Is a consumer unit change notifiable under Part P?

Yes. In England, replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work. A registered electrician notifies it for you.

How long does the Building Regulations certificate take?

Usually a few weeks after the work. It comes from the electrician's registration scheme, not the electrician.

What if I have lost my certificates?

Ask the registration scheme the electrician used for a copy of the Building Regulations certificate. The electrician may hold a copy of the EIC.

Does Part P apply in Wales and Scotland?

Part P applies in England. Wales has its own version of Part P, and Scotland has separate building standards. All of our work is in Greater Manchester, so English Part P applies.

Part P and Fuse Box Replacement: Building Regulations Explained

Part P and fuse box replacement: what the Building Regulations ask

Replacing a fuse box is one of the jobs the Building Regulations care about. Done properly, it comes with two certificates and no extra effort from you. Done without them, it can cause trouble when you sell.

By qualified electricians at Fuse Box FittersNAPIT member 75762Updated 14 October 20265 min read

The short answer

Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England. The simplest way to comply is to use an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NAPIT, who self-certifies the work and notifies Building Control. You get an Electrical Installation Certificate on the day and a Building Regulations compliance certificate afterwards.

What Part P covers

Part P is the part of the Building Regulations in England that deals with electrical safety in homes. Most electrical work has to meet it, and some work is also notifiable, meaning Building Control must be told. Notifiable work includes installing a new circuit, work in some parts of a bathroom, and replacing a consumer unit.

Two ways to comply

A registered electrician. Electricians registered with a competent person scheme, such as NAPIT, can self-certify their work. They notify Building Control for you, and there is no separate application or inspection fee.
Building Control directly. If the electrician is not registered, you apply to the council's Building Control before the work starts, pay their fee, and they inspect it. Slower and usually dearer.

The two certificates you should get

Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). From the electrician, on the day. It records what was installed and the test results for every circuit.
Building Regulations compliance certificate. From the registration scheme, a few weeks later, confirming the work has been notified.

Keep both with the house documents. A buyer's solicitor will ask for them.

A certified consumer unit with the next inspection date written on the door — Boards we fitted to close out failed reports. **Certified, labelled, dated.**

A six-way metal consumer unit fitted in place of a failed board — Boards we fitted to close out failed reports. **Certified, labelled, dated.**

How to check an electrician is registered

Every registered electrician has a membership number you can look up. Ours is NAPIT member 75762, registered to SB Electrical Group Ltd, and you can check it on the NAPIT register. If someone offers to change your board "without the paperwork", walk away.

If work was done without notification

It happens, and it is fixable. The council can sometimes regularise unnotified work after the event. An EICR from a registered electrician will at least show the current condition, which is often what a buyer's solicitor needs to proceed.

Ready to sort it? Consumer unit replacement, fixed from £449.Consumer unit replacement →

NAPIT registered, member 75762. Every board we fit is assessed to BS 7671 and notified to Building Control.Check the register →

Three photos. One fixed price.

Send the board, the meter tails and the earthing. A qualified electrician sends a fixed written price within two working hours.