There is a common belief that it is illegal for a homeowner to touch their own electrics. In England that is not quite right. The Building Regulations set a safety standard that all electrical work in a home must meet, and they make some jobs notifiable. Who holds the screwdriver is a separate question. This guide sets out the practical position so you can decide what to attempt and what to leave. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check locally if you live outside England.
The short answer
In England you can do minor electrical work in your own home, such as replacing a damaged socket or light fitting like for like, without telling anyone. The work still has to be done safely and to the standard. Larger jobs are notifiable. You can do notifiable work yourself only if you tell building control before you start and let them inspect it, usually for a fee. In practice most people use an electrician who can self certify.
Which work is notifiable
The notifiable list is short, and it covers the jobs with the biggest consequences if they go wrong.
- Installing a new circuit, such as one for a cooker, shower or garden
- Replacing a consumer unit
- Adding to or altering a circuit in a room with a bath or shower, within the zones around it
Work that is not notifiable
Everything else in the home is generally non notifiable, which covers most small jobs. Examples include replacing a socket, switch or ceiling rose, adding a socket or light to an existing circuit outside the bathroom zones, and fitting extra bonding. Non notifiable does not mean unregulated. It still has to be safe, and it still has to be done to BS 7671, the wiring standard.
How DIY notifiable work gets signed off
If you want to do notifiable work yourself, you apply to your local authority building control before starting. They will inspect the work at suitable points and test it, or ask for it to be tested, before issuing a completion certificate. There is a fee, and building control may insist on seeing cables before walls are closed up.
Starting without notifying and asking afterwards is much harder. Building control may ask for walls to be opened up so they can see what was installed.
The part people underestimate: testing
Fitting a socket is easy. Proving that the circuit behind it will disconnect fast enough in a fault is not. That needs calibrated instruments and an understanding of the readings. Most of the faults we are asked to trace in DIY work are not dramatic. They are small mistakes, such as a loose earth or a borrowed neutral, that only a test would have caught.
Why it matters when you sell
Buyers' solicitors routinely ask for certificates covering notifiable electrical work. Missing paperwork can hold up a sale or lead to a price reduction. A registered electrician's certificate and building regulations compliance notice, or a building control completion certificate, answers that question cleanly.
A sensible middle ground
Many homeowners do the labour that does not involve connections: clearing rooms, lifting carpets, patching plaster after chasing. An electrician then does the circuit work, connections, testing and certification. That keeps costs down without taking on the risk of the part that is hard to get right.
Common questions
- Is it illegal to change a light fitting myself?
- No. Replacing a fitting like for like outside the bathroom zones is non notifiable in England, but it must still be done safely.
- Can an electrician certify work I have already done?
- An electrician cannot certify work they did not do or supervise. They can inspect and test it and report its condition, but sign off for notifiable DIY work comes through building control.
- Does fitting a new consumer unit need notifying?
- Yes. Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable work in England.
Not sure whether a job is one to leave to an electrician? Ask us for a free written quote.
Related guides
- Part P Explained for HomeownersPart P is about electrical safety in dwellings. It is shorter and simpler than most people expect.
- What Electrical Work Needs Building Control Sign OffSome electrical work has to be notified to building control. Plenty does not.
- Electrical Certificates: Which One You Should GetThe right certificate depends on whether work was new, altered or merely inspected.