How to Choose an Electrician in Nottingham: Checks to Make

Shortlist electricians who do your kind of job

Match the firm to the job first. A rewire, an EV charger, a landlord’s safety check and a fault that keeps tripping the power are different kinds of work, so shortlist two or three firms that do yours.

Among the ten Nottingham electricians compared by registration and specialism, Hucknall Electrical takes on full or partial rewiring on any domestic or commercial property, and Definitive Electrical Solutions in Eastwood installs OZEV-approved EV charge points. Urgent Electrical Services in the city centre is available 24/7 with a stated 60 to 90 minute response.

A private landlord in England must have the electrical installation inspected and tested by a qualified person at intervals of no more than 5 years, under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. Central Electrical Contractors on Carlton Road carries out EICRs, Legacy Electrical in Beechdale does EICRs for private rented properties, and Atlas Electrical in Rise Park works for landlords and letting agents.

Check an electrician is registered

The Planning Portal says it is best to use an installer registered with a competent person scheme, who can self-certify that the work complies with the building regulations. That matters most for notifiable electrical work, such as a new consumer unit or fuse box, a complete new circuit, or a new power or lighting point in the space around a bath or shower.

Before you book, look the electrician up on the electrical competent person register at www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk, as the Planning Portal advises. Search for the business name on the quote, not a logo on a van.

Electrical registrations and approvals to check

The ten electricians on the Nottingham list show these registrations and approvals between them.

Registration or approval	Nottingham firms that show it
NICEIC Approved Contractor	Arnold Electrical, Central Electrical Contractors, Atlas Electrical
NICEIC Domestic Installer	Arnold Electrical, Atlas Electrical (as NICEIC Part P Domestic Installer)
NICEIC approved or registered	Definitive Electrical Solutions, Urgent Electrical Services and Legacy Electrical (approved), RS Electrical (fully registered), A4S Elite Electrical (registered)
Work backed by NICEIC	Hucknall Electrical, alongside its own guarantees
NAPIT	Mashworth Electrical Services (NAPIT Approved Contractor), Arnold Electrical (accredited)
Part P approved	A4S Elite Electrical
TrustMark	Arnold Electrical (registered), Definitive Electrical Solutions (approved)
Which? Trusted Traders	Mashworth Electrical Services (Which? Trusted Trader), Hucknall Electrical (endorsed)
OZEV, for EV chargers	A4S Elite Electrical (OZEV accredited), Definitive Electrical Solutions (installs OZEV-approved EV charge points)
MCS, for solar PV	Arnold Electrical (MCS registered installer)
SafeContractor, CHAS, RECC, Constructionline	Definitive Electrical Solutions (SafeContractor approved), Arnold Electrical (CHAS, RECC and Constructionline accreditation)

Installers for the EV charger grant

Applying for the GOV.UK chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners starts with a dated quote from an OZEV-authorised installer. Once OZEV approves the application, the installer does the work, then claims the grant for you and receives it directly.

Ask which certificates you will get

When notifiable work is finished, a registered electrician arranges for you to receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days and for the council to be notified, the Planning Portal says. The electrician should also give you a completed Electrical Installation Certificate, which shows the work has been tested for safety.

Get written quotes, not estimates

A quote is a promise to do the work at an agreed price, while an estimate is only the trader’s best guess at the cost, Citizens Advice explains. An electrician cannot charge more than the quote without a good reason, and a rise in their own costs since quoting does not count.

A written quote should explain the hourly rate or fixed job price, whether materials are included, whether there is a call-out fee and whether certification is needed, Checkatrade says. A4S Elite Electrical gives fixed price quotes and same-day surveys, and Arnold Electrical gives free, no-obligation quotations.

Questions to ask an electrician before you book

Ask each electrician the same six questions and write the answers down, so you can set the quotes side by side.

• Which business name are you registered under on the electrical competent person register?
• Will you notify the work, and which certificates will I get?
• Is the price fixed or hourly, and does it include materials, VAT and any call-out fee?
• Who will do the work, and will any of it be subcontracted?
• What guarantee do you give, and what does it cover?
• What public liability insurance do you have?

How to compare electricians’ quotes

Line the quotes up item by item before you look at the totals. When one total sits well below the rest, check whether it leaves out materials, a call-out fee or the certificates.

Many electricians charge a minimum call-out fee, especially for small jobs, and grouping small jobs into one visit is often cheaper than paying several call-out fees, Checkatrade says. Urgent Electrical Services takes online bookings at fixed, transparent prices with no call-out fees.

Where a quote is priced by the hour, set it against what an electrician charges across the UK, which is around £50 an hour, usually £45 to £60, or around £400 a day on Checkatrade’s figures.

Guarantees and cover differ too. Urgent Electrical Services gives a 12-month warranty on its work, Hucknall Electrical’s work is backed by its own guarantees and by NICEIC, and A4S Elite Electrical has £5 million public liability insurance. Get any guarantee in writing, with its length and what it covers.

Agree the terms in writing before you sign

Once you give an electrician the go-ahead, you have a contract, even if nothing is written down, and anything you took into account before agreeing forms part of it, Citizens Advice says. If the electrician passes some or all of the job to another business, you still take any problem up with the electrician who arranged the work.

If the work must be finished by a certain date, such as before a new kitchen is fitted, say so and put the date in the quote. Unless you made that clear, an electrician who runs late has to be given a second chance to finish, Citizens Advice says.