What is Part P of the building regulations?
Since 2005, if you’re doing work to your home that involves electricity, it needs to be covered by ‘Part P’ of the Building Regulations. That’s the law. It means whoever is carrying out the work needs to follow rules that make sure the work protects you and your family from fire or electric shock. It’s designed to keep you and your family as safe as possible. This applies if you’re putting electricity into a new house or extension, or if you’re having an existing system adapted or rewired. You can find full details on Part P on the Communities and Local Government website, www.communities.gov.uk. It’s designed to keep you and your family as safe as possible. This applies if you’re putting electricity into a new house or extension, or if you’re having an existing system adapted or rewired. You can find full details on Part P on the Communities and Local Government website, www.communities.gov.uk.
What electrical work does this law cover?
Apart from some types of minor work, all electrical work in the home, garden, conservatory or outbuilding must meet Part P of the building regulations. It must either be reported to the local authority building control, or be carried out by an electrician such as MMV Contracting Limited who are registered with a government-approved scheme.
Who is responsible for making sure any work complies with Part P?
You are. By law, all homeowners and landlords must be able to prove that all electrical wiring meets Part P, or they will be committing a criminal offence. Local authorities can make homeowners or landlords remove or alter any work that doesn’t meet these Building Regulations.
What do you need to do before any electrical installation work can be carried out?
You must either
- Tell your local authority building control about the installation work before it starts.
- Employ an electrician registered with one of the government-approved schemes.
We recommend that you use MMV Contracting Limited to carry out your electrical work. The advantages of this are:
- You will not have to pay any building control charges;
- MMV can deal with everything for you;
- MMV will arrange for you to receive a certificate confirming the work meets the Building Regulations;
- You have access to a formal complaints procedure if the work doesn’t meet the Building Regulations;
- You can choose to take out an insurance-backed guarantee when you have the work done, and you can make a claim if the work is later found not to meet the Building Regulations.