What certificate do I get after a consumer unit change?

Many homeowners receive one piece of paper after an electrician visits and assume that is everything. For a consumer unit replacement — notifiable work under Part P — two documents are required. Here is what each one is, what it records, and why both matter.

The Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)

The Electrical Installation Certificate is the primary technical document for new notifiable electrical work. It is issued under BS 7671 (the 18th Edition wiring regulations) by the registered electrician who designed, constructed and tested the installation — or, more precisely, by the person or persons responsible for each of those functions (on a straightforward domestic job, usually the same electrician).

The EIC records:

• The details of the supply — supply type, earthing arrangement, prospective fault current at the origin.
• The details of the consumer unit — type, manufacturer, main switch rating, whether an SPD is fitted.
• For each circuit: its designation, the cable details, the protective device type and rating, and the test results (insulation resistance, continuity, loop impedance, polarity, RCD trip time).
• Any departures from BS 7671 or limitations on the certificate.
• The signatures of the persons responsible for the design, construction and testing.

The EIC is issued on the day the work is completed and tested. It is the document that proves the installation was inspected, tested and found compliant with the wiring regulations at the time of installation. Keep it permanently — it is not something that expires or needs renewing, and it will be requested in conveyancing.

The Building Regulations compliance certificate

The Building Regulations compliance certificate — sometimes called a completion certificate or a Part P certificate — is the document that confirms the notifiable work has been registered with the local authority's building control department. It is issued by the competent-person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA or similar) with which the electrician is registered, not by the electrician directly.

The certificate typically states:

• The address of the property.
• A description of the notifiable work carried out.
• The name and registration number of the electrician or company.
• The scheme through which notification was made.
• The date of notification.

Because the notification is made by the scheme on behalf of the electrician, and then the scheme issues the certificate, there is usually a delay of a few weeks between the work being done and the certificate arriving. It is often sent by post or email directly from the scheme rather than handed over on the day.

What to do if you are missing a certificate

Both certificates should be in your hands after any consumer unit replacement. If one is missing:

• Missing EIC: contact the electrician who did the work and ask for the EIC. A registered electrician is required to issue one for notifiable work. If the electrician cannot or will not provide it, contact the competent-person scheme they are registered with. If you cannot establish whether or how the work was certified, a registered electrician can inspect the existing installation and, if it passes, issue a report — though this will be an EICR (condition report) rather than an EIC for new work.
• Missing Building Regulations compliance certificate: if you have an EIC but no Building Regulations certificate and it has been more than six weeks since the work was done, contact the electrician and ask them to confirm the notification was made. If they are registered with a scheme, you can contact the scheme directly with the electrician's registration number and the date of work. The certificate should be retrievable.
• Missing both — work was not certified: this is the more difficult situation, and it arises in practice with historical work or in property purchases. The solution is typically to have a registered electrician carry out an EICR of the installation. If the installation is found satisfactory (or once any issues are remedied), the EICR provides a current assessment of its condition. An indemnity insurance policy is sometimes used in conveyancing for older uncertified work, but this does not provide the same assurance as a properly certified installation.

Standard certificates for a consumer unit replacement in England and Wales. Sources: Part P of the Building Regulations; BS 7671.

Why these certificates matter when you sell

Solicitors handling residential property transactions routinely request evidence of building-control sign-off for notifiable electrical work — and a consumer unit replacement is one of the jobs most commonly checked. The buyer's conveyancer will typically ask whether any notifiable electrical work has been carried out since the existing records, and if so, whether it was certified.

Without both certificates, you face one of three options on a sale: provide the documentation (which means retrieving it or having the work retrospectively inspected); provide an indemnity insurance policy covering the uncertified work (this does not certify the installation is safe — it insures against enforcement action, which is not the same thing); or have a registered electrician inspect, and if necessary bring up to standard, the consumer unit and its circuits so that a current condition report can be issued.

Keeping the EIC and the Building Regulations compliance certificate from the day the work is done is by far the simplest approach. File them with your other property documents where they can be found quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Total Skills — electrical certificates explained (EIC, EICR, Minor Works)
• Electrical Safety First — replacing a consumer unit (best practice guide)
• GOV.UK — Part P: electrical safety in dwellings

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.