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Trusted electricians in London

Domestic electrical work in England is regulated for good reason — bad electrics burn houses down slowly. On London Heroes, the Hero Agreement requires an electrician to hold competent person scheme registration, and certification is part of the job, not an extra.

If anything is smoking or alight: get everyone out and call 999 first.

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What we can help with

  • Electrical repairs and fault finding
  • EICR reports and testing
  • Consumer unit (fuse box) replacement
  • Sockets, switches and lighting
  • Full and partial rewiring
  • PAT testing
  • Cooker points, fused spurs and appliance circuits

Popular electrical services

Also covered: Full and partial rewiring · Additional sockets and switches · Lighting installation, design and repair · External and garden lighting · PAT testing · Cooker points and fused spurs · Door entry systems · Earthing and bonding— describe the job in your request and we’ll route it correctly.

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The law on electrical

Statutory basis

Electrical safety in homes in England is governed by Part P of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010, as amended. Its requirement P1 reads: 'Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury.' It applies to low and extra-low voltage installations in or attached to a dwelling, in the common parts of a building serving dwellings (excluding power supplies to lifts), and in a building, garden or land whose electricity comes from a source within or shared with a dwelling. Regulation 12(6A) makes three kinds of that work notifiable: 'the installation of a new circuit', 'the replacement of a consumer unit', and 'any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location'. Approved Document P (paragraph 3.1) says notifiable work must be certified in one of three ways: an installer registered with a competent person scheme self-certifies it (regulation 12(6)(a) and Schedule 3); a registered third-party certifier appointed before the work starts inspects it (regulation 12(6)(c) and Schedule 3A); or a building control body certifies it, notified before the work starts (paragraph 3.8): the relevant authority, by a building notice or an application for building control approval (regulation 12(2)), or a registered building control approver, by an initial notice given jointly with it to the local authority (Building Act 1984, section 47). For emergency repairs, where giving it first is not practicable, the building notice is given as soon as reasonably practicable after the work starts (regulation 12(8)). Separately, for rented property specifically, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 impose a statutory duty on private landlords to have electrical installations inspected and tested at fixed intervals — this was extended to the social rented sector from 1 November 2025.

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Who may legally do this work

There is no single statutory register of the kind Gas Safe is for gas — anyone may legally carry out non-notifiable electrical work in a dwelling: repairs and maintenance anywhere, replacements anywhere except a consumer unit (replacing a consumer unit is notifiable, regulation 12(6A)(b) of the Building Regulations 2010), and additions or alterations to existing circuits outside a special location (the space around a bath or shower, or a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater). For notifiable work specifically, gov.uk states: 'An installer (for example of windows or boilers) who's registered with a scheme can self-certify that their work complies with building standards,' and directs consumers to 'Search the Electrical Competent Person Register if you're looking for an electrician to work on your home.' If an installer who is not registered carries out notifiable work, it must be certified another way: by a registered third-party certifier appointed before the work starts, or by a building control body notified before the work starts. Competent person scheme operators for electrical work include NICEIC, NAPIT and ELECSA, all of which report into the single government-recognised Electrical Competent Person Register.

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If you own and live in the property

  • There is no law forcing an owner-occupier to have their home's electrics tested. NICEIC states directly: 'If you own your own home, there aren't any laws requiring you to obtain an EICR for your property. However, it's generally recommended (for example, by electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First) that you obtain an EICR at least once every 10 years.'

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  • Regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010 makes electrical work in a dwelling notifiable where it consists of 'the installation of a new circuit', 'the replacement of a consumer unit', or 'any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location'. Regulation 12(9) defines a special location as the space around a bath tap or shower head in a room containing a bath or shower (up to 2.25 metres above the floor, or up to a shower head fixed higher than that, and 0.6 metres out from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray, or 1.2 metres from the shower head where there is no tray), or a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater. A kitchen or a garden is not a special location, so electrical work there is notifiable only if it is a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement. Notifiable work needs a building notice or an application for building control approval before it starts, unless it is done by an installer registered with a competent person scheme, who self-certifies it (regulation 12(6)(a) and Schedule 3), or is inspected by a registered third-party certifier appointed before the work starts (regulation 12(6)(c) and Schedule 3A).

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If you’re a landlord

  • NICEIC states: 'there are laws requiring all UK private landlords and some social landlords to have their rental properties checked at least once every five years through an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).' This applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, though the detail of the law differs by nation.

