If you want some electrical work done, then get in contact as at present. The requirement is to notify any work which comes within the scope of Part P of the building regulations.

If the work required may come within the scope of the new Part P, then I will send you a notification form for you to complete and send to the local council. I will enclose an information letter with a tear off section for you to advise me that the local building control department has been notified. Then we proceed as before with the work being done and, if appropriate, I will issue a certificate as present. If the work turns out not to come within the scope, then we understand the required fee will be refunded.

You may be wondering why I do not go on the course and simplify things. Well, most of my work actually is outside the scope of the new Part P.
It only covers new circuits, new work within about 3 metres of a kitchen sink, new work in a room containing a bath or shower. If you have a swimming or paddling pool, hot air sauna, electric floor or ceiling systems, garden lighting or power systems, small scale generators or extra low voltage lighting installations other than pre-assembled, CE marked lighting sets, then Building Control needs to be notified.

In other words, it’s as clear as mud.

Repairs, maintenance and general electrical work is outside the scope and the current procedures apply.

In 2006:

Due to the murky colour of  mud, we managed to get the following out of the ODPM recently:

1. When electrical installation work in dwellings is notified to the local authority, the local authority becomes responsible for checking to make sure the work is safe. If it considers that the work needs to be inspected and tested it is ODPM's opinion that the local authority must do this at its expense. Where a local authority does not have the appropriate expertise to carry out this type of work it can hire someone to do the work on its behalf.

2. The cost to the local authority should be within the building control charge. Building control charges are generally based on the value of the work to be undertaken - the more expensive the work, the higher the building control charge. All local authorities in England and Wales must make a copy of its charging regime publicly available. many place the charging regime on their website.

3. The householder is the one who is responsible for notifying the local authority but in many cases the installer undertakes this task on behalf of the householder.

4. Part P requires that work complies with the installation standards in BS 7671 and that is what a BS 7671 installation certificate attests. Of course, any problems with an installation should be sorted out before work is certificated.

Part P competent person schemes are not allowed to make a profit. Fees must be set at a level to meet operating and development costs; any surplus can be used only for their benefit of the installers registered with a scheme.
Inspections of work by competent person scheme operators are carried out on a random basis. Installers must provide the scheme operator with a list of recently completed work. The scheme operator then chooses which jobs to inspect.

All installation work is to be carried out to the installation standards in BS 7671. Competent person scheme operators should not be interpreting this standard in ways which distort its requirements. Anyone can ask the IEE to explain the requirements in BS 7671.

Buildings Division
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

The last paragraph appears to be a dig at the likes of the NICEIC who are adding rules for their ‘approved’ contractors. As an example, their ‘Domestic Installer’ isn’t allowed to rewire a house or change a fusebox under their ‘restricted’ approval. You think your confused, how do you think we feel?

The only problem is that the law doesn’t actually mention BS7671, only that it should be done safely, so they are just as confused!