Registration with a government-authorised competent person scheme lets an electrician self-certify their notifiable electrical work. You can check any electrician on a single official register for householders or on the scheme operator's own search tool. Checking this detail is the single most useful step you can take before hiring an electrician. It decides whether your work will be properly certified and who you can complain to if things go wrong.
Why registration matters
Electrical work in homes in England and Wales is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. Scotland has its own building standards system and Northern Ireland differs, so the rules depend on where you live. Under Part P, certain electrical jobs are classed as notifiable work. This includes replacing a consumer unit, which is also called a fuse box or fuse board. It also includes a full house rewire or installing a brand new circuit.
The Planning Portal states that it is best to use an installer registered with a competent person scheme. A registered electrician can self-certify that their work meets the national wiring standard, which is known as BS 7671 or the Wiring Regulations. When the job is finished, they handle the official notification process for you.
If you hire someone who is not registered, they cannot self-certify the job. This means the work must be inspected, approved and certificated by a building control body. In England only, you also have the option to use a registered third-party certifier. Building control must be notified before the work starts, which adds time and admin to your project.
Electrical inspections and landlord duties
Many people look for a registered electrician when they need an Electrical Installation Condition Report, often called an EICR. Landlords have legal duties to have their property's electrical installations inspected at least every five years. There are nation specific rules for this, and substantial penalties apply in England for landlords who break them.
For owner-occupiers, a periodic electrical inspection is a recommendation, not a legal duty. An EICR may be asked for when you are buying or selling a house. Using a registered electrician means you can complain to their scheme operator if you are unhappy with the work.
You should be cautious of very cheap inspections. These are sometimes used to sell long lists of remedial work, with minor advisory items presented as serious failures. A registered electrician is accountable to their scheme operator, so you can complain to the operator if you are unhappy with the work.
What NICEIC, NAPIT and the other schemes are
You will often hear electricians refer to themselves as NICEIC or NAPIT registered. These are two of the bodies authorised by the government to run competent person schemes. The gov.uk competent person scheme page, last updated 17 September 2026, lists the operators for the installation of fixed low or extra-low voltage electrical installations in dwellings.
The listed scheme operators are BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure, NAPIT and OFTEC. The same government page notes that Certsure LLP trades as NICEIC. All of these operators work under the same government authorisation.
The operators differ by what exact types of work they cover, but they all allow their assessed members to self-certify notifiable electrical work in homes. None of these schemes are legally ranked above the others. Both can self-certify notifiable work within the types of work their scheme covers.
How to check on the official register
The simplest way to verify an electrician is to use the official central database. Schemes include their members in the electrical competent person register. This database is designed to provide a single place for householders to find registered electricians in their area.
You can search this central database at electricalcompetentperson.co.uk. Because it pools the members of all the different schemes, you do not need to know which specific operator the electrician belongs to.
You simply enter the company name or the electrician's location to see if they are listed. If they appear on this register, they are currently authorised to self-certify their work.
Checking NICEIC and NAPIT directly
If an electrician specifically advertises a scheme logo, you can check their membership directly with that operator. This is useful if you want to confirm their exact status or if the central register is unavailable.
To check a NICEIC registration, use its Find a Trusted Tradesperson tool on its website. You need to choose the Browse tradespeople option and search the business name. If you are hiring a sole trader, you should search the electrician's own name instead.
To check a NAPIT registration, the process is very similar. The NAPIT website links its Find a tradesperson option to a page titled NAPIT Member Search, which is located at search.napit.org.uk.
The table below summarises where to look to confirm an electrician's registration status.
|
What to check |
Where to search |
What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
|
All scheme members |
electricalcompetentperson.co.uk |
If they are on the single register for householders |
|
NICEIC members |
Find a Trusted Tradesperson tool |
If the business or sole trader is listed with NICEIC |
|
NAPIT members |
NAPIT Member Search tool |
If the business is a current NAPIT member |
If the electrician does not appear in the right place, read the next section before drawing conclusions.
If you cannot find them
If you search for an electrician and cannot find them, do not panic immediately. A missing listing does not always mean the business is not registered. Often, the name you have been given may differ from their official registered trading name.
If you cannot find a NICEIC member online, you can call them directly. NICEIC offers a customer service phone line on 0333 015 6625. It is open from 9:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday.
It is important to check the register rather than trusting marketing materials. Do not rely on seeing a logo on a van, a website or a flyer. NICEIC warns that rogue traders have been known to use its logo even when they are not certified with the scheme.
If an electrician's details do not appear, ask them these questions:
- What exact business name their scheme membership is registered under
- Which of the government-authorised scheme operators they belong to
- Whether their membership covers the specific type of electrical work you need
- Whether they will be self-certifying the work themselves
Registered and qualified are not the same thing
It is easy to confuse registration with qualifications, but they are different things. Registration is an assessment process that allows an electrician to self-certify work under the Building Regulations. It is not a general licence to trade.
