Part P & Electrical Certificates in Dorset Explained
Updated: Oct 4
If you're adding a socket circuit, swapping an old fuse box or wiring a new garden room in Dorset or Hampshire, someone will eventually mention Part P. Most homeowners nod along without knowing what it means. It's simpler than it sounds, and getting it wrong can cost you at the point you sell.
Part P is the section of the Building Regulations that covers electrical safety in homes in England. Its job is to make sure fixed electrical work is designed, installed, inspected and tested so it doesn't start a fire or hurt anyone. We handle this on every relevant job as part of our plumbing, heating and electrical work, so here's how it works in practice.
What counts as notifiable electrical work
Not every job needs to be reported to building control. Changing a socket faceplate or replacing a damaged cable like-for-like generally doesn't. The bigger jobs do:
Fitting a new consumer unit (fuse box). This is the one people miss, and it's on our books most weeks in places like Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, where plenty of homes still have 1980s rewireable fuses.
Adding a new circuit: an EV charger, a shower, an electric hob, underfloor heating, a garden office or outbuilding supply.
A full or partial rewire, including the wiring in a new extension or loft conversion.
If your job is on that list, the work has to be either done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or notified to your local building control team (BCP, Dorset Council or your Hampshire district) before it starts, with an inspection fee on top.
The paperwork you should be handed at the end
When we finish notifiable work you should receive an Electrical Installation Certificate that records what was installed and the test results. Smaller additions get a Minor Works Certificate instead. Where the installer is registered, the scheme then issues a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, normally within 30 days, and building control gets notified on your behalf.
Keep all of it. A buyer's solicitor in Winchester or Salisbury will ask for it, and so will a surveyor if the fuse box looks newer than the rest of the house. Missing certificates mean an inspection at your cost, or a price knocked off the sale.
Why unregistered work bites later
We've been called out to jobs around Ringwood and Wimborne where a previous tradesperson put in a new consumer unit and never certified it. The homeowner found out only when the house went on the market. The fix was a full inspection and test, and in one case a section of rewiring, all before the sale could move forward.
Insurers can also ask awkward questions after an electrical fire if the work wasn't certified. It's the last thing you want to be arguing about when you're already dealing with the damage.
Landlords: the five-year rule
If you rent out a property in Dorset or Hampshire, you need an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at least every five years, and you must give a copy to your tenants. Any faults marked as urgent have to be put right within 28 days. We can test, report and carry out the remedial work in one visit, which saves you chasing two different people.
What we do before we quote
We always survey before quoting an electrical job. That means looking at the existing board, checking earthing and bonding, and finding out whether the supply can take the load if you're adding something heavy like an EV charger or heat source. Older properties often need extra work to bring bonding up to standard, and we'd rather tell you that upfront than surprise you on day two.
Related reading
Get your electrical work certified properly
If you're planning a consumer unit change, a new circuit or a rewire, book a survey with Complete Builds and we'll tell you exactly what needs certifying, then do the work and hand over the paperwork.
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