HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire a lighting electrician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

From a pendant swap to notifiable work. The register check, the questions about fittings and switching, and the certificate you should get.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a lighting electrician in five steps

  1. List the fittingsEach light, where it goes and how it is switched, with the fittings if you are supplying them.
  2. Register checkFor the lighting work in England or Wales, a minute on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register tells you who can self-certify.
  3. Check the fixingA heavy fitting needs a ceiling fixing that will hold it.
  4. Ask about switchingTwo-way, dimmer or smart switches change the wiring and the price.
  5. Get a certificate for new pointsA Minor Works Certificate, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, replacing a light fitting is not notifiable; new lighting points near a bath or shower are, and in Wales new points in a kitchen or outdoors; a new lighting circuit is notifiable in both. Where the lighting work is notifiable, an electrician on a government-authorised competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, self-certifies it under the Building Regulations; anyone else must notify building control before starting, and you pay for that inspection.

Search the business name on the register before you agree the lighting work. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

When the lighting work adds or alters points it is tested to BS 7671 and recorded on a Minor Works Certificate; a new circuit gets an Electrical Installation Certificate. Where the lighting work is notifiable, a Building Regulations compliance certificate follows from the scheme — within 8 weeks in England according to gov.uk, and arranged within 30 days in Wales according to the Welsh Government.

Get the certificate and its schedule of results on the day the lighting work is completed. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

Scotland has no competent person register for electricians: the lighting work must meet building standard 4.5 (wiring to BS 7671); the Scottish Government's 2019 research says light fittings never need a building warrant, though new lighting wiring in a flat can. Northern Ireland's building regulations set no Part P-style notification for home wiring, so the lighting work there carries no notification step.

In Scotland, check with the electrician or the council whether the lighting work needs a warrant, and whether the electrician can certify it as an approved certifier. gov.scot →

Insurance and trader status

Ask who insures the trader doing the lighting work and for how much; public liability is standard. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers the lighting work when the provider is a trader, and a contract made off-premises or online can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — less what was done if you asked for an early start, and not at all for goods made to your specification.

For the lighting work, see the insurance document and confirm the profile carries the trader and ID-checked badges.

VAT

Expect 20% VAT, the standard rate, on installing lighting: a business above the £90,000 registration threshold is required to charge it and to show it separately from the labour and materials.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the lighting quote. gov.uk →

“Will the ceiling hold this lighting fitting?”

A good answer: A look at the fixing point and, for a heavy fitting or chandelier, a fixing into a joist or a rated hook.

“Is any of this lighting work notifiable?”

A good answer: A straight answer: not for replacements; yes for points near a bath or shower, a new circuit, and in Wales kitchens and outdoors.

“How will the new lighting be switched?”

A good answer: Switch positions agreed, with two-way switching on stairs and dimmers matched to the lamps.

“Are outdoor lights RCD-protected and weatherproof?”

A good answer: Yes: fittings with a suitable IP rating and RCD protection on the circuit.

“Do you supply the fittings, or fit mine?”

A good answer: Either, agreed in advance; if you supply them, the electrician should confirm they suit the location before installation.

“What certificate will I get?”

A good answer: A Minor Works Certificate for new or altered points, on the day.

Getting the quote right

  • Each fitting and its position, supplied by whom
  • Switching: two-way, dimmer or smart named
  • Cable runs, chasing and making good
  • Certification included
  • Who actually attends — the electrician wiring the fittings, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Hangs a heavy fitting from a plasterboard ceiling with no fixing into a joist
  • Standard fittings in a bathroom zone
  • Outdoor lights wired without RCD protection
  • No test or certificate for new points
  • Won't say whether the job is notifiable in Wales
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£400

What a lighting electrician costs: £50–£400 per job

Lighting work is priced per job: a fitting swap is quick, while new light positions, extra switching, a room of spotlights or outdoor lights on new cable cost more. Lighting Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Lighting electricians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. PlanLight and switch positions agreed and the fixing points checked.
  2. IsolateThe lighting circuit is switched off and proved dead.
  3. Wire and fixCables run, fittings fixed to suit their weight, switches connected.
  4. TestPolarity, earth continuity and insulation resistance on the altered circuit.
  5. CertifyCertificate handed over for new points; a new circuit notified through the scheme.

Pendant
A light hanging from the ceiling on a flex.
Ceiling rose
The fitting where a pendant connects to the wiring.
Two-way switching
Two switches controlling one light.
Loop-in
A wiring method where the circuit runs through each ceiling rose.
IP rating
How well a fitting keeps out water and dust.
Minor Works Certificate
The certificate for new or altered points on an existing circuit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificateThe Minor Works or Electrical Installation Certificate, and the fitting details for spares.
Try every switchEach light from each switch position, and dimmers through their range.
Check the fixingsFittings tight and level; heavy lights firm when gently pulled.
Review the jobOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the lighting work falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the electrician firstA dated message setting out what is wrong with the lighting work gives the trader the chance to fix it. If the lighting work was not done with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you insist on repeat performance or, failing that, a price reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the lighting work under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or uncertified workBuilding control at your council handles notifiable electrical work in England and Wales that was left uncertified, so tell them if the lighting work falls into that gap; the scheme the electrician belongs to can chase a compliance certificate that never arrived. For a dispute about the lighting work with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the lighting work is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a lighting electrician: questions people ask

Not by law for replacing a fitting. New points near a bath or shower, a new circuit, and in Wales new points in a kitchen or outdoors are notifiable and must be self-certified or notified.

A Minor Works Certificate for new or altered points on an existing circuit, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit.

£50–£400 a job, typically around £100. A straight swap is quick; new positions, extra switches and outdoor lights cost more. Use the Lighting Installation price guide to see what pushes a job up or down, and the search above to find lighting electricians in your postcode.

Light fittings never do. The Scottish Government's 2019 research lists new lighting wiring as needing one in flats and buildings over three storeys.

Usually, if they suit the location and you agree it before the day.

Weatherproof fittings and RCD protection; in Wales, outdoor electrical work is notifiable.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Downlight InstallationHow to hire: LED LightingHow to hire: Outdoor & Garden LightingHow to hire: Socket & Switch InstallationHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Partial RewiringHow to hire: Smoke & Heat Alarm InstallationHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingAll 701 hiring guides →

Lighting electricians near you

Lighting electricians in LondonLighting electricians in ManchesterLighting electricians in BirminghamLighting electricians in GlasgowLighting electricians in BelfastAll lighting electricians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. gov.scot — Building Standards Technical Handbook 2022 (domestic), standard 4.5 electrical safety
  6. gov.uk — building regulations: when you do not need approval
  7. gov.scot — Regulation of electricians in Scotland: Scottish building regulations (2019 research report)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  13. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  14. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  15. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  16. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  17. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  18. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register