How much does it cost to rewire a house in the UK?
A house rewire costs £5,500 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £2,800 and £9,000 for the house. Property size: Flat £2,800 to £4,500; 3 bed house £3,500 to £6,000; 4+ bed house £5,500 to £9,000. Prices reviewed June 2026.
A full rewire is priced mainly by the number of bedrooms, which is a proxy for the number of circuits, sockets and the time on site.
House rewire cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your house rewire in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
House rewire cost breakdown
Typical house rewire costs, by option:
| Property size | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Flat / 1-2 bed | £2,800 to £4,500 |
| 3 bed house | £3,500 to £6,000 |
| 4+ bed house | £5,500 to £9,000 |
| + Lived in during the work | add £400 to £900 |
What's included in the price?
Typical house rewire prices include:
- New consumer unit (fuse board)
- New cabling, sockets, switches and light fittings
- Testing and an electrical certificate
- Making good chases in walls (often basic)
What changes the price?
The things that move house rewire prices most:
Number of bedrooms and floors
Whether the property is occupied (slower) or empty
Access under floors and behind walls
How much making good and redecoration you want included
How the price is built up
The price is built from the number of points being run (each socket, light, switch and outlet adds cable and labour), a new consumer unit with RCBO protection, testing and the certificate, plus the time to chase walls and lift floors. A small two-bedroom flat sits near the lower end at around 3000 to 4000, a typical three-bedroom house lands around 5500, and a larger four-bedroom or older property with awkward access pushes towards 9000. Making good, the plastering and redecoration after the cables are buried, is often quoted separately and can add 1500 to 2500 on top. Labour is the larger share of a rewire, usually around 65 to 75 per cent of the bill, because cable, sockets, switches and a consumer unit are relatively cheap next to the days of skilled work involved in chasing walls and running circuits.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Have the rewire done while the house is empty, before you move in or between tenants, as an occupied home slows the electrician and typically adds 10 to 15 per cent.
- Get the work done at the same time as other building work, so floors are already up and walls are open and the chasing is less disruptive.
- Decide on every socket, switch and light position before work starts, because changes once the cables are run mean re-chasing and extra cost.
- Take on the redecoration yourself if you are able, since filling, sanding and painting after the plasterer is straightforward and is where a fair slice of the making-good cost goes.
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, a house rewire typically costs around £7,200, about 30% above the UK average of £5,500. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £5,100.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £2,800 | £5,500 | £9,000 |
| London | £3,600 | £7,200 | £11,500 |
| South East / South West | £3,200 | £6,300 | £10,500 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £2,600 | £5,100 | £8,300 |
Guide prices for the house, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
House rewire cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £2,400 | £4,700 | £7,700 |
| Birmingham | £2,700 | £5,400 | £8,800 |
| Bristol | £3,100 | £6,100 | £9,900 |
| Cardiff | £2,600 | £5,200 | £8,500 |
| Edinburgh | £2,700 | £5,400 | £8,800 |
| Glasgow | £2,500 | £5,000 | £8,100 |
| Leeds | £2,600 | £5,100 | £8,400 |
| Liverpool | £2,600 | £5,100 | £8,300 |
| London | £3,600 | £7,200 | £11,500 |
| Manchester | £2,700 | £5,300 | £8,600 |
| Newcastle | £2,500 | £5,000 | £8,100 |
| Sheffield | £2,600 | £5,100 | £8,300 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for house rewire, not quotes.
London adds around 25 to 30 percent. Rural jobs can carry a small travel premium.
Common questions
How much does it cost to rewire a 3 bed house?
A typical 3 bedroom semi costs around £3,500 to £6,000 to rewire, more if it is occupied or needs extensive making good.
How long does a rewire take?
Most homes take 5 to 10 working days. An empty property is quicker because the electrician is not working around furniture and routine.
Do I get a certificate after a rewire?
Yes. A registered electrician issues an Electrical Installation Certificate and notifies building control, which you will need when you sell.
Is it cheaper to rewire an empty house?
