Where to get approval

Competent person self-certification schemes (commonly referred to as competent person schemes) were introduced by the Government in 2002 to allow individuals and enterprises to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations as an alternative to submitting a building notice or using an approved inspector.

The principles of self-certification are based on giving people who are competent in their field the ability to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations without the need to submit a building notice and thus incurring local authority inspections or fees. Self-certification can enhance compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations, reduce costs for firms joining authorised schemes, and promote training and competence within the industry. It can also help tackle the problem of 'cowboy builders', and assist local authorities with enforcement of the Building Regulations.

Full details on the role of competent persons are available from the GOV.UK website¹.

The competent person schemes operators have established a website to provide the consumer with the ability to search for a Competent Person registered with one of the schemes: Competent Persons Register².  A separate register specifically for electricians has also been set up, so if you are specifically looking for an electrician to carry out domestic electrical work, you can search here³. Electricians registered with competent person self-certification schemes can be easily identified by their joint logo as shown below.

1. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-competent-person-schemes
2. http://www.competentperson.co.uk/
3. http://www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk/