House Rewiring Costs UK 2026: Full & Partial Rewire Price Guide

When does a house need rewiring?

A home typically needs rewiring when its electrical installation is no longer safe or no longer meets modern standards. Modern PVC-insulated wiring has a practical lifespan of 25–40 years, though many installations last longer if kept dry and undisturbed. The key triggers for a rewire are:

• Old rubber or cloth-insulated wiring — pre-1966 installations often used black rubber or red cloth-covered wiring. This insulation degrades and becomes brittle over time, creating a fire and shock risk.
• Round-pin sockets or Bakelite switches — visible indicators of a pre-1960s installation that almost certainly needs replacing in full.
• No earthing or inadequate earthing — older TN-S and TN-C-S systems that lack proper main bonding or have no earth continuity on circuits.
• No RCD protection — 18th Edition wiring regulations require RCD or RCBO protection on all circuits. Properties with older fuse boards and no RCDs fail modern safety requirements.
• EICR with multiple C2 codes — a Satisfactory EICR outcome requires remedial work; an Unsatisfactory outcome with several C2 (potentially dangerous) codes often means a rewire is more cost-effective than piecemeal remediation.
• Insurance refusal — some insurers now refuse to cover properties with pre-1966 wiring or no RCD protection.
• Purchase survey recommendation — homebuyers' surveys and pre-purchase EICRs frequently identify rewires as necessary on older properties.

If a property has any of the above issues, a full rewire is usually the right recommendation rather than ongoing patch repairs. Partial rewires make sense when only one area of the property has a problem — for example, a kitchen or bathroom extension with new circuits required.

Full house rewiring costs 2026

Full rewire prices in the UK in 2026 vary significantly by property size, whether the property is occupied during the work, and the age and construction type of the building. The figures below include labour and materials for an occupied property — empty properties are 15–25% cheaper because access is easier and there's less need to work around furniture and residents. Period properties (Victorian, Edwardian, solid-wall construction) typically add 15–30% due to difficult cable routing and thicker walls.

These ranges reflect regional variation across the UK — London and the South East sit at the top of the range; the North of England, Wales and Scotland at the lower end. Always get at least two quotes and ensure each quote covers the same scope.

What a full rewire includes

A properly scoped full rewire should include the following as standard. If a quote omits any of these, ask why — some items are legitimately excluded on smaller jobs, but most should be present on a full rewire:

• New consumer unit — 18th Edition compliant metal-enclosure consumer unit with individual RCBOs (circuit breakers with built-in RCD protection) for every circuit. Brands include Schneider, Hager, Legrand and Wylex. Expect to pay £150–£350 for the unit itself.
• New lighting circuits — minimum one per floor; open-plan layouts or large properties may require more. All new cabling in 2.5mm or 1.5mm T&E to current colour-coding standards.
• New ring mains — minimum one ring main per floor; kitchens often have a separate dedicated ring due to appliance load.
• Dedicated circuits — cooker (6mm T&E), electric shower (6mm or 10mm depending on kW rating), boiler, dishwasher and washing machine all on their own circuits as required by 18th Edition.
• New accessories throughout — double socket outlets, switches and ceiling roses. Decorative finishes (brushed steel, chrome) cost more than standard white; ensure this is specified in the quote.
• New earthing and main bonding — new earth electrode or connection to the DNO's earth, plus main bonding to gas pipework, incoming water main and any structural steelwork.
• Smoke and CO detection — interlinked smoke alarms to BS 5839-6 Grade D, Category LD2 as a minimum; CO detection where gas appliances are present to BS EN 50292.
• Full inspection and testing — an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) issued on completion, plus Building Control notification under Part P of the Building Regulations.

What a full rewire does NOT include

There are several items that are commonly — and legitimately — excluded from rewire quotes. Make sure these are discussed at survey stage so there are no surprises:

• Redecoration — a rewire requires chasing cable routes into walls and ceilings or lifting floorboards. The resulting holes and damage are made good to a “builder's finish” (filled and ready to paint) but full redecoration is not included. This is the biggest single thing homeowners are surprised by — be explicit about it at survey.
• Light fittings supply — the rewire includes connecting to ceiling roses or downlight drivers, but the fittings themselves are usually supplied by the homeowner unless otherwise agreed.
• Smoke alarm supply — the detector units themselves may be an additional cost on top of the labour to fit and wire them.
• Kitchen appliances — supplying white goods connected to new circuits is outside scope.

