House Rewire Cost: Prices by Property Size

A full rewire of a typical three-bedroom house in the UK usually costs somewhere around £4,500 to £8,000, with smaller flats from about £3,000 and larger four- and five-bedroom homes costing about £6,000–£12,500 or more. Most rewires take one to two weeks, and the price depends on the size of the home, how easy it is to get under floors and into walls, and how much making good you need afterwards.

Rewiring is one of the bigger jobs you can take on in a home, and one of the least visible once it is done. This guide explains what drives the price, what the work involves day to day, how to tell whether you actually need a full rewire, and the paperwork you should expect at the end.

How much does it cost to rewire a house?

The figures below are typical UK ranges for a full rewire, including a new consumer unit, but usually excluding plastering and decorating. Prices vary by region and by job. In Reading and much of the South East, expect quotes towards the middle or upper end of these ranges, as labour costs are higher than the national average.

Job

Typical UK range

Notes

1-bed flat full rewire

£3,000–£4,800

Often 4–7 days; access through shared floors can add time

2-bed flat or small house

£3,800–£5,800

Around a week for most properties

3-bed house

£4,500–£8,000

The most common job; usually 6–10 working days

4-bed house

£6,000–£9,500

Typically one to two weeks

5-bed house or larger

£7,500–£12,500+

Two weeks or more; larger homes are priced individually

New consumer unit (if done separately)

£400–£800

Usually included in a full rewire quote

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

£150–£375

Depends on property size and number of circuits

Plastering and making good

£500–£2,000+

Often a separate trade; depends on how many walls are chased

These are guide prices, not quotes. The only way to know what your home will cost is to have two or three electricians look at it in person.

What pushes the price up or down

Size and number of circuits. More rooms mean more sockets, switches, lights and cable runs.

Access. Suspended timber floors make it far easier to run cables. Solid concrete floors, lath and plaster ceilings, or a finished loft conversion add time.

Whether the house is empty. Rewiring an unoccupied home is quicker and cheaper than working around furniture and a family.

Specification. Extra sockets, outdoor power, EV charger preparation, data cabling and smart lighting all add cost. Deciding these early, and rewiring before you decorate or alongside a kitchen or extension, avoids paying to open walls twice.

Making good. Some electricians include basic filling of chases, others leave it for a plasterer. Check which you are getting.

Location. Labour in the South East, including Reading, tends to be more expensive than in the North or rural areas.

Do you need a full rewire? Signs to look for

Wiring does not have a fixed expiry date, but older installations can become unsafe as insulation breaks down. Signs that your wiring may need replacing include:

Rubber or fabric-covered cables, usually found in homes that have not been rewired since before the 1960s or 1970s. Rubber insulation can crumble with age.

An old fuse box with rewireable fuses (the kind with fuse wire), a wooden backboard, or a mix of different units.

Round-pin sockets, or sockets mounted on skirting boards.

Lighting circuits with no earth wire, which is common in older installations and matters if you want metal light fittings.

Scorch marks, buzzing or warm sockets and switches, or a burning smell. Turn the circuit off and get an electrician out promptly.

Frequent tripping that you cannot trace to a faulty appliance.

Not enough sockets, leading to lots of extension leads and adaptors.

Many of these signs point to a problem, but not always to a full rewire. A home wired in the 1980s or 1990s might only need a new consumer unit, some extra circuits and a few repairs.

Start with an EICR

Before you commit to a full rewire, it is worth getting an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). A qualified electrician tests every circuit, inspects the installation and records any defects using standard codes:

C1 – danger present, needs immediate action.

C2 – potentially dangerous, needs urgent action.

C3 – improvement recommended, but not unsafe.

FI – further investigation needed.

An EICR tells you whether you need a full rewire, a partial rewire or targeted repairs. It also gives you something objective to show other electricians when you get quotes, so you are comparing like with like. For owner-occupied homes, a check roughly every 10 years is commonly recommended, and when you buy an older property. If you let a property in England, landlords must have the electrics inspected and tested at least every five years. Our guide to EICR costs for homeowners and landlords goes into more detail.

Be a little cautious if an electrician recommends a full rewire without testing anything. A good electrician will explain what they found and why.

What’s involved in a rewire: first fix and second fix

A rewire is usually done in two main stages, with a test and certificate at the end.

First fix

This is the disruptive part. The electrician:

lifts floorboards and cuts access holes in ceilings where needed;

chases (cuts channels) into walls to bury new cables and back boxes for sockets and switches;

runs new cables for every circuit back to where the consumer unit will be;

removes or makes safe old wiring.

