Is my house rewire quote reasonable? What UK homeowners should expect
The same headline can describe a careful partial rewire by a NICEIC-registered electrician with full certification, or a full-house "rewire" by an unregistered tradesperson with no certificate. Reading which one you have, by bedroom count and band.
A £4,500 rewire quote can be a careful partial rewire by a NICEIC-registered electrician with the EIC issued and Part P notified. The same number can be an unregistered full-house "rewire" with no certificate, no notification, and a mix of new and old cable behind the sockets. Registration and certification are what separate them.
This guide is a checklist to read a rewire quote line by line. For the price bands by bedroom count, start with the house rewire cost guide. For the general method, see how to compare builder quotes.
Typical price, so you have a benchmark#
In 2026, a full UK house rewire costs £2,500 to £4,200 for a 1-bed flat, £3,000 to £5,000 for a 2-bed, £4,000 to £8,000 for a 3-bed (mid-point around £6,500), £4,500 to £9,500 for a 4-bed, and £6,500 to £12,000 for a 5-bed or larger detached. London and the South-East run 20 to 30% above those national figures. A consumer unit replacement on its own is £400 to £800. Electrician day rates are £200 to £400 nationally, £250 to £350+ in London.
Outside these bands, the explanation should be on the quote: partial vs full, consumer unit included or not, bonding upgrade priced separately.
The certification trap#
A genuine rewire and a paper-thin one can carry the same headline number; the difference only shows up at completion or at sale. A fair rewire quote shows three things on the page:
- Registration number: NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA, verifiable on the relevant body's public register.
- Part P notification path: the electrician notifies through their Competent Person Scheme, no separate Building Control fee for you.
- Electrical Installation Certificate on completion, plus a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate in the post.
A quote that does not mention these is missing the part that makes the work legal and saleable. Fixing it after the fact (hiring a separate electrician to inspect and certify retrospectively) costs hundreds of pounds.
What a fair rewire quote should itemise#
A reasonable rewire quote breaks the price into at least these lines, with a number against each:
- Scope: full or partial, and if partial, which rooms or circuits.
- Removal: of existing wiring, accessories, and old consumer unit.
- New cabling: to all circuits (lighting, sockets, cooker, shower, immersion, outbuildings).
- Sockets and switches: count per room, position to current spacing standards.
- Lighting points: count per room, with any downlights or feature lighting called out.
- Consumer unit: 18th edition with RCBO protection, named.
- Main earth and bonding: inspected and upgraded if needed.
- Smoke and heat alarms: interlinked (mandatory in Scotland, best practice elsewhere).
- Part P notification through the electrician's Competent Person Scheme.
- Electrical Installation Certificate on completion.
A flat "rewire, £6,500" with no breakdown is the version to push back on. See how to read a builder's quote for the general format you should expect.
What is typically excluded#
Items that often quietly fall outside the headline price:
- Plaster making good where chases have been cut. Some quotes include it, some hand it to you as a separate trade.
- Decoration after first fix: a decorator is almost always a separate job.
- Integrated lighting: downlights, LED strips, feature lighting.
- Data, TV, satellite, and audio cabling.
- Smart-home wiring: Hue hubs, Lutron, KNX beyond standard switches.
- Outdoor sockets, garden lighting, EV chargers.
- Replacing old back boxes if the new accessories do not align.
For the broader pattern across trades, see hidden costs in builder quotes.
Red flags specific to rewires#
- No NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA number on the quote. Either the electrician is not registered (illegal for notifiable work) or they are hoping you will not check the public register.
- No Part P notification mentioned. Without it, your buildings insurance and a future buyer's solicitor may have problems.
- No Electrical Installation Certificate on completion. Required when selling the property.
- Day rates with no estimate of days. "£300 a day, ten days or so" is a recipe for overrun. A fixed price against an itemised scope is the standard.
- No consumer unit named. "New consumer unit" without the make or the RCBO spec leaves room for a downgraded swap.
- No bonding inspection in a property where the gas main, water main, or central heating bonding might be inadequate.
- A 3-bed rewire under £3,500. Either scope is missing (no consumer unit, no certification) or the electrician is unregistered.
For the general red-flag pattern, see signs of a rogue builder and am I being overcharged.
Before you sign#
- Is the scope full or partial, and which rooms or circuits are in?
- Is the electrician's NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA number on the quote and verifiable?
- Is Part P notification included, with the Competent Person Scheme named?
- Is the Electrical Installation Certificate listed as a completion deliverable?
- Is the consumer unit named (18th edition, RCBO)?
- Is the bonding inspection included, with an upgrade priced if needed?
- Is the total a fixed price against an itemised scope, not a day-rate estimate?
- Is the total in the typical band for your bedroom count and region?
If three or more of these are unclear, the quote is not ready to be compared against another. Get the missing items in writing before you decide.
The shortcut#
Running this comparison by hand means knowing per-bedroom bands, the consumer unit market, day-rate norms, and the Competent Person Scheme registers. Check the Quote does that part for you: paste or upload your rewire quote and we check every line against current UK rates, verify the registration number, confirm the certification path, and tell you what is missing. Your first check is free.
Got a quote you want checked?
Paste any UK contractor quote and Check the Quote compares every line item against current market rates, flags missing scope, and runs a Companies House check on the contractor. Free on your first project.
Frequently asked questions
- What should a 3-bed house rewire cost in the UK in 2026?
- A 3-bed house rewire is £4,000 to £8,000 nationally in 2026, with £6,500 a typical mid-point. London and the South-East run 20 to 30% above national. 1-bed flats are £2,500 to £4,200, 2-bed £3,000 to £5,000, 4-bed £4,500 to £9,500, 5-bed £6,500 to £12,000. See the house rewire cost guide for the full breakdown.
- Why are two rewire quotes at the same price so different?
- Because the same headline can describe a partial rewire of a kitchen and bathroom by a registered electrician with the Electrical Installation Certificate issued, or a full house "rewire" by an unregistered tradesperson with no certificate and no Part P notification. Both can be priced at £4,500. Registration and certification are what tell them apart.
- Does the electrician need to be NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA registered?
- For notifiable work, yes. Part P of the Building Regulations covers most rewire work, and a registered electrician notifies on your behalf as part of their Competent Person Scheme membership. The registration number should be on the quote and verifiable on the relevant body's public register. A non-registered quote means either illegal work or a separate Building Control sign-off (£200 to £400) paid by you.
- How much deposit should I pay for a rewire?
- No more than 10 to 15% of the contract value. A rewire is materials-light relative to a kitchen or bathroom; the contractor does not need to fund a large up-front purchase. The balance should stage against milestones: a payment at first-fix (cabling and consumer unit in), a payment at second-fix (accessories live), and the final payment on completion with the Electrical Installation Certificate in hand.
- How can I tell if a rewire quote is padded?
- Pad usually shows up as a long day-rate estimate ("ten days or so at £300 a day") with no fixed total, no consumer unit specified by name, no bonding inspection mentioned, and no certification line. Three of those together is the point to ask for a fixed price against an itemised scope, not a day-rate range.