Consumer unit upgrade only (no rewire)

If the wiring throughout the property is in good condition but the consumer unit is old — a rewireable fuse board, a split-load board with only partial RCD protection, or a non-compliant plastic consumer unit — a consumer unit upgrade alone may be appropriate. This is a much smaller scope of work:

• Standard domestic CU upgrade to a full RCBO board: £400–£700 including materials and an Electrical Installation Certificate
• Typically a one-day job for one electrician on a straightforward modern property
• Still requires Part P notification through a Competent Person Scheme or Building Control
• Not suitable where the existing wiring has no earth continuity, rubber insulation or other defects identified on EICR

A consumer unit upgrade without addressing faulty wiring will still result in an Unsatisfactory EICR if the circuits themselves have defects. Make sure the scope is clear before quoting CU-only.

Partial rewire costs

A partial rewire covers one or more circuits or one area of a property rather than the whole installation. Common reasons include:

• Kitchen renovation requiring a new dedicated cooker circuit, new ring main and extractor fan circuit
• Bathroom or en-suite renovation requiring new lighting circuit, fan and shaver point
• Loft conversion or extension requiring new circuits from the consumer unit
• Remediation of specific C2 codes identified on EICR without rewiring the whole property

Partial rewire costs typically fall in the range of £300–£1,500 depending on the number and type of circuits involved, the distance from the consumer unit and the complexity of cable routing. A single new circuit (e.g. a dedicated socket for a garage) is at the lower end; a kitchen rewire with multiple dedicated circuits is at the upper end.

How long does a rewire take?

Duration depends on property size, whether it's occupied, and crew size. As a guide:

Electrician day rates in 2026 run from £180–£350/day for an experienced domestic electrician, depending on region and whether they supply their own materials. Material costs are significant — a typical 3-bed rewire consumes £1,000–£2,000 in cable, accessories and consumer unit. A 100m drum of 2.5mm T&E costs £80–£120; 1.5mm T&E is £60–£90; a full RCBO consumer unit is £150–£350; a box of 100 standard socket outlets runs £200–£400.

Disruption: what homeowners need to know

A rewire is genuinely disruptive. Customers who haven't been through one before often underestimate what's involved. Set expectations at survey stage to avoid complaints during or after the job:

• Cable routes are chased into plaster or run under floors — every room will be affected, not just the rooms that “look old.”
• Power will be off to sections of the property while work is ongoing, with full power off on the final test day.
• Dust and debris are inevitable — kitchens and living spaces used during the work need protection or the homeowners need to make alternative arrangements.
• Redecoration after a rewire is a significant additional cost — budgeting £2,000–£5,000 for a full redecoration of a 3-bed property after a rewire is not unreasonable.

The best time to rewire is during a wider renovation or when purchasing an empty property. If the walls are being replastered, carpets lifted and rooms stripped back anyway, the disruption cost of a rewire drops dramatically and the additional price is far easier to justify.

Part P and certification

A full house rewire is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales). This means the work must either be carried out by a registered Competent Person or notified to the local authority Building Control before work starts.

• Competent Person Scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT) — a registered member self-certifies the work, issues an Electrical Installation Certificate and notifies Building Control on your behalf. This is the standard route for registered electricians and is included in the quote with no additional charge to the homeowner.
• Local Authority Building Control — for non-registered electricians or property owners doing their own work, the local authority can inspect and certify. This adds cost (typically £200–£400) and time (inspection booking delays) and is not recommended for professional electricians who should be registered with a scheme.

On completion, the homeowner receives an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) — a legal document that should be kept with the property's records and passed to future buyers. Without it, conveyancers will flag the work as unverified, which can delay or complicate a property sale.

Red flags in rewire quotes

Whether you're a homeowner comparing quotes or an electrician benchmarking your own pricing against competitors, these are the warning signs of a substandard or misleading quote:

• Per-point pricing only — quoting per socket or per light point without a total can obscure the real cost and makes it impossible to compare quotes fairly. Always ask for a full fixed-price total.
• No site visit — a rewire cannot be accurately quoted without seeing the property. Remote quotes based on bedroom count alone are guesswork.
• No mention of EIC or Part P notification — certification is not optional. A rewire without a certificate is illegal and potentially dangerous.
• Materials not specified — a good quote specifies the consumer unit brand and spec, the grade of accessories and any other significant materials. “Materials included” without detail is a red flag.
• Unusually low price — a rewire quote that is significantly below every other quote you've received usually means something is missing from scope, materials quality has been cut, or the electrician isn't registered and intends to skip certification.

For electricians: quoting strategy for rewires should always start with a site visit. Floor plans help enormously for routing decisions. Quote first-fix and second-fix together as a single package price, clarify redecoration responsibility in writing, and specify the consumer unit and accessories you're including.