings, such as shops and public houses with a flat above.
In addition to Part P, electrical installation work must also comply with the Building Regulations in general. Such requirements include those below:
- Part A - Structure
- Part B - Fire Safety
- Part C - Site preparation and resistance to moisture
- Part D - Toxic Substances
- Part E - Resistance to the passage of sound
- Part F - Ventilation
- Part G - Sanitation Hot Water Safety & Water Efficiency
- Part H - Drainage & Waste Disposal
- Part J - Heat Producing Appliances
- Part K - Protection from Falling
- Part L1A - Conservation of Fuel and Power
- Part M - Access to and use of buildings
- Part Q - Security
- Regulation 7 - Materials & Workmanship
If you decide to use a professional electrician he or she should belong to one of the following organisations. It is not cost effective to use building control or their nominated inspectors on a regular basis.
These organisations have been approved to run competent person schemes for companies or individuals who need to self certify under Part P. On the recommendation of BRAC (the Building Regulations Advisory Committee), the Government has approved schemes to be operated by:
- NICEIC Certification Services Ltd.
- BRE Certification Ltd.
- BSI - British Standards Institution
- ELECSA Ltd.
- NAPIT Certification Ltd.
- STROMA Certification
How to Comply
The most efficient route to ensure compliance with Part P is to engage the services of a qualified electrical company who belongs to one of the competent person schemes for Part P. All the schemes have a searchable database of members so there is no excuse for employing someone “who knows a bit about electrics” but turns out to not be competent!
The second method would be to contact your local planning authoriity office who will send you out a pack with scale of charges and what information they require to inspect your work for you. Ensure you notify them before work starts, they will want to inspect your plans, work in progress and the finished job.
As of April 2013 a registered third party is now able to certify notifiable work carried out by somebody else. Previously, Competent persons could only certify their own work, which is one reason (not the only one!) we have declined to certify other peoples work in the past.
Under the revised regulations those carrying out the work but who are not registered with a 'competent persons' scheme will have to get the work signed off by a registered third party.
However, non registered electricians, other trades carrying out electrical work and DIY'ers must continue to notify their work to the Local Area Building Control prior to commencement, until such time as a ‘third party certification’ scheme member can be engaged.
What will happen if you don’t follow the regulations?
- You will have no certificate to prove that the work has been carried out by a registered electrician, or that the work performed has been carried out correctly and in compliance with strict safety guidlines.
- It may be problematic when it comes to selling your home if you cannot produce evidence that electrical work has been carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations.
- It is a Criminal Offence to carry out work that does not comply with building regulations, with a maximum fine of £5,000.
- Your local building control department may insist that you re-do or remove the electrical work.
If you require any advice on a planned project or have started your project and just found this information please contact us and we will be pleased to explain your options or the process to follow.
If you are unsure, check with a us or your local planning authority office before starting any work
Examples of Special locations and installations:
The following locations would be classed as a special location, within which most electrical work would be notifiable.
- Locations containing a bath tub or shower basin
- Swimming pools or paddling pools
- Hot air saunas
- Electric underfloor or ceiling heating systems
- Garden lighting or power installations
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems
- Small scale generators such as micro-CHP units
- Extra-low voltage lighting installations, other than pre-assembled, CE-marked lighting sets
Bathrooms & Shower rooms are split into zones shown in the pictures below. Zone 0, 1 & 2 are designated as part of the Special Location, outside of these zones have no special requirements.