An electrician might hold all the necessary qualifications to work safely, but choose not to join a competent person scheme. Registration is simply not the same thing as being qualified.
Because of this, you should not assume that an unregistered electrician is unqualified. However, regardless of their qualifications, an unregistered electrician cannot legally self-certify notifiable work in your home.
What to do if the electrician is not registered
If you decide to hire an unregistered installer for notifiable work, the rules for certification change entirely. The responsibility for notifying the work falls on the consumer, not the electrician. You must contact building control before any work begins.
Once the work is completed, it must be inspected, approved and certificated by a building control body. In England only, you have the option to pay a registered third-party certifier to do this inspection instead.
A registered electrician can self-certify the work and manage the paperwork for you, which is why it is best to use one.
Common problems with quotes and pricing
Knowing how the trade works helps you spot a reliable electrician. Small jobs and fault finding are usually charged by the hour. There is often a call-out fee or a minimum charge that covers the first hour of their time. Out-of-hours emergency work usually carries a premium rate.
Defined jobs, such as an EICR, replacing a consumer unit, or installing an EV charger, are usually quoted as a fixed price. A quote is a fixed price that will not change, whereas an estimate is just a rough guess. The price will be based on your property size, the number of circuits, access issues and the required specification. Electricians in London and the South East cost noticeably more than in other areas.
When you receive a quote, you should check exactly what it covers. Vague quotes can lead to unexpected bills later on. A professional quote should clearly list:
- Whether the final price includes VAT
- Whether all materials and parts are included
- The cost of testing and issuing the certification
- Whether making good is included, which means repairing damaged plaster and decoration
You should also be cautious if you are asked for a large cash deposit with no paperwork. Staged payments are normal for a large job like a full rewire. You might pay one part after the first fix, which means putting the hidden cables in the walls, and again after the second fix, which means fitting the visible sockets and switches.
What you should get when the job is done
When the electrical work is finished, you should receive the correct paperwork to prove it is safe. New work is certified with an Electrical Installation Certificate. For small jobs or additions to an existing circuit, you will receive a Minor Works Certificate.
NICEIC states that you should expect a fully completed certificate shortly after the job is finished. If the work was notifiable, you will also receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Ask your electrician when to expect it.
You must keep both of these documents safe. You will need to show them to buyers or solicitors when the property is sold. If you lose your compliance certificate in the future, duplicate Building Regulations Certificates of Compliance can be purchased at checkmynotification.com.
If something goes wrong
Even with a registered electrician, problems can occasionally happen. If you have not received your certificate within a month of the job finishing, NICEIC advises you to follow its complaints procedure.
Electrical Safety First advises that if you cannot resolve a problem, you should contact the operator of the scheme they have claimed to be part of. If the electrician is registered, you can complain to their scheme operator. The operator will investigate and in turn ask them to rectify any mistakes.
If you discover that the person who did the work is not registered, but they claimed to be, this is a different matter. Electrical Safety First advises that you should report them to your local Trading Standards Department.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If the work is poor, you have the right to ask for it to be put right at no extra cost. If you need advice on your specific consumer rights, Citizens Advice is the best place to start.
Common questions
Do I have a cooling-off period for electrical work?
Services arranged at your home, by phone or online usually carry a 14-day cooling-off period under consumer law. This gives you the right to change your mind and cancel the contract. However, this protection does not automatically apply to urgent repairs that you have specifically asked the electrician to carry out immediately.
Can I check if my house needs a full rewire?
You should never accept that a full rewire is compulsory without test evidence. A registered electrician will perform an EICR to test the condition of the wiring, the consumer unit, and the earthing and bonding. If they tell you a rewire is needed, ask them to explain the specific failures on the report so you can understand why. You can also read our guide on warning signs your house needs rewiring.
Why does my electricity keep tripping?
If your power trips, a circuit breaker, RCD or RCBO in your consumer unit has detected a fault and disconnected the supply to keep you safe. You should only take safe, user level actions, such as unplugging an appliance or pressing the RCD test button. If the problem continues, you will need a professional to trace the fault. You can learn more about why your electricity keeps tripping.
Do electricians install surge protection devices?
Surge protection devices protect sensitive electronics from sudden spikes in voltage and can be fitted when a consumer unit is replaced. Check your quote to see whether one is included.
Next steps
Finding a reliable tradesperson is much easier when you know what to check. Before you book an electrician, follow these simple steps to protect yourself and your home:
- Ask the electrician for their exact registered trading name
- Search for their business on the electrical competent person register
- Call the scheme operator directly if their details are missing online
- Ask for a fixed price quote that includes VAT, certification and making good
- Confirm exactly when you will receive your electrical certificate and compliance paperwork
TopRatedElectricians.co.uk lists local electricians and ranks them using their Google reviews, but we do not employ, vet, certify or guarantee anyone. When you are ready to get quotes for your project, you can find an electrician near you to start discussing the work.
Find a top rated electrician near you
4,987 electricians across the UK, each ranked on their Google rating and the number of reviews behind it. Start with your county:
