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What should a house rewire quote include?
In Cheshire, a rewire quote should say which cables are replaced, whether the consumer unit is included, and who certificates the work. No price is printed for rewiring a house, a flat or a single floor.
Last reviewed:A rewire replaces the cables, not just the board
In Cheshire, people ask how a house rewire is priced when the lights flicker, when a survey flags old rubber cable, or when a kitchen and a bathroom are being rebuilt and the wiring will be opened anyway. A rewire means the circuit cables are replaced. A new consumer unit on its own, with the old cables left in place, is a smaller job and should be quoted as that smaller job.
No price is printed for a one-bed flat, a terrace or a detached house. Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are towns for the enquiry. The number of floors, the construction and how much of the decoration you are willing to open are the things that move the figure.
Hire a registered electrician. Check the registration yourself. Nothing below is a set of steps for doing the work.
Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Before you accept a rewire price, find the electrician on the Electrical Safety First register and read the scheme name they give you against that listing.
What to put in the description
Give every electrician the same picture.
- House or flat, and how many storeys have rooms you use.
- Whether there is a cellar, a loft used for storage, or an attached garage on the same supply.
- Rough age of the wiring if you know it, or "unknown". Do not invent a date.
- Any rubber, lead or fabric cable you have actually seen, and where.
- Kitchens, bathrooms and showers, because those rooms are where new circuits and the zones around water usually add time.
- Whether you want new socket positions or the same positions as now.
- Whether floors are carpet, boards or tile, and whether you will live in the house during the work.
- Whether a plasterer and a decorator are in this quote or hired by you afterwards.
GOV.UK says you might need building regulations approval to replace fuse boxes and connected electrics, and to change electrics near a bath or shower [S1]. A full rewire does both in spirit: the board and the cables that feed the rooms, including rooms with water. Ask the electrician to confirm they are treating it as work that needs either a scheme certificate or a building control application. If you cannot decide, ask a building control body [S1].
You do not need to arrange that approval yourself when the electrician is on a competent person scheme covering the work [S1]. Ask which scheme, and ask for the certificate at the end. GOV.UK says that without approval you will not have the certificates of compliance you may need when you sell, and that non-compliance can lead to prosecution and a fine [S1]. The building control body could also make you pay to put faulty work right [S1]. Approval is separate from planning permission [S1]. A rewire inside the existing house is not, by itself, a planning application. An extension that is being wired at the same time is a different consent. Keep the two descriptions apart.
Inspection reports are not a rewire cycle
If the property is rented, landlords must have the electrics checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person, and must give tenants proof [S2]. Social landlords who provide electrical equipment must have that tested too [S2]. Read that as an inspection rule. It does not say "rewire every five years", and that cycle is not stated here either.
If you have a report, upload it with the job and ask the electrician to price the items on it. A report that lists a damaged socket is not a reason to price a whole-house rewire. A report that says the wiring is unsafe to leave in service might be. Let the electrician say which, in writing, against the report you supplied.
Owner-occupiers do not have that five-year landlord duty from this guidance. You might still have a survey or an insurer asking questions. Attach the page they marked, so the quote answers the page rather than a rumour.
Living in the house while cables are replaced
A rewire is disruptive because cables run under floors and in walls. Ask the electrician to describe the sequence: which rooms first, whether power and water stay available overnight, and how long chasing stays open. No number of days is given. Ask them to.
Making good is the argument that appears on the final bill if you skip it now. Write one of these sentences into the enquiry:
- "Electrician makes good plaster to a paint-ready finish, customer decorates."
- "Electrician leaves chasing open. Customer hires a plasterer."
- "Floors boards are lifted and refixed by the electrician. Carpet is lifted by the customer."
Citizens Advice says a quote should include a breakdown of the work and the materials, whether VAT is included, and how long the price is valid [S3]. Use that list, and add the making-good sentence. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess and can cost more [S3].
If they propose a day rate, Citizens Advice warns the work can be strung out, and suggests agreeing in writing how many days and how many hours count as a day [S3]. A rewire is easier to control as a fixed scope.
