House Rewiring

Top flats are easiest, bottom flats are more difficult, and middle flats are the most difficult type of rewire job. This is because there is no easy access above or below.

The obvious answer is safety. However, there are many other benefits. Rewiring your home allows you to completely redesign your electrical system from scratch and add new outlets and accessories. 

You can partially rewire a house, but it can be difficult. It’s not always clear where cables run and how they are connected to other circuit breakers. We generally only get involved in partial rewires if the original electrical installations are well-presented and organised. 

There may be a date listed on the original consumer unit. If not, then it’s impossible to tell an exact date. We can usually give a good indication of which decade it was rewired by carefully assessing the installation. 

Modern wiring is much more efficient than older systems, meaning energy bills are likely to reduce over time. We also install energy-efficient lamps and other methods to reduce energy consumption.

We go into detail on this if you accept a quote. However, as a rule of thumb, you want to create a meter permitter space around the outside of every room, pack small belongings away, and then dust sheet up every room. We have a full guide on how to prepare for a rewire on our blog.

Unless the wiring is modern PVC, then a house rewire is likely to be necessary. If you see any old rubber-insulated cabling, fabric-insulated cabling or lead-insulated cabling, then it needs replacing ASAP.

No, there is no legal requirement to replace your old fuse boxes. However, it’s in the interests of safety that the wiring be replaced. The fusebox may be non-compliant with the current building regulations, but it is not illegal.  

Modern wiring, if maintained well, is expected to last up to 30 years.

Rewiring involves an experienced electrician, or team of electricians, removing all of the electrical wiring in each room of your home or flat and replacing it with brand-new wiring. This makes the installation safer.

Check out our page for “the process of rewiring” to get a glimpse of the step-by-step guide. 

It’s worthwhile letting your neighbours know you are getting rewired, as it can be noisy work.

We have heard of this in the past, but have never actually come across anyone who successfully got a grant to rewire their home.

Insurers treat rewiring as an essential maintenance task, so they would not cover these works as maintenance. If an accident such as a fire occurred due to faulty electrics, then they may cover the damages.  

If really well maintained, they can be safe, but our experience shows that aged wiring disintegrates. Old wiring can be very dangerous, posing significant risks such as electrical shocks, short circuits, and even fire hazards. It’s crucial to have a professional assessment to ensure the safety and reliability of your home’s electrical system.

Our teams are specifically trained in rewiring with many years of experience in rewiring homes.

As a landlord, your property must pass a satisfactory electrical installation condition report (EICR) to allow you to rent it out. A house will not pass an EICR unless the wiring is up to date.

We discourage clients from doing any work themselves in a bid to save costs. You can make things much easier for us by lifting the carpets, ensuring the furniture is clear, showing us any hidden cabling, and removing cover plates from light switches.   

Yes, over time, wiring can deteriorate and become a serious fire hazard. Aluminium cables, for example, are more vulnerable to fire risks.  Damage to these cables can cause arcing and result in electrical fires. Old wiring is not designed to deal with today’s house electrical demands.  

We do so many house rewires we can often tell the age of the installation simply by a text image of your consumer unit. If your consumer unit trips frequently, it might be a good idea to consider installing a new consumer unit.

Simply give us a call. We will consult with you and discuss your rewiring project, or you can even send us an image of the wiring needing to be replaced.

Most of our full-house rewiring projects take 1-2 days to complete, while normal electricians may advertise a full rewire of your house to take 4-10 days. We can do this much faster by using more means and having experience in rewiring over 6000 homes. When it comes to house rewiring, we are fairly confident we are the quickest team.  

Yes, we usually route all electrical cables through your wall. We offer a plastering home rewiring service to put this all back together for you. 

Yes, usually overnight if required. However, we do install temporary rewired electrical supplies on request.  

Rewiring your home doesn’t necessarily add value to your home, but it does make it more attractive to buy for any potential owners. Updating your home’s wiring will definitely make it more sellable. Many of our clients rewire before selling to ease the sale by installing new light fittings, like security lights.

They may also add an updated electricity meter and brand-new cabling throughout the property. Knowing the home’s electrical system is up to date provides peace of mind to the buyer that they don’t need to conduct costly and disruptive electrical work further down the line.

This is unlikely, however, most insurers now insist on an up-to-date safety certificate for your electrics. It is becoming a necessity to have safe electrics to ensure you get an insurance policy, which is why we provide an electrical installation certificate to address these concerns.

Your full electrical wiring should be replaced every 25 years to ensure electrical safety. Regular electrical inspections by a qualified electrician will determine when a rewiring job is necessary to ensure the safety of your home’s electrical system. 

Check our “Are Your Electrics Safe?” page about signs for when it’s time.

We recommend rewiring your house every 25 years. If you notice signs of electrical issues, it might be necessary to rewire sooner. Routine evaluations by a qualified electrician can detect any potential issues early on and determine if a full electrical rewiring job is needed before the 25-year mark.

Yes, an electrical rewire is a very messy and disruptive job. Depending on the type of house construction, there can be a lot of dust and mess generated when rewiring. Good electrical contractors will have suitable dust extraction equipment and methods to help minimise the dust.

Most furniture will need moving at some point during the rewire, especially for significant alterations. If new wires are required, our team is more than happy to assist. Speak to the registered electrician to find out when and how.

Yes. Your rewire electrician will need to work in the loft.

We offer a service to take away all your rubbish for your rewire at a cost; simply request this upon enquiry.  

Yes, with all rewiring projects, we offer a thorough cleaning of the property. We also offer a professional cleaning service should clients require additional post-work cleanup.

Yes, usually overnight if required, but the main power will be off for the duration of the rewiring works. However, we do install temporary supplies on request for things like fridges and fish tanks. 

We do not recommend being inside the property during rewiring. It is a fast-paced building site environment. For health and safety reasons, it’s best that the home’s occupants stay elsewhere.