House Rewiring in North West London

Many 'you need a rewire' verdicts are wrong. How do you check?

Ask which coded observations on the report require the cable to be replaced, then look at the insulation resistance readings. An EICR does not issue a verdict of rewire. It lists observations, codes them C1, C2, C3 or FI, and records test results for every circuit. If most circuits show healthy insulation readings, the cable is sound, whatever its age. The findings that usually prompt a rewire quote have smaller fixes.

• No RCD protection: a new consumer unit adds it to every circuit
• Missing or undersized main bonding to gas and water pipes: a bonding upgrade
• Red and black cable colours: not a defect. The 2004 colour change was not retrospective, and existing installations did not need rewiring
• Too few sockets, with extension leads everywhere: new circuits or extra sockets
• Sockets mounted in skirting boards: Electrical Safety First says there is no legal requirement to replace them, though the wiring behind them deserves an inspection

Which signs do mean the cable has to go?

The real signs are about the cable's insulation, not its age or colour. Electrical Safety First notes that black rubber-insulated cable was phased out in the 1960s, and that lead or fabric-covered cable is older still and may well need replacing. Rubber insulation goes brittle and cracks, especially where it has been warm, such as above light fittings or near hot pipes. Once cracked, it is unsafe to disturb and impossible to repair.

The other signs are measurable: insulation resistance readings that are low across many circuits, scorched or crumbling cable found at several accessories, and circuits that have been extended so often that nobody can say what feeds what. Electrical Safety First also suggests that electrics more than 50 years old should be checked and updated. A test, not a date, decides whether that means a rewire.

Full rewire or partial rewire?

A partial rewire replaces only the circuits that fail, and keeps any later wiring that tests well. It suits the common pattern in older houses: original lighting circuits in rubber cable, with sockets rewired in PVC decades later, or a sound main house with a badly wired extension. A full rewire suits a house where most circuits fail, where nothing can be traced, or where the layout no longer fits how the house is used.

The saving from a partial rewire is real, but so is a trade-off. Keeping a 1980s socket circuit makes sense if it tests well and is in the right places. If you want sockets moved anyway, the walls will be opened regardless, and replacing that circuit at the same time costs little extra. We price both options where they are both honest options, and show you the test results behind each.

What are first fix and second fix?

First fix is everything that happens before the walls and floors are closed up; second fix is everything that goes on the surface afterwards. In first fix we lift floorboards, cut chases in walls, drill joists, run the new cables and set the back boxes. Approved Document P points to Part A of the Building Regulations for the depth of chases in walls and the size of holes and notches in joists, so routes are planned to avoid weakening the structure.

Second fix is fitting the sockets, switches, light fittings and the new consumer unit, then testing every circuit. Between the two, walls are made good. If you have a plasterer or builder on site for other work, the order matters: first fix must finish before any plastering starts.

Can you live in the house during a rewire?

You can, but it is slower, dustier and harder on everyone than an empty house. We work room by room, clearing each one in turn, and leave working power and lighting at the end of each day, usually through temporary circuits. Floorboards come up, furniture has to move, and there will be dust however carefully the work is sheeted.

If you can stay elsewhere for the noisiest days, or move into one or two finished rooms, the job runs faster and costs less. For an occupied let, we would usually advise against a full rewire with the tenant in place unless they agree to it in writing and the disruption has been planned with them.

Who makes good and decorates afterwards?

We do both, which is the main reason to use one firm for a rewire. Some electricians leave open chases and patched holes for someone else to sort out. Our decorators follow the electricians, so the gap between the last cable going in and the rooms being usable is days, not weeks of chasing another trade. Chases are filled, ceilings around new light positions are made good and floorboards relaid.

Then the rooms are decorated to a written specification if you have asked for it. In an empty two-bedroom let, decorating typically takes two to four days once the making good is done. If you would rather decorate yourself, we leave the walls ready for paint and tell you how long the filler needs.

Should landlords rewire during a void?