Compare the scope, then the total
| Scope line | Ask them to tick | A cheap quote often omits |
|---|---|---|
| Circuits replaced | Lighting, sockets, cooker, shower, smoke alarms | "Partial" with no list |
| Consumer unit | New unit and test results | Board left as it is |
| Rooms with water | Bathroom and kitchen called out | Those rooms priced as ordinary bedrooms |
| Positions | Same points, or a drawing of new ones | Extra sockets added later as a variation |
| Floors and walls | Who lifts boards and who plasters | Decoration assumed to be yours |
| Certificate | Scheme or building control, named | No paper [S1] |
| Alarm of extras | What they do if a joist cannot be notched as hoped | Open-ended labour |
| VAT and validity | One total and a date | Two numbers that are not the same [S4] |
Try to get written quotes from at least three electricians [S3]. Be cautious if one price is far lower. Citizens Advice says that can mean the work is not the same [S3]. Some charge for a quote. Ask before the visit [S3]. A "no call-out" advert is only fair if there is no charge for travelling, for the first look, or for any other fee before you agree [S5].
Deposits: if one is needed for materials, Citizens Advice says not to agree more than 25 per cent where you cannot avoid it, and to take a receipt [S3]. VAT registration starts when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S4]. Ask to see insurance that covers damage to the building [S3].
Living through the week the floors are up
A rewire is a sequence of rooms, not a single afternoon, and the quote should say so. No number of days is invented. Ask which rooms lose power together, whether the kitchen can be used in the evening, and where you are expected to sleep if a bedroom floor is up. If you will move out, say that. An empty house can mean lifts of carpet and furniture that an occupied house will not allow. If you will stay, say which room must keep a light and a socket, and ask them to confirm that in writing. That request is not a wiring instruction. It is a limit on the job.
Before they arrive, move what you are willing to move: beds, rugs you can lift, and loft boxes if they have asked for a clear hatch and you can do that without stepping onto ceiling joists. Do not lift floorboards for them, and do not open the consumer unit so they can have a look before the day. The electrician does that. If a room has a leak, a rotten board, or a smell you have already found, write that on the enquiry so it is not a surprise when the floor comes up.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Rewire a three-storey terrace, new consumer unit included, customer decorates, electrician makes plaster paint-ready, house occupied.
- Price only the items marked on an electrical report for a rented flat, and say if any item implies a wider rewire.
- Rewire a kitchen and bathroom only, as part of a refit, and state that the rest of the house is excluded.
Anyone in the UK can post or register. Name the town. A mid-terrace in Crewe with a shared loft hatch and a cottage in Nantwich with stone walls are different access problems. Say what the walls and floors are. Sandbach belongs on the form as the location, with the same scope list.
Get rewire quotes
Describe the house and what "finished" means. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Posting a job is not open yet
Questions about rewiring a house
Why is a single rewire price not printed?
A two-storey house with the floors up is a different job from a flat where cables can be drawn with little damage to decoration. Public round-ups were not used as a customer price. Ask electricians to price one described property, with making good either in or out, so the papers match.
Does a rewire need building regulations approval?
GOV.UK says replacing fuse boxes and connected electrics might need building regulations approval, and so might changing electrics near a bath or shower. A rewire that replaces the board and the circuit wiring is that kind of alteration. You do not arrange approval yourself if the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme that covers it.
Is a five-year electrical check a rewire?
No. Landlords must have the electrics in a rented property checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person. That is an inspection. It is not an instruction to replace every cable on that date. If the report asks for repairs, the quote should list those repairs rather than assume a full rewire.
What does making good mean on a rewire?
It is the plaster, the flooring and the decoration disturbed to reach cables. Some electricians leave chasing open for a plasterer you hire. Some include it. Citizens Advice says the quote should break the work down. If making good is missing, the lower figure is not the finished house.
Can I do part of the rewire to save money?
No. Fixed wiring in a home is work for a registered electrician. No method is set out for running cable, joining conductors or changing a board. You can move furniture, lift carpets you are happy to lift, and clear lofts for access, if the electrician agrees that help in writing.
Does QuoteZila check electricians?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Related reading
- Electricians
- Electrician cost in Cheshire
- Consumer unit replacement when only the board is being changed
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
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Related pages
- Smart Meter Installation: Who Fits It. In England the energy supplier arranges a smart meter, and you will not be charged for that visit. A local electrician is a different job.
- Soffit Lights Cost: What Changes the Price. What changes the cost of soffit lights in Cheshire: number of lights, cable route, controls, the soffit boards and access. No price printed, and no DIY steps.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila terms.
- S1: When you need building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S2: Electrical safety standards guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities/guide-for-landlords-electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector
- S3: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S5: Call-out charges, Advertising Standards Authority. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/call-out-charges.html