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How does rewiring a house work?

Rewiring a house usually starts with an inspection, then a first fix where old cables come out and new ones go into walls and floors, and a second fix where sockets, switches and the consumer unit are connected. It ends with testing and certificates, and it is notifiable work for a registered electrician.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

What does rewiring a house actually mean?

A full rewire replaces the fixed cables that run from the consumer unit to every socket, switch and light, along with the accessories on the walls and usually the consumer unit itself. A partial rewire replaces some circuits and leaves others that test well.

This guide explains how the job runs, so you know what to expect and how to prepare. It does not tell you how to do any of the electrical work. That is for a registered electrician. House rewire costs covers what changes the quote.

QuoteZila starts in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach first, and anyone in the UK can post the job to electricians.

How do you know a rewire is needed?

The starting point is usually an Electrical Installation Condition Report. Electrical Safety First says an inspection will reveal whether circuits or equipment are overloaded, find potential shock risks and fire hazards, identify defective work, and highlight a lack of earthing or bonding [S1]. It recommends inspection every 10 years for an owner-occupied home, and before selling or buying a previously occupied property [S1]. EICR costs explains that report.

Things the inspection looks at include:

  • old fuseboxes with a wooden back, cast-iron switches, or both, which Electrical Safety First says will need replacing [S1]
  • older round-pin sockets, round light switches, fabric-coated cables hanging from ceiling roses, and black switches and sockets in skirting boards [S1]
  • cables coated in black rubber, which were phased out in the 1960s, and cables coated in lead or fabric, which are older still [S1]

Electrical Safety First also says that if the electrics in a home are more than 50 years old, they should be checked and updated [S2]. If you are not sure what you have, old wiring colours explains what different cable colours can tell you.

A report that finds several circuits in poor condition may point to a full rewire. One that finds a single problem may point to a repair.

Who has to do it, and who has to be told?

Planning Portal lists the installation of a new consumer unit and the installation of a complete new circuit among notifiable electrical jobs [S3]. A rewire includes both. If the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme, they self-certify and you do not need to contact building control [S4]. If not, a building control body, or in England a registered third-party certifier, must be told before work starts [S3].

Electrical Safety First says that, by law, homeowners and landlords must be able to prove that electrical installation work meets Part P, and that local authorities can make them remove or alter work that does not meet the Building Regulations [S6].

Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

You can search the Electrical Safety First register. GOV.UK explains building regulations approval.

What happens during the first fix?

The first fix is the messy part. The electrician:

  • surveys each room and agrees where every socket, switch and light will go
  • lifts floorboards and opens ceilings where cables need to run
  • cuts channels in plaster, called chases, for cables to drop to sockets and switches
  • removes old cable where it can be reached and runs new cable to each point
  • fits new back boxes

Furniture, carpets and flooring have to come up or move. Dust gets everywhere, even with sheeting. The house may have no power in some rooms while circuits are changed over.

This is the stage to ask for changes, such as an extra socket by the bed or a light outside the back door. Moving a point after plastering costs more.

What happens between first and second fix?

After the cables are in, the walls and ceilings need making good. Chases are filled, and any damaged plaster is repaired. Some electricians include basic filling. Plastering and decorating are often separate trades. Our plasterers and painters and decorators pages cover those.

If you are replastering or replacing floors anyway, a rewire is the time to do it. Coordinate the order of work so the electrician finishes the first fix before the plasterer starts.

What happens during the second fix and testing?

At second fix, the electrician fits the sockets, switches, light fittings and the consumer unit, and connects the circuits. They then test every circuit.

Planning Portal says efficient lighting is required in specific circumstances, including when an existing lighting system is being replaced as part of re-wiring works [S5]. Ask how the fittings you plan to keep, or buy, fit that rule.

When the work is finished, a registered electrician should give you an Electrical Installation Certificate showing the work has been tested, and arrange for you to receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days [S4]. If the certificate does not arrive, Planning Portal says to contact the electrician's registration body [S4].

How do you get the house ready?

  • Empty the rooms in the order the electrician will work, or agree to move furniture room by room.
  • Lift carpets and flooring where floorboards will come up, or agree who does it.
  • Protect what stays. Cover furniture and close doors to rooms not being worked in.
  • Keep one room and the kitchen usable if you are staying in the house. Ask the electrician to plan the circuit changeovers around that.
  • Decide on positions. Walk round each room and mark where you want sockets, switches and lights, including outside and in the loft.
  • Think about the future. An electric car charger, a heat pump or a home office may need capacity at the consumer unit. Say so before the plan is fixed.

How do you choose the electrician?

Electrical Safety First recommends getting at least three written quotes unless the work is minor, checking the electrician is registered with a government-approved scheme, asking for references, and giving a written summary of the work so the quotes can be compared [S7]. It also suggests asking who else will work in your home, because a builder or kitchen fitter may bring in their own electrician [S7].

Ask each electrician how many days the first fix and second fix will take in your house, what making good is included, and what happens if they find something unexpected under a floor.

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • "Inspection report says the wiring is old and recommends a rewire. Three-bed semi, carpets coming up anyway. Please quote for a full rewire including a new consumer unit."
  • "Partial rewire wanted for the kitchen and downstairs sockets, other circuits tested fine. Report attached. Please quote."
  • "Bungalow with old rubber cable found during a light change. Please inspect and advise whether it needs a rewire."

QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1]. Your job goes to up to five matched local businesses [QZ2].

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

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Questions about rewiring a house

How do I know if my house needs rewiring?

An inspection report is the reliable answer. Electrical Safety First says cables coated in black rubber were phased out in the 1960s, and cables coated in lead or fabric are older and may well need replacing. It also says that if the electrics in a home are more than 50 years old, they should be checked and updated.

Can I rewire my own house?

This guide does not cover doing it yourself. A rewire includes new circuits and usually a new consumer unit, which Planning Portal lists as notifiable work. Use a registered electrician who can self-certify, or speak to building control before work starts.

What certificates should I get?

Planning Portal says a registered electrician will arrange for you to receive a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days and should provide a completed Electrical Installation Certificate showing the work has been tested for safety. Keep both. A buyer may ask for them when you sell.

Can we live in the house during a rewire?

It is possible, but it is hard. Floors come up, walls are chased and power is off in parts of the house for some of the time. Ask the electrician how they will keep one room and the kitchen usable, and how long the first fix will take in your house.

Do the lights have to change too?

Planning Portal says efficient electric lighting is required in specific circumstances, including when an existing lighting system is being replaced as part of re-wiring works. Ask the electrician what that means for the fittings you plan to keep.

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.

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.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
  3. S1: Periodic inspection and testing, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-a-registered-electrician/periodic-inspection-and-testing/
  4. S2: Home buyers, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/safety-advice/home-and-people/home-buyers/
  5. S3: Electrics: Building Regulations general information, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information
  6. S4: Electrics: Building Regulations checking for safety, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-checking-for-safety
  7. S5: Lighting: Building Regulations, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/lighting/lighting-building-regulations
  8. S6: Part P of the Building Regulations, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-a-registered-electrician/part-p-of-the-building-regulations/
  9. S7: Choosing a registered electrician, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-30. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-a-registered-electrician/choosing-a-registered-electrician/