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Part P: scope and dwellingsIs a care home a dwelling?
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Part P applies to electrical installations in:
- Dwelling houses and flats
- Dwellings and business premises that share a common supply
- Common access areas in blocks of flats (corridors, staircases)
- Shared amenities of flats (laundries, gyms)
- Land belonging to the dwelling: fixed garden lighting, pond pumps
- Outbuildings: sheds, detached garages, greenhouses
Not "dwellings", so not covered by Part P:
- Hospitals · schools · care homes for the elderly
- Hotels · boarding houses · halls of residence · hostels
Other parts of the Building Regs still apply there, such as A for chasing walls and B for fire.
What is a dwelling? Generally taken as a home for 6 people or fewer. That's a rule of thumb, not a legal limit.
Electrician's Guide to the Building Regs · 1.3.2 Scope of Part P · p.22 Electrician's Guide to the Building Regs · Figure: scope of Part P (houses, flats, shop with shared or separate meter) · p.23
In Wales, a kitchen counts as an area of increased risk, so it's treated as a special location. In England it isn't. A kitchen is "a room or part of a room which contains a sink and food preparation facilities". In open-plan areas, the kitchen may be taken to extend 3 m from the edge of the sink or to a nearer dividing wall. A sink in an open-plan office doesn't make the office a kitchen.
A skilled person doesn't have to hold a particular qualification. BS 7671 defines one as someone with adequate education, training and practical skills to see the risks and avoid the hazards. You prove it through qualifications, site experience, signed-off work and paperwork.
BS 7671 · Part 2 Definitions · "Skilled person" Key word: adequate
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