Short answer: legally, you do not have to be an electrician to change a consumer unit in your own home — but the work is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations, so if a registered electrician doesn’t do it, you must notify building control before starting and pay them to inspect it. In practice that route costs £300–£500+ in fees alone and most building control teams expect test results only a qualified person can produce. That’s why virtually every consumer unit change in London is done by a registered electrician.
What the law actually says
Replacing a consumer unit (fuse board) in a dwelling in England is notifiable work under Part P. There are only two legal routes:
- A registered electrician does it. A contractor enrolled with a government-approved scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT etc.) self-certifies the work, issues an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), and the notification to your local authority happens automatically. You receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate in the post.
- You notify building control yourself. Before work starts, you submit a building notice to your borough, pay the fee, and the council inspects — usually by sending their own approved electrician to test your work. Typical London building notice fees run £300–£500+, on top of materials, and you still need calibrated test instruments (£500+ to buy) and the competence to complete the testing schedules.
Doing it with no notification at all is a Building Regulations offence. Councils can require the work to be opened up or redone, and it surfaces at the worst time: when you sell (your buyer’s solicitor asks for the certificate) or when you claim on insurance after an electrical fire.
Why this job is treated differently from changing a socket
Swapping a like-for-like socket is non-notifiable minor work. A consumer unit change is different because everything in the installation lands there: it involves working next to live supply terminals (the cutout fuse side stays live unless the DNO pulls it), selecting the right RCD types for your circuits (EV chargers and induction hobs need specific ones), verifying earthing and bonding are up to standard first, and dead- and live-testing every circuit afterwards. Most C2 defects we find on EICRs in older London homes trace back to exactly this area — boards changed without the earthing and bonding being brought up to standard at the same time.
DIY vs registered electrician — the real 2026 numbers
| Route | What you pay | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| DIY + building notice | £300–£500+ council fees, plus materials, plus test gear | Compliance only if the council’s inspector passes your work — no EIC from a contractor, no warranty |
| Registered electrician | from £550 labour-only in London (materials itemised separately) | EIC, automatic Part P notification, compliance certificate, workmanship guarantee |
Once you price the building notice honestly, the DIY saving mostly disappears — which is why the £150 “board swap” adverts you see are the real trap: no notification, no certificate, no testing. Full breakdown in our fuse board replacement cost guide.
What a proper consumer unit change includes
- Pre-work checks: earthing arrangement, main bonding to gas and water, tails and cutout condition
- New metal consumer unit (18th Edition, BS EN 61439-3) with RCBOs or dual-RCD configuration
- Surge protection (SPD) where required, and the right RCD types for EV chargers or induction hobs
- Dead and live testing of every circuit, recorded on the EIC schedules
- Part P notification and your Building Regulations compliance certificate
See our guides to consumer unit upgrades in London and Wylex board replacements for what we typically replace and why.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to change your own consumer unit?
Not if you notify building control before starting and their inspection passes. It is illegal (a Building Regulations breach) to do it with no notification — and that’s the route with no paper trail for resale or insurance.
Can a handyman or unregistered electrician change a consumer unit?
Only via the same building notice route as a DIYer. If they can’t self-certify through NICEIC, NAPIT or similar, the council must be notified and inspect. Always ask which scheme a contractor is registered with — and check the register online.
How much does a consumer unit change cost in London in 2026?
From £550 labour-only with a registered contractor, depending on circuits and remedials; London market quotes commonly run £575–£850. Materials are itemised separately. Our minimum charge on any job is £108 (£90 + VAT).
Will I get a certificate?
Yes — an Electrical Installation Certificate on completion, plus the Building Regulations compliance certificate from the notification. Keep both; solicitors ask for them when you sell.
Do I need a new consumer unit to pass an EICR?
Not automatically. An old board without RCD protection is typically coded C2 or C3 depending on circumstances — see our fuse board replacement page for when replacement is genuinely warranted.
Get it done once, certified, in a day
F & A Electrical is a NICEIC-approved contractor based in Tottenham N15, rated 9.32/10 from 242 reviews. Consumer unit replacements from £550 labour-only across North and East London, usually within 48 hours, certificate issued on completion. Call 07407 627 542 or see our coverage areas.