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  • The government's official landlord guidance states: your landlord must ensure 'the electrical system is safe, for example sockets and light fittings' and that 'all appliances they supply are safe, for example cookers and kettles.'

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  • GOV.UK guidance on the 2020 (now private and social rented sectors) regulations confirms landlords must ensure electrical installations are 'inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years,' obtain a report (an EICR) explaining the outcome and any required remedial or investigative work, complete any required remedial work within 28 days (or sooner if the report specifies a shorter period), and then supply the report and written confirmation the work was done to the tenant and to the local council, each within 28 days.

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  • The regulations were updated in 2025 to include the social rented sector, with the following commencement dates: 1 November 2025 (regulations come into force for social housing), 1 December 2025 (applies to newly granted social tenancies), and 1 May 2026 (applies to pre-existing social tenancies, with transitional requirements by 1 November 2026). Social landlords also gained a duty to check landlord-provided electrical equipment (not just the fixed installation) at the same 5-year interval.

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  • The duty applies to 'all landlords if their tenant has a right to occupy the premises as their only or main residence and pays rent' — i.e. it is scoped to genuine private and social tenancies, not to owner-occupiers, and tenants remain responsible for their own portable appliances rather than the fixed installation.

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  • Regulation 3 of the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 sets the inspection duty itself. A landlord must 'ensure every electrical installation in the residential premises is inspected and tested at regular intervals by a qualified person', which means 'at intervals of no more than 5 years', or by an earlier date where the most recent report requires it, and must have it inspected and tested before a tenancy the regulations cover begins. Where the report shows the landlord is, or may be, in breach of the electrical safety standards and requires further investigative or remedial work, the landlord 'must ensure that further investigative or remedial work is carried out by a qualified person within— (a) 28 days; or (b) the period specified in the report if less than 28 days', starting with the date of the inspection and testing.

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  • Separately from the inspection duty, a landlord has a repairing duty. In England, section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 implies into a lease of a home granted for a term of less than seven years (section 13 of the same Act) a covenant by the landlord 'to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for the supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation', which covers the electrical supply installation but not 'other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity'. Installations for heating, electric ones such as storage heaters or an immersion heater included, are covered separately by section 11(1)(c): 'to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for space heating and heating water'. In a flat, it can also reach an installation elsewhere in the building that serves the flat (section 11(1A)). A term in the tenancy putting these repairs on the tenant has no effect, except for repairs the tenant is liable for under their duty to use the home in a tenant-like manner, and for anything the tenant is entitled to remove (section 11(2) and (4)).

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Certificates & records

  • Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

    Who must hold it:
    Legally required for private (and, from November 2025, social) landlords in England. Recommended but not legally required for owner-occupiers.
    Frequency:
    At least every 5 years for rented property (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all require 5-yearly checks for domestic private rented EICRs, per NICEIC's nation-by-nation comparison). Recommended every 10 years for owner-occupied homes.

    An EICR (also called an electrical safety check, fixed wire test, or periodic inspection and testing) is 'a document produced by an electrical inspector following a comprehensive health check of your home's or property's electrical installation,' covering wiring, consumer units, fixed equipment, and protective devices — but not plug-in appliances, which are 'not considered part of the electrical installation.' Findings are classified C1 (danger present, immediate action required), C2 (potentially dangerous, urgent remedial work needed), C3 (improvement recommended, not dangerous) or FI (further investigation required); a C1 or C2 finding makes the report 'unsatisfactory.'

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  • Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) / Building Regulations Compliance Certificate

    Who must hold it:
    Whoever commissions notifiable electrical work (a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or an addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location such as the space around a bath or shower)
    Frequency:
    One-off, issued on completion of the specific job — not a recurring check

    An EIC is a different document from an EICR: it is issued 'after an electrician has completed any new installation or major alteration to an installation on your property,' confirming the new work is safe and compliant at the time of installation. For a landlord, an EIC for new work is treated as valid for five years, after which an EICR is needed to check the installation is still safe.

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Commonly misunderstood

  • Does all electrical work at home have to be done by a registered electrician?

