Electrician leads from planning applications
Planning applications rarely mention wiring, but the building work they describe usually needs it. Extensions, loft and garage conversions, outbuildings and new homes all need new circuits, lighting and sockets, which makes these applications useful leads for electricians.
Choose extensions and conversions, and new homes, in your alert. Each digest lists the proposal, the address and the recorded outcome, with a link to the council record.
Check recent applications for electrical work near a postcode
Proposal wording that signals electrical work
An Area alerts digest for extensions and conversions and new homes lists proposals with wording like this, with the address, the date and a link to the council record.
| Proposal wording | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | New lighting, sockets and often a kitchen circuit in the extended space. |
| Loft conversion | Lighting and sockets in the new room, and usually changes to smoke and fire alarms. |
| Conversion of garage to habitable room | New circuits in a room that may have had a single supply. |
| Garden room or outbuilding | A separate supply run from the house to the new building. |
| Erection of 2 dwellings | A full installation in each new home, from first fix to testing. |
Marketing for electricians
Electricians are often hired by the builder rather than the homeowner. Planning applications show which building projects are coming up near you, so you can contact the owner or the builder before the electrical work is let.
- Contact builders as well as homeowners. On extensions and new homes, the main contractor usually chooses the electrician, so introduce yourself to builders working in your area as well as to owners.
- Write when a project is approved. An approval means the owner is collecting quotes. Offer to price the electrical work alongside the build, or to work with their chosen builder.
- Mention certification. Say which scheme you are registered with and that you will issue the certificate the owner needs for building control.
- Follow small housing sites. Applications for a few dwellings can lead to repeat work with the same developer. Note the agent on the council record.
Area alerts subscribers can have an introduction letter printed and posted to the address of a matched application for £1.95 a letter. Letters are addressed to the owner or occupier and do not name the applicant. Copy the letter template.
What Area alerts includes
- £29 a month or £290 a year, up to 3 areas.
- Each area is a postcode with a radius of 1 to 25 miles.
- A daily or weekly email with new applications and decisions, sent only when there is something to report, up to 50 updates in each.
- Project types are matched from proposal wording, so read the council record before you contact anyone.
Coverage is incomplete.
Councils that do not publish coordinates for an application are not included in area alerts. Check coverage for your councils.
Digests are sent daily or weekly, not as applications arrive, and each digest lists up to 50 updates.
Get emailed about new planning applications in your area
Area alerts send a daily or weekly email with new applications and decisions near a postcode, filtered by project type. £29 a month, up to 3 areas. Records are limited to the councils we collect.
Set up an area alertRead how to find building work from planning applications before you contact a homeowner.