Rewiring an empty house is usually 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than the same job in an occupied home, because the electrician can lift floors, move freely and work faster without protecting furniture or working around people. An empty two to three-bedroom house often starts around £4,000, while the same property occupied might be £4,400 to £4,600. If you can time the work for before you move in or between tenants, it is one of the easiest ways to keep the cost down.
Does a rewire include making good and redecoration?
Rewire quotes do not always include making good and redecoration, so check carefully. Many electricians include plaster make-good, filling the chased channels and skimming, but stop short of full redecoration. Returning walls to a painted, finished state usually adds £1,500 to £2,500 on a typical three-bedroom house, depending on how many walls were chased. Some quotes cover first fix and second fix only, leaving all plastering and painting to you, which is why two prices for the same house can look very different until you read what each one covers.
How much of a rewire cost is the consumer unit?
A new consumer unit, the fuse board, is a small part of a full rewire. A modern board with RCBO protection on each circuit typically costs £500 to £800 fitted, against a headline rewire of around £5,500 for a three-bedroom house. The larger costs are the labour to run new circuits throughout the property, the cable, and the testing and certification at the end. If your wiring is otherwise sound and only the board is outdated, replacing the consumer unit alone is far cheaper than a full rewire.
Does a 25 year old house need rewiring?
A 25 year old house does not automatically need rewiring. Age alone is not the test. What matters is the condition of the cables and consumer unit, so old rubber, lead or fabric-covered wiring, or a board with no RCD protection, points to a problem. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), usually £120 to £300, assesses this. Often a new consumer unit and some remedial work is enough, rather than a full rewire.
Can a house be rewired without removing all the plaster?
A house can often be rewired without stripping every wall. Electricians route cables through lofts, under floorboards and down existing wall cavities, so many circuits need no chasing at all. Where a chase is cut, it is patched with bonding and filler rather than the whole room being replastered. Full replastering adds cost, which is one reason a rewire ranges from about £3,000 to £9,000. Confirm what making good is included before you accept a quote.
How much does it cost to rewire a 4 bedroom house?
A full rewire of a four-bed house typically costs £5,500 to £9,000, including a new consumer unit, sockets, switches and certification. The spread reflects the number of circuits and how much making good is included. If you are living in the house during the work, expect a few hundred pounds more, typically £400 to £900, because everything has to be done room by room.
Can I rewire my own house?
No, not legally as a full job. A house rewire is notifiable electrical work under Part P, so it has to be done or signed off by a qualified electrician who can issue the certificate, and getting it wrong is a fire and shock risk. This is why rewires are priced with labour at 65 to 75 percent of the bill. The only DIY part is clearing rooms and lifting floors to give access; the wiring itself must be done by a pro.
How long does house wiring last?
Modern PVC-insulated cable has a working life of roughly 40 to 50 years, and a full rewire is generally talked about on a 25 to 30 year cycle rather than because the cable has physically failed. Age alone is not the test though. Rubber, fabric or lead-sheathed wiring can be unsafe well before 25 years and is a clear rewire case whatever its condition looks like, while sound PVC in a house with an adequate consumer unit can be left alone considerably longer. The way to find out rather than guess is an EICR, which Electrical Safety First advises at least every 10 years for an owner-occupied home and which is a legal requirement every 5 years for landlords in England.
Is it worth rewiring a house?
If the wiring is genuinely old or unsafe, yes, because it removes a real fire risk and satisfies buyers and surveyors. As a pure value play it is weaker: you will not usually see the £3,000 to £9,000 back as added price, since buyers expect safe wiring rather than paying a premium for it. Rewire when the system needs it or you are already stripping the house back, not as a standalone upgrade.
Check they are registered before they start
Most fixed electrical work in a home has to meet Part P of the building regulations. Work by someone unregistered can be difficult to insure, to sign off, or to sell a house through. Checking takes about a minute and it is free.
- Registered Competent Person Electrical Electrical Safety Roundtable · The register GOV.UK points householders to for electricians who can certify their own work under the building regulations
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Building regulations: Approved Document P GOV.UK · Fixed electrical work in homes must meet Part P of the Building Regulations.
- Planning permission: electrics Planning Portal · Notifiable electrical work must be certified by a registered electrician or signed off by building control.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.