House Rewiring Cost UK 2026: Full Price Guide by Property Size

Quick Answer

A full house rewire in the UK costs £3,000–£4,500 for a 2-bedroom property, £4,000–£6,500 for a 3-bedroom house, and £6,000–£10,000+ for a 4–5 bedroom house. These prices include labour, new cabling, consumer unit replacement, sockets, switches, and light fittings — but typically exclude decoration after the work (replastering, painting). The work takes 5–10 days for most houses. An NICEIC or NAPIT-registered electrician must certify the work on completion.

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When Does a House Need Rewiring?

Most electricians recommend a full rewire when wiring is 25–40 years old or older, or when specific warning signs are present. You should get an electrical inspection and rewire quote if you notice:

• Old-style round-pin sockets or bakelite fittings (pre-1960s wiring)
• Rubber or fabric-sheathed cables rather than modern PVC — visible in the loft or under floorboards
• Fuse wire consumer unit rather than modern circuit breakers
• Regular tripping circuit breakers or blown fuses
• Burning smell or brown discolouration around sockets or switches
• Property purchase with no electrical installation condition report (EICR)
• Major renovation where walls and floors are being opened anyway

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) costs £150–£300 and tells you the condition of your existing wiring. If the report returns unsatisfactory, a rewire is typically required. If you're buying a property built before 1990, commissioning an EICR before completion is strongly advisable.

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House Rewiring Cost by Property Size

These are full rewire costs — all circuits replaced, new consumer unit, new sockets and switches throughout. Partial rewires (one floor, one extension) cost less — roughly proportional to the percentage of the house being rewired.

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What's Included in a Full House Rewire

A full rewire typically includes:

New cabling throughout Every circuit in the house is replaced with modern twin-and-earth PVC cable compliant with 18th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations.

New consumer unit (fuse box) The old fuse board is replaced with a modern unit containing MCBs (miniature circuit breakers) and RCDs (residual current devices) or an RCBO for each circuit. Cost included in the rewire price.

New sockets and switches Standard double sockets and single switches throughout. Upgrading to chrome, brass, or USB sockets is possible at extra cost (typically £3–£8 per accessory extra).

New light fittings connection points Ceiling roses and pull-switch positions renewed. Decorative light fittings themselves are usually supplied by the homeowner or quoted separately.

Testing and certification All work is tested to BS 7671 standards. An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is issued on completion — required for insurance purposes and essential for selling the property.

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What's NOT Included

Making good (decoration) Rewiring requires running cables through walls, floors, and ceilings. Chasing walls (cutting channels for cables) and lifting floorboards is unavoidable. Most electricians do not replaster, repaint, or re-tile after the work — this is your responsibility separately. Budget £500–£2,000+ for decorating costs after a full rewire, depending on how much you do yourself.

Specialist circuits Additional dedicated circuits (EV charger, electric oven, electric shower, underfloor heating) may be quoted separately. If you're planning a kitchen or bathroom upgrade at the same time, coordinate with the electrician to run appropriate circuits while walls are open.

External work Garden lighting circuits, outbuildings, or external power supplies are typically quoted as extras.

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Labour Rates for Electricians (Rewiring)

Electricians' day rates in 2026:

A full rewire is almost always quoted as a fixed price for the complete job — not as day rates. This is correct practice since it gives the homeowner certainty and the electrician an incentive to work efficiently.

For a 3-bedroom house, labour typically runs 2 electricians × 5–7 days = 10–14 person-days. At £280/day, that's £2,800–£3,920 in labour alone, with materials (cable, consumer unit, accessories) adding £800–£1,800.

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How Long Does a House Rewire Take?

These are working days with a standard team of 2 electricians. More complex properties — multiple floors, awkward access, lots of circuits — take longer. The work is disruptive: expect to be without power for periods each day, and to have floorboards and wall surfaces disturbed throughout.

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Rewire During Renovation: The Smart Approach

If you're planning a major renovation, a rewire done simultaneously is significantly cheaper than doing it in isolation. When walls and floors are already open for other trades:

• No chasing required (reduces labour time)
• No decoration needed before plastering (plasterer finishes over the new cables)
• Electricians can work alongside other trades more efficiently

If you're undertaking a loft conversion, kitchen extension, or full internal renovation, commission the rewire at the same time. The combined cost is almost always less than the sum of the individual jobs done separately.

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Getting the Right Electrician

For all rewiring work, your electrician must be registered with a competent person scheme — either NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) or NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers).

Registered electricians can self-certify their work to building regulations without requiring a separate council inspection. Non-registered electricians' work requires a building regulations application and local authority inspection — adding time, cost, and uncertainty.

When getting quotes:

1. Confirm NICEIC or NAPIT registration (verify on their websites — not just the electrician's word)
2. Ask what's included and excluded — specifically making good and specialist circuits
3. Ask whether they use their own labourers or subcontract
4. Request a breakdown: materials cost + labour cost
5. Get at least 3 quotes — rewire pricing varies significantly

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to move out during a house rewire? Not usually, but it's disruptive. You'll have sections of the house without power during work, floorboards up, and dust throughout. Some families choose to stay elsewhere for the duration; others manage around the work. Discuss with your electrician which rooms will be live and which won't during each phase.

Do I need building regulations approval for a rewire? Yes — any full rewire (and many partial rewires) requires notification to the local building authority under Part P of the Building Regulations. If your electrician is NICEIC or NAPIT registered, they can self-certify the work, which satisfies this requirement automatically. If not, you need a building regulations application.

How do I know if my house needs rewiring vs just a consumer unit upgrade? An EICR will answer this. A modern consumer unit with aged wiring throughout is still a potential problem — the cables need replacing even if the fuse box is new. An electrician inspecting the wiring in the loft, under floorboards, and in the wall chases can advise whether full rewiring or targeted replacement is appropriate.

Can I get a rewire done in sections rather than all at once? Yes — a partial rewire (one floor, one extension, one set of circuits) is possible and cheaper than a full rewire. The disadvantage: you pay mobilisation costs (electrician's travel and setup time) twice, and making good twice is more disruptive than once. If the whole house needs rewiring eventually, doing it in one job is almost always more cost-effective.

Will a rewire add value to my property? A property with a valid EICR and modern wiring is easier to sell and mortgage. Buyers' solicitors increasingly flag old wiring as a risk, and some mortgage lenders require an EICR before approving a loan on older properties. A rewire eliminates this barrier and is generally viewed positively by surveyors.