First fix happens before any plastering. If you are also doing other building work, first fix is timed to fit in once walls and floors are opened up and before they are closed.

Plastering and making good

Once the cables are in, chases and holes need filling and plastering. Some electricians include basic filling, but a proper finish usually needs a plasterer. Budget for decorating afterwards too, as most rooms will need at least some repainting.

Second fix

After plastering, the electrician returns to fit sockets, switches, light fittings, the new consumer unit and any other accessories, then connects everything up.

Testing and certification

Every circuit is tested before the installation is signed off. You then receive your certificates, which are covered below.

How long does a rewire take?

As a rough guide:

Flat or small house: around 4–7 working days.

Three-bedroom house: around 6–10 working days.

Four- or five-bedroom house: around 10–15 working days.

That is the electrician’s time on site. Plastering, drying and decorating add to the overall timeline, and an older house with difficult access will take longer. If you are doing a rewire as part of a larger renovation, the electrician’s visits will be spread over several weeks around the other trades.

Living through a rewire: what to expect

It is possible to live in your home while it is rewired, but it is messy and noisy. Things that help:

Clear rooms as much as you can. Floors need to be lifted and walls chased, so furniture, carpets and belongings need to move.

Expect dust. Chasing walls creates a lot of it, even with dust sheets and extraction.

Plan for power cuts. Most electricians keep a temporary supply running, but there will be periods with no power in parts of the house.

Work room by room. Ask whether the job can be phased so you always have a usable kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

Agree tidying standards up front, including whether floorboards are relaid each evening.

Some people move out for the first fix stage, or plan the rewire for a time when the house is empty, such as between buying and moving in.

Your certificates: Part P and the EIC

In England and Wales, electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. A full rewire is notifiable work, which means it has to be signed off, either by the electrician through a government-approved competent person scheme or by your local council’s building control.

If you use an electrician registered with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, they can self-certify the work. At the end of the job you should receive:

An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), showing the new installation has been designed, installed and tested to the current wiring regulations.

A Building Regulations compliance certificate, issued through the electrician’s scheme once they have notified the work.

Keep both safe. Buyers’ solicitors routinely ask for them when you sell, and missing paperwork for a rewire can hold up a sale. If you use an electrician who is not registered with a scheme, you would need to apply to building control yourself before work starts, which usually costs more and takes longer.

Safety note: rewiring is not a DIY job. Faulty wiring can cause fires and electric shocks, and notifiable work must be certified. Always use a registered electrician, and check their registration on the scheme’s own website before they start.

Getting quotes

A rewire should always be priced after a site visit. When you contact electricians, tell them:

the property type, age and number of bedrooms;

whether you have a recent EICR, and share it if you do;

whether the house will be occupied during the work;

any extras you want, such as more sockets, outdoor power, EV charger readiness or data points;

whether you want them to include plastering and making good.

Questions worth asking each electrician:

Are you registered with NICEIC, NAPIT or another competent person scheme, and will you notify the work?

Is the new consumer unit included, and what type is it?

Does the price include making good, and to what standard?

How long will the job take, and can it be phased room by room?

What are the payment stages?

Getting three quotes helps you understand the going rate for your home and spot anything missing. The cheapest quote often leaves out making good or certification, so check each one carefully. Our guide on how to compare trade quotes walks through what to look for. If you are local, you can find registered electricians in Reading and compare them side by side.

FAQs

How much does it cost to rewire a house in the UK?

For a typical three-bedroom house, most quotes currently fall in the region of £4,500 to £8,000. A small flat can be around £3,000 to £4,800, and larger homes can reach £12,500 or more. Plastering and decorating are often extra.

Is rewiring cost in the UK higher in the South East?

Generally, yes. Labour rates in the South East, including Reading and surrounding towns, tend to be higher than in the North or rural areas, so expect quotes towards the upper half of national ranges.

How long does a rewire take?

Most full rewires take between one and two weeks of electrician time, depending on the size of the home and how easy it is to access floors and walls. Allow extra time for plastering and decorating afterwards.

Can I live in my house during a rewire?

Yes, many people do, but expect dust, noise and periods without power. Clearing rooms in advance and asking the electrician to phase the work helps a lot.

Do I need a certificate after a rewire?

Yes. You should receive an Electrical Installation Certificate and a Building Regulations compliance certificate, either through a registered electrician’s competent person scheme or via building control.

How do I know if my house needs rewiring?

Old rubber or fabric-covered cables, a fuse box with rewireable fuses, round-pin sockets, scorch marks or frequent tripping are all warning signs. An EICR is the best way to find out for certain.

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