How do I check if an electrician is licensed and insured?

In the US, ask for the licence number and look it up yourself on the state licensing board’s online search; some cities and counties keep their own register as well. Check that the name matches the person or company quoting you, that the licence is active, and that its level covers the job. For insurance, ask for a certificate of liability insurance sent by the insurer or agent and check the dates, plus workers’ compensation if the electrician has employees. A licence number you cannot find, or one registered to a different name, is a reason to stop.

How do I check if an electrician is registered in the UK?

In England and Wales, ask which competent person scheme the electrician belongs to, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, and search for the business on that scheme’s own website or on the Electrical Competent Person register. A logo on a van or a website proves nothing on its own. Make sure the registered business is the one that quotes, does the work and issues the certificate. Registration matters most for notifiable work, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement, because a registered electrician can self-certify it and you receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate.

What is a Part P electrical certificate?

People usually mean the Building Regulations compliance certificate you should receive after notifiable electrical work in England or Wales. When a registered electrician does the job, it is issued through their competent person scheme. If the work was notified to building control instead, building control inspects it and issues a completion certificate. Separately, the electrician should give you an Electrical Installation Certificate for new work, or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for a smaller job. Keep all of them with your house papers, because a buyer’s solicitor may ask for them when you sell.

Do I need a permit to replace an electrical panel in the US?

In most places, yes. Replacing a panel or upgrading the service usually needs a permit and an inspection from the local building department, and the electricity supplier often has to disconnect and reconnect the supply. A licensed electrical contractor normally pulls the permit and includes the fee in the quote, so ask about it before you agree the price. Some jurisdictions let homeowners pull permits for work on their own home, others do not. Be wary of anyone who offers to skip the permit to save money: unpermitted work can cause problems with insurance and when you sell.

Where can I find an electrician for small jobs?

Many electrical firms prefer larger jobs, so a small one, such as hanging a light, swapping a switch or fitting a ceiling fan where a circuit already exists, can be hard to book. It helps to group several small jobs into one visit and to describe them clearly with photos. You can also post a free job on Hirovo, where people nearby who do electrical work can apply or message you, and you choose. The checks are yours to make, so ask about a licence or registration before you agree; in many US places, paid electrical work of any size needs a licence.

I rent my home. Who should pay for an electrician?

Usually the landlord. Repairs to the wiring, the sockets, the light fittings supplied with the property and the fuse box or panel are normally the landlord’s responsibility, although the details depend on where you live and on your lease or tenancy agreement. Report the fault in writing, with photos and the date, and keep a copy. Do not book an electrician yourself unless the landlord agrees, or you may not get the cost back. In England, private landlords must also have the electrical installation inspected at least every five years and give tenants a copy of the report.

How to Hire an Electrician: Licence and Registration Checks, Permits, Quotes and Red Flags (US and UK)

Electrical work is one of the few home jobs where a mistake can stay hidden inside a wall until it causes a shock or a fire. Knowing how to hire an electrician comes down to a few checks made before anyone opens a socket: whether they may legally do the work where you live, whether the job needs a permit or a certificate, what the written quote covers, and which warning signs mean you should walk away.

This guide covers the United States, where electricians are licensed by the state, and the United Kingdom, where registration under Part P of the Building Regulations is the check that matters in England and Wales. It starts with sizing the job, then the checks in each country, the price, the red flags, and when a small job can go through a Hirovo post.

How to hire an electrician: start by sizing the job

Swapping a light fitting and replacing the main panel are both electrical work, but the rules, and the person you need, are very different.

Permit and notification rules are local. Treat this as a guide and check with your building department or building control.
Job	United States	UK (England and Wales)	Who to hire
Swap a socket, switch or light fitting like for like	Often no permit, but rules vary; many places require a licence for any paid electrical work.	Generally not notifiable.	A competent electrician; a small local hire can suit it.
Fit a ceiling fan, or add a light or socket to an existing circuit	Permit rules vary by city or county, so ask.	Often not notifiable, but bathroom work can be; ask for a Minor Works certificate.	A licensed or registered electrician is the safer choice.
New circuit, for example for a cooker, an electric shower or an EV charger	Permit and inspection in most places.	Notifiable.	A licensed electrician or contractor (US); a registered electrician (UK).
Replace the panel or consumer unit, or upgrade the service	Permit and inspection; the electricity supplier is often involved.	Replacing a consumer unit is notifiable.	A licensed electrical contractor (US); a registered electrician (UK).
Full or partial rewire	Permit and inspection.	Notifiable.	A licensed contractor or registered electrician, on a written quote.
Safety inspection of a rented home	Depends on state and city rules.	In England, required at least every five years (EICR).	A qualified and competent inspector.

The honest dividing line: new circuits, a new panel or consumer unit, a rewire and most bathroom work call for a licensed contractor in the US or a registered electrician in the UK, a written quote and the right paperwork. Small like-for-like jobs are where a quick local hire makes sense.

Hiring an electrician in the United States: licence, insurance and permits

Check the licence yourself

Electrical licensing in the US is set by each state, and some cities and counties add their own licence or registration on top. The usual levels are apprentice, journeyman and master electrician, and many states also license the business as an electrical contractor. Ask for the licence number, then look it up on the state licensing board’s online search rather than trusting a number printed on a van or a website. Check that the name matches the person or company quoting you, that the licence is active, and that its type covers the work.

Insurance

Ask for proof of liability insurance, ideally a certificate sent to you by the insurer or agent, and check that it is current. If the electrician has employees, ask about workers’ compensation as well, so that an injury on your property is not left for you to sort out.

Permits and inspection

Most new circuits, panel replacements and service upgrades need a permit and an inspection from the local building department. Ask at the quote stage who pulls the permit; a licensed contractor normally does, and the fee should appear in the quote. Some jurisdictions let homeowners pull a permit for work on their own home, others do not, so check before you agree to do it that way. Unpermitted work can cause trouble with an insurance claim or when you sell.

Inspectors check the work against the electrical code as adopted locally, which is based on the National Electrical Code. That is why requirements such as ground-fault (GFCI) protection near water and arc-fault (AFCI) protection in many rooms differ from place to place: your state or city decides which version and which amendments apply.

Hiring an electrician in the United Kingdom: Part P and registration

Electricians in England and Wales do not hold a state licence as they do in the US. For a homeowner, the check that matters is Part P of the Building Regulations, which covers electrical safety in homes.

Notifiable work and competent person schemes

Some work is notifiable, including a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit and certain work in bathrooms. It must either be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, who self-certifies it, or be notified to building control before work starts, which then inspects it. Replacing a socket or switch like for like is generally not notifiable, though it must still be done safely. The details can differ between England and Wales, so ask building control if you are unsure.

To check registration, ask which scheme the electrician belongs to and search for the business on the scheme’s own website or on the Electrical Competent Person register. Make sure the registered business is the one quoting you, not a name borrowed from someone else.

The certificates you should receive

Building Regulations compliance certificate for notifiable work by a registered electrician, issued through their scheme. If building control handled the job, you get a completion certificate from them instead.
Electrical Installation Certificate for new work, such as a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement.
Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller jobs, such as adding a socket or a light to an existing circuit.

Keep them with your house papers; a buyer’s solicitor may ask for them when you sell. If the work is poor, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is your starting point: a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Raise it in writing first; the electrician’s scheme may also have a complaints process.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building standards systems, so the Part P route does not apply there; ask the council or building control what your job needs.

Landlords and tenants

In England, private landlords must have the electrical installation in a rented home inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years, give tenants a copy of the report, known as an EICR, and carry out any remedial work it requires.

If you rent, repairs to the wiring, sockets and fuse box or panel are usually the landlord’s responsibility, and the same is generally true in the US, although the details depend on the state and the lease. Report the fault in writing first, with photos, and do not book an electrician yourself unless the landlord agrees. If you notice a burning smell, scorch marks or sparks, switch off at the main switch if it is safe to do so and treat it as an emergency.

Need an electrician for a small job?

Post a free job on Hirovo: what needs doing, the area and when. People nearby who do electrical work can apply or message you, and you decide who to hire.

Post a free job →

What sets the price of electrical work

Any figure you read online is somebody else’s job. What you pay depends on:

The type and size of the job, and how many small jobs are done in one visit.
Materials and fittings, and whether you or the electrician supplies them.
Access: lofts and attics, lifting floorboards, running cables into walls and making good the plaster afterwards.
Paperwork: the permit, inspection or notification, plus testing and the certificate.
The existing wiring, whose condition may only show once work starts.
Urgency: emergency, evening and weekend call-outs cost more.
Travel and any minimum call-out charge.

For anything beyond a small job, get more than one written quote and compare them line by line.

Written quotes and red flags when you hire an electrician

A proper quote is written and itemised: labour, materials and fittings, making good any plaster or flooring that has to be opened, the permit or notification, testing and the certificate. It should say how long the price is valid, when work can start, how long it will take and when payment is due. Compare like with like: a quote that leaves out making good or the certificate only looks cheaper.

Walk away from anyone who shows these signs:

Cash only, or a discount for cash with no paperwork.
No written quote, or a single figure with no detail.
A large deposit up front before any work or materials.
“You don’t need a permit” or “no need for a certificate” for work that is notifiable or normally inspected.
Pressure to decide now, or a price that expires within hours.
A licence or registration you cannot find, or one in a different name.

How to hire an electrician for small jobs with a Hirovo post

Searches for an “electrician near me for small jobs” often end with firms that are booked up for weeks or not interested in a single light fitting. A Hirovo post is a simple way to reach people nearby instead, and posting is free. Your post appears in the job listings for your country and region, such as the jobs in the United States or the jobs in the United Kingdom, where people looking for work, including those who do electrical jobs, can see it, apply or message you in the app. You read the replies and decide.

Be clear about what that is. Hirovo does not vet applicants or check licences, registration or insurance; it is not an electrical firm or an agency, and the checks in this guide are yours to make. That makes a post a good fit for small household jobs: swapping a socket or switch, hanging a light, fitting a ceiling fan where the circuit already exists, or tracking down a small fault. For a new circuit, a panel or consumer unit replacement or a rewire, hire a licensed contractor in the US or a registered electrician in the UK on a written quote.

In the post, describe the job, add a photo of the existing fitting or the fault, and give the area rather than your street address; share the address by message once you have chosen someone. For the wording, see how to write a job post; for checks on anyone you hire to work in your home, see how to hire a contractor.

Five checks before work starts: the licence number (US) or scheme registration (UK), looked up yourself; proof of insurance; a written, itemised quote; who handles the permit or Part P notification; and the certificate you will receive when the job is finished.

In short

Size the job first. New circuits, a panel or consumer unit, a rewire and bathroom work call for a licensed electrician in the US or a registered one in the UK, a permit or Part P notification, a written quote and a certificate at the end. Small like-for-like jobs can be a quick local hire. Either way, look up the licence or registration yourself, get the price in writing, and walk away from anyone who says the paperwork is not needed.