Since May 2005, if you’re doing work to your home that involves electricity, it now needs to conform to the new building regulations.

They have been brought in to improve the standard of building work.

The new system includes rules for electrical installations, which has been controlled by the Building standards system for many years. Under the new system, any electrical work carried out under a building warrant (the legal permission you need from the local authority to start building work) will either have to be approved by a registered installer (known formally as an ‘approved certifier’) or be checked by the local authority.

Any electrical work carried out under a building warrant. It is the responsibility of the person who orders the work (normally the person who owns the building), to find out if they need a building warrant.

Your local authority will be able to give you advice about whether you need one for the work you want to have done. However, it is likely that electrical work in new buildings, existing flats and in maisonettes and houses with more than two storeys, will have to meet the rules.

You can get more information on this by visiting the Scottish Building Standard’s website here.

You are. By law, homeowners and landlords have to be able to prove that all new electrical work and any change to existing electrical wiring meet the new rules. Your local authority has the power to force you to remove or alter work that fails to do this.

Always consult with your local authority for best advice!