Electrical Certificates Explained: EIC, Minor Works, Part P and EICR

By Tim, NICEIC registered electrician · Published 6 October 2026 · 7 min read

There are four electrical certificates you’re likely to come across, and which one you get depends on the job. New circuits, a new fuse box or a rewire get an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC). Small changes to a circuit you already have, like an extra socket, get a Minor Works Certificate. If the work is notifiable under the Building Regulations, you also get a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, which most people call a Part P certificate. And a check of wiring that’s already there, which is what landlords and buyers ask for, is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

Every job we do comes with the right one at no extra charge. If you need an EICR in Poole or Bournemouth, ours start from £120. See our EICR and testing service.

Which certificate do I need?

Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)

The EIC is the full certificate for new work. It’s made up of the certificate itself, a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results for every circuit that was installed or changed. The test results show the circuit is properly earthed, the insulation is sound, the protective devices trip when they should and the polarity is right.

You get an EIC when we fit a new circuit, change a consumer unit or rewire a house. Keep it with your house deeds. A buyer’s solicitor will ask for it, and the next electrician who works on the house will want to see it too.

Minor Works Certificate

The Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate is the short version. It covers an addition or alteration to a circuit that’s already there, like adding a socket to a ring, putting in an extra light, or moving a switch. It’s a single page with the test results for the circuit we worked on.

If a job adds a brand new circuit, a minor works certificate isn’t enough. You should get a full EIC. It’s worth checking that, because it’s a common shortcut.

The Part P certificate (Building Regulations Compliance Certificate)

Part P is the part of the Building Regulations in England that covers electrical safety in homes. Some jobs are notifiable, which means Building Control has to be told about them. The main ones are:

• fitting a new circuit
• replacing a consumer unit
• adding to or changing a circuit in a room with a bath or shower

There are two ways to notify. If your electrician is registered with a competent person scheme, such as NICEIC, they notify the job through the scheme and you get a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate in the post. If they’re not registered, you have to apply to your council’s Building Control before the work starts and pay their fee, and they inspect it.

We’re registered with NICEIC, so we notify the work for you. You don’t need to deal with Building Control yourself.

EICR (the electrical safety certificate)

The EICR is different from the rest because it’s a check of an installation that already exists, not a certificate for new work. We inspect and test the wiring, the consumer unit, the earthing and bonding and every circuit, then write up anything we find using the standard codes:

• C1: danger present, needs making safe straight away
• C2: potentially dangerous, needs putting right
• C3: improvement recommended
• FI: further investigation needed

Any C1, C2 or FI makes the report unsatisfactory. C3s on their own don’t.

Landlords in England must have an EICR at least every five years, give a copy to tenants within 28 days, and send it to the council within 7 days if asked. Homeowners don’t have to have one, but every ten years is the usual advice, and it’s worth doing when you buy an older house. Our EICR cost guide has the full prices and what happens if a property fails.

Selling a house: which certificates the solicitor will ask for

When you sell, the property information form asks whether any electrical work has been done since 1 January 2005, which is when Part P came in. If it has, the buyer’s solicitor will want the EIC and the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate for it.

If you can’t find them:

1. Ask the electrician who did the work for a copy.
2. If you know which scheme they were registered with, the scheme can usually supply a copy of the Building Regulations certificate.
3. If neither works, an EICR shows the buyer the installation is in a safe condition. It doesn’t replace the missing certificate, but it’s what most solicitors accept.

What a certificate should look like

A proper certificate has the name, address and registration number of the electrician, the address of the property, a description of the work, and a test result with the actual reading written in for every circuit. It’s signed and dated. If you’ve been given a certificate with no test results on it, ask why.

What it costs

There’s no separate charge for certificates on any job we do. They’re part of the price. For an EICR on its own:

Every price we charge is on our prices page. If the EICR shows the fuse box is the problem, our consumer unit upgrades start from £450 and come with an EIC and the Part P certificate.

Book a test or ask a question

Not sure which certificate you need? Call Tim on 07809 680068 or message on WhatsApp and tell us what the job is or who’s asking for the certificate. We cover Poole, Bournemouth and the surrounding area.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Electrical safety standards in the private rented sector, guidance for landlords
• GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety in dwellings
• Electrical Safety First: electrical certificates
• NICEIC: find and check a registered contractor

Frequently Asked Questions