    Only 'notifiable' work needs to be certified through a competent person scheme, a registered third-party certifier or building control, and Approved Document P limits it to three kinds: installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and adding to or altering existing circuits in a 'special location' (the space around a bath or shower, or a room containing a swimming pool or sauna heater). 'All other electrical installation work is not notifiable - namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere.' So a like-for-like socket replacement, or an extra socket on an existing kitchen circuit, is not notifiable and carries no statutory registration requirement — though Approved Document P says non-notifiable work, like notifiable work, should be designed, installed, inspected and tested to BS 7671, and using an unregistered person is still a competence and insurance risk, just not a Part P offence in itself.

    What people often assume instead: Consumers often assume every piece of electrical work in a home is legally restricted to a registered electrician, or conversely that any electrician can do any job without formal building-regs notification.

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  • What is the difference between an EICR and an EIC?

    NICEIC distinguishes them explicitly: an EIC confirms new work was safe and compliant at the point of installation; an EICR is a later, recurring check confirming an existing installation is still safe. A five-year-old EIC does not substitute for a due EICR.

    What people often assume instead: Landlords and tenants sometimes conflate the EICR (periodic check of the existing installation) with the EIC (certificate issued for brand-new work).

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  • When did EICR duties start applying to social housing tenancies?

    The Electrical Safety Standards regulations were updated in 2025 to include the social rented sector, and that extension commenced in stages: the regulations came into force for social housing on 1 November 2025, applied to newly granted social tenancies from 1 December 2025, and applied to pre-existing social tenancies from 1 May 2026, with transitional requirements by 1 November 2026. Social landlords also picked up a duty to check landlord-provided electrical equipment, not only the fixed installation, at the same five-year interval. The date a particular social tenancy came within scope therefore depends on when that tenancy was granted.

    What people often assume instead: The extension of the electrical safety rules to social housing is often read as a single switch-on date covering every social tenancy at once.

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Penalties for non-compliance

  • Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, local authorities 'may impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 on landlords who are in breach' of the inspection and reporting duties. Councils can also arrange remedial electrical work themselves and recover the cost from the non-compliant landlord.

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  • For non-notifiable Building Regulations breaches generally (not electrical-specific), gov.uk states: 'The person doing the work could be prosecuted and fined if they do not comply with building regulations,' and the relevant authority 'could make you pay to fix faulty work,' with the additional consequence that the property will lack the compliance certificates needed on a future sale.

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How to check who’s legally allowed to do this

Two official routes exist. For notifiable Part P work and to check whether a specific business is registered, use the government-recognised Electrical Competent Person Register: 'All electricians listed and permitted to display the mark are registered with an electrical Competent Person Scheme Operator, and have been authorised by Government to self-certify that their work is compliant with Building Regulations.' The register 'went live on 30th June 2014.' Separately, scheme operators such as NICEIC run their own 'Find a Trusted Tradesperson' search tools drawing on the same underlying registration.

electricalcompetentperson.co.uk

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Checked against the sources cited above between and ; each claim shows the date it was checked. Rules and guidance change — always confirm anything material against the official source before acting on it.

How it works

  1. 1

    Tell us what you need

    Describe the job in plain English — add a photo if it helps. It takes about two minutes.

  2. 2

    We match a verified Hero

    We review your request and connect you with a suitable verified professional where available.

  3. 3

    You confirm, your Hero is paid

    You pay when you book, and your money is held. Follow the job on its live timeline; when you confirm the work is complete, it is released to your Hero, and you can leave a review tied to the real job.

Pricing, honestly

You approve a price before work starts — either a fixed price for well-defined jobs or a clear quote after assessment. Payment goes through the platform, so what was agreed and what was paid are always on the record.

Areas we cover

London Heroes covers all 33 London boroughs around the clock. Choose yours for the local picture, including what your council requires from landlords.

Electrical questions, answered

What is Part P and why does it matter?
Part P of the Building Regulations makes certain domestic electrical work notifiable: a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or adding to or altering a circuit in a special location such as the space around a bath or shower. Notifiable work must be self-certified by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or certified by a registered third-party certifier or through building control. Uncertified notifiable work can block a house sale and void insurance.
Why does my fuse box keep tripping?
An RCD that trips occasionally may be doing its job — but repeated tripping means a faulty appliance, moisture in a fitting, or a failing circuit. Unplug appliances one by one to narrow it down; if the pattern persists, book fault finding.
Do I need an EICR?
Landlords in England must legally have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, and obtain a report (the EICR) explaining the outcome. For homeowners it's strongly recommended when buying, after major work, or if the installation is over 10 years old.

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