How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House? UK Prices by Size

Rewiring cost by property size

Checkatrade’s house rewiring cost guide, with prices last updated in June 2026, gives these average UK costs to rewire a house or flat, excluding VAT, and a range for five of the sizes.

Property	Average cost	Range
1-bed house	£4,200
2-bed house	£4,800
3-bed house	£6,225	£4,450 to £8,000
4-bed house	£7,730	£6,080 to £9,380
5-bed house	£10,000	£7,500 to £12,500
1-bed flat	£3,900	£3,000 to £4,800
2-bed flat	£4,800	£3,800 to £5,800
3-bed flat	£5,650

The price rises with the number of bedrooms, and a 5-bed house averages more than double a 1-bed house. Your own price also depends on whether the consumer unit needs replacing, the extra jobs you add and whether you live there while the work is done.

Checkatrade’s electrician hourly rate guide gives its own price for rewiring a house, £3,900 to £10,000 with an average of £6,950, also excluding VAT.

Cost to rewire a 3-bed house

Checkatrade puts a 3-bed house rewire at an average of £6,225, excluding VAT, and anywhere from £4,450 to £8,000. The same guide prices the extra jobs you can add while the walls and floors are open, at an average of £65 to replace a light fitting, £125 for a security light with a motion sensor and £1,375 for a CCTV system.

How long a rewire takes

Checkatrade’s rewiring cost guide puts a rewire at 4 to 15 days depending on the size of the property, and gives these times for houses.

House	Time to rewire
3-bed house	6 to 10 days
4-bed house	1 to 2 weeks
5-bed house	10 to 15 days

First fix and second fix

Checkatrade’s rewiring advice describes the work in two stages. The first fix puts in the new cabling, cutting channels, or chases, into the walls and lifting floorboards, and the walls are replastered afterwards. The second fix comes after decorating, when the electrician connects the fittings, switches and sockets, then tests and inspects the installation before certifying it.

Replastering and putting carpets back down bring in other trades. On Checkatrade’s rewiring cost figures, the electrician costs £320 a day or £25 to £50 an hour, a plasterer £37.50 an hour and a carpet fitter £240 a day.

What a full rewire replaces

Checkatrade’s rewiring advice says a full rewire replaces all the power and lighting cables, the switch and socket back boxes, the lighting circuits and their connections, and the consumer unit where required. USB sockets, smart lighting and the wiring for an EV charger are optional additions.

Ask whether a quote includes a new consumer unit, because replacing a fuse box on its own costs around £485 for a 10-way RCBO consumer unit, fitted and excluding VAT, on Checkatrade’s consumer unit prices.

Living at home during a rewire

A rewire is disruptive. Checkatrade’s rewiring advice lists floorboards lifted, walls chased and replastered, furniture cleared and sections of the house without power while the work goes on. Some homeowners move out, and some electricians charge more to rewire a home that is still lived in.

Rewiring before a renovation

Checkatrade gives electricians’ rule of thumb as a rewire every 25 to 30 years, though age is only one of the signs a house needs rewiring. The same guide says a home over 30 years old that has not been rewired belongs in your renovation plans, and that combining the projects is often more cost-effective.

Checkatrade’s rewiring advice is to rewire during a renovation, and before central heating work, new flooring, or a kitchen or bathroom refit.

Building regulations and certificates for a rewire

Checkatrade’s rewiring cost guide confirms that rewiring a house needs no planning permission, but the work has to comply with Part P of the building regulations. A rewire puts in new power and lighting circuits, and the Planning Portal lists installing a complete new circuit, such as a ring or lighting circuit, as notifiable work, along with a new consumer unit or fuse box.

The Planning Portal says an electrician in a competent person scheme self-certifies that notifiable work is safe and meets the building regulations. When the work is finished, the electrician should give you a completed Electrical Installation Certificate showing it has been tested for safety, and arrange for the council to be notified and for a Building Regulations compliance certificate to reach you within 30 days.

Rewire quotes from Nottingham electricians

Two rewire quotes only compare when both price the same job. Give each electrician the size of the home, whether you will live there during the work and the extra jobs you want, and ask for each quote to say whether a new consumer unit and VAT are included.

Among the Nottingham electricians compared for rewires, Hucknall Electrical carries out full or partial rewiring on any domestic or commercial property. Legacy Electrical in Beechdale gives free rewire quotes for older homes, and A4S Elite Electrical in Nottingham NG5 rewires to BS 7671.