If a rewire is genuinely needed, a void is the best time for it. There is no tenant to rehouse, and the work, the making good and the decorating run back to back. The new installation comes with an Electrical Installation Certificate that records when the next inspection is due, which keeps your five-yearly inspection cycle in order. If the need came from an EICR, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 still apply. Remedial work is due within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so, and that deadline does not wait for a void.

Where a full rewire cannot happen in time, we deal with the urgent coded items first, make the installation safe, and schedule the rewire for the next void. A rewire is also a natural point to fit mains-wired, interlinked alarms. The smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations do not require hard-wired alarms, but they are easier to fit while the floors are up.

How long does a house rewire take?

That depends on the size of the house, whether it is empty, and what the floors and walls are made of. An empty three-bedroom house is typically several days of electrical work, plus time for making good and decorating. An occupied house takes longer, because every room has to be cleared, protected and put back. The other drivers are the building itself. Suspended timber floors are quicker to cable under than solid concrete ones.

Lath and plaster in older houses needs more care than modern plasterboard. Access to the loft and the space under the floors, and how many extras you add, such as outside sockets, data points or more lighting, all change the time. We give you a programme with the quote, not a guess on the phone.

What decides the cost of a rewire?

The number of circuits, sockets and light points, which tracks the size of the house and how you want to use it. Then whether it is a full or partial rewire, whether the house is empty, and the construction: solid floors and lath and plaster ceilings take longer than suspended floors and plasterboard.

Extras such as interlinked alarms, outside power, data cabling or an EV charger supply add to the scope. So does making good and decorating, which some quotes leave out. Compare like with like, ask each quote whether making good is included, and get the price as a written scope.

Certificates and defined jobs are a fixed price confirmed before we attend; repairs are charged by the hour, with the rate and an estimate confirmed before we attend.

Rewiring across Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware

Most homes in our area were built between the wars and have been rewired once since, with extensions and new kitchens wired at different dates. That is the pattern where a partial rewire often makes sense. Older houses near Harrow town centre, West Harrow and Wealdstone are where original rubber cable is most likely to survive in a ceiling void or under the floors.

We rewire across Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware, and out to Wembley, Pinner, Mill Hill, Ruislip and the rest of our area.

Electricians by area: Electrical work in Harrow, Electrical work in Kenton, Electrical work in Stanmore, Electrical work in Edgware, Electrical work in Bushey, Electrical work in Colindale, Electrical work in Hendon, Electrical work in Mill Hill, Electrical work in Northolt, Electrical work in Northwood, Electrical work in Pinner, Electrical work in Ruislip and Electrical work in Wembley.

What we will not do

We will not quote a full rewire without testing first. If the readings say a new board and some targeted work will do, that is what we quote. We do not carry out structural alterations, so if a cable route needs a joist or a wall altered beyond normal notching and chasing, a builder or structural engineer is needed first.

In houses built before 2000, HSE warns that asbestos may be present. If we suspect it in a textured ceiling, an old board or panel, we stop and it needs testing by a specialist before work continues.

Why people trust us

• Work by registered electricians, certified, and notified to Building Control where the job requires it
• A walk-in office on Kenton Lane, not a serviced address
• The fault found and the options explained before we go further
• A time slot rather than a morning-or-afternoon window
• Work photographed before and after, and reported
• We tell you when you do not need something we sell

We are building a review profile under this name and would rather show you none than borrow someone else's. Ask us for references from landlords and we will put you in touch.

Official sources

• Electrical Safety First: Do I need a rewire?
• Electrical Safety First: Fuseboxes and RCDs explained (electrics over 50 years old)
• IEE Wiring Matters, Spring 2004: All change, new cable colours agreed (not retrospective)
• GOV.UK: Approved Document P, 2013 edition (notifiable work, regulation 12(6A))
• Electrical Safety First: Guide to condition reports (cable types and what may need replacing)
• HSE: Introduction to asbestos (buildings before 2000)

Last reviewed October 2026 by EliteShires Property Services.