The short answer
Yes — a consumer unit replacement is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales, so building control must be informed. However, you do not need to contact building control yourself if you use a registered (competent-person) electrician. They notify the work automatically via their registration scheme, and the scheme passes the notification to the local authority's building control department on your behalf. You then receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate confirming the notification was made. You would only need to deal with building control directly if the work were being carried out by someone who is not registered under a competent-person scheme.
The requirement to notify building control sounds more complicated than it is for most consumer unit replacements. If a registered electrician does the work, the process is handled for you as a standard part of the job.
Notification in brief
- Is notification required?Yes — Part P, England and Wales
- Who normally notifies?The registered electrician via their scheme
- Does the homeowner need to call building control?No — if using a registered electrician
- What you receiveBuilding Regulations compliance certificate
- If no registered electricianHomeowner must notify building control before work starts
Why notification is required
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 requires certain electrical work in dwellings to be notified to building control because of the risk posed by incorrectly wired electrical installations. The Building Regulations set minimum safety standards for work on buildings in England and Wales; Part P is the section that covers electrical installations in dwellings.
Notification creates a formal record that the work was carried out, meets the required standard, and was inspected or self-certified. Without that record, there is no public confirmation that the installation is safe or compliant. This is why conveyancers check for it on a property sale.
A consumer unit replacement is specifically listed as notifiable work. It is not in a grey area or a borderline case — it is explicitly within scope.
How notification works when a registered electrician does the job
When you instruct a registered (competent-person) electrician, the notification process works as follows:
- The electrician carries out the work and certifies it by issuing an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC).
- As part of their scheme registration, they notify the work to their competent-person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA, or another government-authorised scheme).
- The scheme notifies the local authority's building control department on their behalf.
- The scheme then issues a Building Regulations compliance certificate to the homeowner, confirming that the notification has been made.
This entire process is automatic — the homeowner does not need to contact the local council, pay a building-control fee, or arrange an inspection. The compliance certificate typically arrives by post or email within a few weeks of the work being completed.
When you would deal with building control directly
There are circumstances where the homeowner or the person commissioning the work does need to contact building control directly:
- Work carried out by an unregistered person: if the consumer unit replacement is being carried out by someone not registered under a competent-person scheme (including a homeowner doing their own work), the person doing the work must notify the local authority building control department before work starts. Building control (or an approved inspector) will then inspect and approve the work on completion. A fee is charged.
- Historic uncertified work discovered on a property purchase: if you have bought a property and discover that a consumer unit was replaced without certification, you may need to contact building control to understand what retrospective options are available. In practice, the most common resolution is to have a registered electrician inspect and certify the current state of the installation.
For the vast majority of homeowners who instruct a registered electrician for a consumer unit replacement, the building-control notification is handled entirely by the electrician and their scheme. The homeowner's only action is to keep the compliance certificate when it arrives.
| Scenario | Who notifies building control? | Fee payable? |
|---|---|---|
| Registered electrician does the work | Electrician's scheme — automatic | Included in job cost; no separate fee to council |
| Unregistered person does the work | Homeowner — must notify before work starts | Yes — building control inspection fee |
| Retrospective notification for uncertified work | Depends on route chosen | Likely yes — inspection or indemnity costs |
Who handles building control notification under different scenarios. Sources: Part P of the Building Regulations; government guidance.
What happens if the notification is not made
A consumer unit replacement carried out without Part P notification is a breach of the Building Regulations. The practical consequences are:
- Local authority enforcement: a local authority can require uncertified notifiable work to be inspected and, if it does not comply, remedied at the owner's cost. There is no time limit on building-regulations enforcement for work that does not comply, though in practice councils pursue active breaches more readily than long-standing historical issues.
- Conveyancing: solicitors handling property sales routinely check for building-control sign-off on notifiable electrical work. A missing compliance certificate for a consumer unit replacement is one of the most common conveyancing queries and can cause delays or require retrospective action.
- Insurance: uncertified electrical work can affect the validity of a buildings insurance policy, particularly if a claim arises from an electrical fault.
The compliance certificate is not an administrative technicality — it is the record that the safety-critical work was carried out and certified correctly. Insist on receiving it before making final payment to the electrician.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell the council before my consumer unit is replaced?
Not if you use a registered (competent-person) electrician — they notify the work to building control via their scheme on your behalf. You only need to contact the council directly if the work is being done by someone who is not registered under a competent-person scheme, in which case notification before work starts is required.
How do I know if the notification has been made?
You should receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate from the competent-person scheme, usually within a few weeks of the work being completed. If you have not received it within six weeks, ask your electrician to confirm the notification was submitted.
Can I get a Building Regulations certificate after the fact for old work?
Retrospective certification is possible but depends on the route taken. A registered electrician can inspect the existing installation and, if compliant, produce an EICR (condition report) reflecting the current state. In some conveyancing situations, an indemnity insurance policy is used for older uncertified work. Neither of these is as straightforward as having the work properly certified at the time — which is why certification should always be arranged before the job is done.
Sources & further reading
- GOV.UK — Part P: electrical safety in dwellings (Approved Document P)
- NICEIC — what is Part P and who needs to register?
- Electrical Safety First — replacing a consumer unit (best practice guide)
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific property and installation. They are guidance, not a quotation.