How much does it cost to rewire a house in the UK?
As an indicative planning range, a full rewire commonly falls around £3,500–£6,000 for a two-bedroom property, £5,000–£8,500 for a three-bedroom house and £7,000–£13,000 for four bedrooms or more. Most of that is labour and making good rather than cable and accessories.
A rewire is disruptive work priced largely by time. The electrician is chasing walls, lifting floors, running circuits back to a new consumer unit, then testing and certifying the whole installation. The visible parts — sockets, switches, the consumer unit — are a modest share of the total.
Electrical work in dwellings is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales. A registered competent-person electrician self-certifies and issues an Electrical Installation Certificate. That certificate, and the notification, should be in the price.
Every figure below is an indicative estimate for planning only. QuoteCheck holds no live pricing feed, and real prices vary with property age, construction, circuit count, specification, access and region.
Indicative UK cost ranges
QuoteCheck does not hold a live UK pricing feed. The figures below are indicative planning ranges, assembled from commonly published UK ranges and typical job structures, and they are deliberately wide. Treat them as a starting point for questions, not as a valuation. Real prices depend on specification, access, ground conditions, region, season and how each firm prices its own labour and overheads.
| Item | Unit | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Full rewire, 1–2 bedroom flat or houseFewer circuits and shorter cable runs. | per property | £3,500 – £6,000 |
| Full rewire, 3 bedroom houseThe most common UK job size. | per property | £5,000 – £8,500 |
| Full rewire, 4+ bedroom houseMore circuits, longer runs, often a second consumer unit. | per property | £7,000 – £13,000 |
| Partial rewireKitchen and bathroom circuits, or one floor only. | per job | £1,500 – £4,000 |
| Consumer unit replacementIncludes RCBOs, testing and certification. | per unit | £450 – £1,000 |
| Additional socket or switchHigher on solid walls or where chasing is needed. | per point | £70 – £160 |
| Additional lighting pointDownlight arrays are priced per fitting. | per point | £80 – £180 |
| Electrician labourPlus a mate on larger jobs; higher in London and the South East. | per day | £220 – £400 |
| Chasing and plastering making goodOften excluded — check whether it is priced or left to you. | per room | £150 – £400 |
| Electrical Installation Certificate and Part P notificationShould be included; confirm it is. | per job | £100 – £300 |
What moves the price
- Number of circuits
- A rewire is priced circuit by circuit, not by floor area alone. Ask how many circuits are in the price.
- Socket and switch count
- Modern specifications use far more outlets than a 1970s house had. Count them on the quote.
- Consumer unit
- A metal unit with individual RCBOs costs more than a basic split-load board and is generally better.
- Construction
- Solid brick and lath-and-plaster are slower to chase than stud walls and suspended floors.
- Occupied or empty
- Working around a family living in the house adds days compared with an empty property.
- Testing and certification
- Inspection, testing and paperwork are real chargeable hours, not an afterthought.
- Making good
- Plastering and decoration after chasing can be a significant separate cost.
- Extras
- EV charger, outside lights, network cabling, smoke and heat alarms to current standards.
Worked example — three bedroom semi, occupied (illustrative only)
- Labour, 10 days, electrician plus mate
- £4,400
- Cable, back boxes and accessories
- £900
- Consumer unit with RCBOs
- £620
- Interlinked smoke and heat alarms
- £350
- Testing, certification and notification
- £220
- Plastering making good
- £900
- Indicative subtotal
- £7,390
- VAT at 20%
- £1,478
- Indicative total
- £8,868
Fictional figures used to show how a rewire total is built up, not a quotation for any specific property.
What your quote should show
- Number of circuits included
- Socket, switch and lighting point counts per room
- Consumer unit make and protection type
- Whether smoke and heat alarms are included
- Whether chasing, plastering and decoration are included or excluded
- Testing, Electrical Installation Certificate and Part P notification
- Labour days and team size
- How long the property will be without power each day
- Payment stages and how variations are priced
- VAT treatment and the electrician's registration scheme
Before you agree to the quote
- What is normally included
- Cable, accessories, consumer unit, labour, testing, the certificate and Part P notification, plus lifting and relaying floorboards where practical.
- What is usually excluded
- Plastering and decoration after chasing, light fittings themselves, carpet lifting and relaying, asbestos, and anything found once floors come up.
- VAT
- A VAT-registered electrician adds 20%. Compare quotes on the same basis — a sole trader below the threshold may show a lower total for the same work.
- Staged payments
- Stages tied to first fix, second fix and certification are normal. Avoid paying the full amount before testing and the certificate.
- How long a quote should stand
- Ask how long the price holds; 28 days is common for a job of this size.
- Comparing quotes
- Give every electrician the same room-by-room list of sockets, switches and lights. Otherwise you are comparing different specifications.
- Questions to ask
- Which scheme are you registered with? How many circuits? Is making good included? Who issues the certificate, and when do I receive it?
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to rewire a three bedroom house in the UK?
As an indicative estimate, roughly £5,000–£8,500 including testing and certification, with making good sometimes priced separately. This is a planning range rather than a quotation; property age, circuit count and region all move the figure.
How long does a full rewire take?
Commonly five to ten working days for a typical three-bedroom house, longer if the property is occupied or the construction is awkward. Power is usually off for parts of each day.
Does a rewire include plastering?
Often not. Many electricians chase the walls and leave the making good to a plasterer. Check whether plastering and decoration are in the quote, because it can be several hundred pounds.
Do I need a certificate after electrical work?
Yes. For a rewire you should receive an Electrical Installation Certificate with test results, and the work should be notified under Part P in England and Wales. Keep it — buyers and insurers ask for it.
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