`Part P: Can You Replace a Socket or Switch Yourself?
You have a cracked socket faceplate and a new BG one in the box. Do you need a registered electrician and a certificate, or can you swap it on a Saturday?
Quick answer: In England, replacing a socket, light switch or ceiling light like for like is not notifiable under Part P. Adding a socket to an existing circuit outside a bath or shower room is also non-notifiable. New circuits and consumer unit changes are notifiable. Part P safety still applies to everything.
The rule in 20 seconds
| Job | Notifiable in England? |
|---|---|
| Replace a socket, switch or ceiling light like for like | No |
| Replace a fused spur faceplate like for like | No |
| Add a socket or light to an existing circuit, outside a bath or shower room | No |
| Any work in a room with a bath or shower, beyond like for like swaps | Check first |
| Install a new circuit | Yes |
| Replace a consumer unit | Yes |
Notifiable means the work must be done by a registered installer or signed off through building control. Non-notifiable does not mean unregulated.
What "like for like" really means
Same function, same position, same circuit. A single 13A socket swapped for a double 13A socket on the same cable is a like for like swap in practice. Turning a switched fused spur into a new circuit feed is not.
Changing the type of accessory inside the same back box is fine. Moving it, or extending cable to a new position, is adding to the circuit. That is still non-notifiable outside a bath or shower room, but it needs the circuit to be sound and protected.
Where Part P still bites
Non-notifiable only removes the paperwork. The work still has to meet BS 7671, and the result still has to be safe. That means isolating at the consumer unit, proving dead with a tester you trust, and checking earth continuity and polarity after.
Three things beginners miss. Old rubber or fabric cable behind a newer faceplate. A circuit with no RCD protection. Cable that is too short to terminate without strain. If you find any of these, stop and bring in a qualified electrician.
This applies to England. Wales has its own regulations and Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, so check yours. Read the document: Approved Document P on GOV.UK.
Picking the replacement
Match the accessory to the job. A standard light switch is the usual swap, browse our light switches, or the 13A sockets and fused connection units. Starting from £1.16 for a BG 811 one gang switch (prices checked 3 October 2026).
Want a matching finish through the house? The BG Evolve range covers switches, sockets and spurs in the same finish. If you are unsure between ratings, read BG 10AX vs 20AX switches, and for lighting circuits how to calculate dimmer switch wattage.
Before you start
- Isolate the circuit and prove it dead.
- Photograph the wiring before disconnecting.
- Check back box depth and cable condition.
- Test after: continuity, polarity, RCD trip.
- If the job grows into a new circuit, stop. It is notifiable.
FAQs
Not for a like for like swap. It is non-notifiable under Part P, though the work must still meet BS 7671 and be safe.
Outside a bath or shower room it is non-notifiable in England, but the circuit must be suitable and protected. If unsure, use a qualified electrician.
Yes. It must be done by a registered installer or signed off through building control.
Yes. New circuits are notifiable under Part P in England.
Yes. Work in a room with a bath or shower needs extra care, so check whether it is notifiable before you start.
No. This article covers England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulations.
Got the job scoped?
BG switches and sockets, trade priced, in stock and dispatched from the UK.
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