Choosing an electrician for your job

Start with the actual work

Describe the property, problem and proposed changes. Ask who will attend and what experience they have of that work. Domestic installation, inspection and testing, EV charging and industrial controls require different evidence of competence.

• Match the legal or trading name and contact details to the quote.
• Check relevant qualifications, insurance and recent comparable work.
• If NICEIC or NAPIT registration is claimed, check the official register and the scope. Ask the scheme directly if a result is unclear; a logo alone proves little.

Understand Part P in England

For notifiable domestic work, a competent person scheme lets an appropriately registered installer self-certify Building Regulations compliance. This is not the only lawful route: building control certification or an authorised registered third-party certification arrangement may be available. Agree the appropriate route before work starts; do not assume someone can simply sign it off afterwards.

• Ask whether notification is required and who handles it and its fees.
• An EICR inspector must be competent in inspection and testing; not every electrician's registration covers that work, and scheme membership is not a universal legal prerequisite for every EICR.

Compare the whole agreement

Compare written scope, exclusions, disruption, payment stages and handover documents. Ask how complaints and defects are handled. A directory listing or initial public-information check is not proof of competence for every service or a guarantee of workmanship.

A quick guide to arranging electrical work

30 seconds · silent with on-screen captions.

Get safe first. Describe the work, check competence for that job, confirm the business and person attending, agree written costs, and ask about testing and handover documents.