HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire an electrician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

In England and Wales the Building Regulations decide who signs off a new circuit or a consumer unit. The one-minute check, what to ask, and the certificate you should get.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an electrician in five steps

  1. Search the competent person registerIn England and Wales, type the electrician's name into the Registered Competent Person Electrical register before you agree a time.
  2. Describe the job in one messageWhat needs doing, in which rooms, with a photo of the consumer unit. An hourly booking is only as good as the brief behind it.
  3. Ask what starts the clockCall-out, minimum charge, travel and parts: an hourly rate means little until you know what is added to it.
  4. Agree the certificate before work startsA new circuit or consumer unit is notifiable in England and Wales; even a small addition should get a Minor Works Certificate.
  5. Pay once it is testedSettle the hours and itemised parts on the invoice when the work is tested — never cash up front for parts nobody has listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, a new circuit, a new or replacement consumer unit and changes near a bath or shower are notifiable; in Wales, so is work in a kitchen or outdoors. Where the electrical work is notifiable, an electrician on a government-authorised competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT, self-certifies it under the Building Regulations; anyone else must notify building control before starting, and you pay for that inspection.

Find the electrician's name on the register before you confirm the electrical work. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

When the electrical work is tested to BS 7671 the results go on an Electrical Installation Certificate, or on a Minor Works Certificate for a small addition to an existing circuit. Notifiable work such as the electrical work can bring a compliance certificate from the scheme, which gov.uk expects within 8 weeks in England and the Welsh Government within 30 days in Wales.

Ask for the certificate, with the test results filled in, on the day the electrical work is finished. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

Scotland has no competent person register for electricians: the electrical work must meet building standard 4.5, which means wiring to BS 7671, and some work, such as rewiring a flat, needs a building warrant that the owner applies for. Northern Ireland's building regulations set no Part P-style notification for home wiring, so the electrical work there carries no notification step.

In Scotland, check with the electrician or the council whether the electrical work needs a warrant, and whether the electrician can certify it as an approved certifier. gov.scot →

Insurance and trader status

Public liability insurance is the norm for the electrical work; ask who the insurer is and the cover limit. Your Consumer Rights Act 2015 protections for the electrical work apply because you are dealing with a trader, and if you agree the electrical work at home or online the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually give you 14 days to cancel — but you pay for any work you asked to start within those days, and goods made to your own specification are outside the right.

Ask for proof of insurance for the electrical work; the trader and ID-checked badges are on the Locufy profile.

VAT

Electrical work on an existing home is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%; a firm with taxable turnover over £90,000 must be VAT-registered, charge that 20% and show it as a separate line on the quote and invoice.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the hourly rate and the parts list. gov.uk →

“Are you on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register, and through which scheme?”

A good answer: A scheme name and an entry you can find on the register yourself. In Scotland or Northern Ireland, where that register does not apply, ask what qualifications the electrician holds and who checks the work.

“Is this job notifiable?”

A good answer: A straight answer. In England, an extra socket or light on an existing circuit away from a bathroom is not; a new circuit, a consumer unit or work near a bath or shower is. In Wales, kitchens and outdoor work are added.

“How do you charge — by the hour, the half hour or the job?”

A good answer: A stated minimum, how part-hours are rounded and whether the first hour covers the call-out. For more than a few hours' work, a day rate or a fixed price for the defined job is often better value.

“Are parts on top of the hourly rate?”

A good answer: Yes, itemised by make and type on the invoice. Fittings you buy yourself are fine if the electrician agrees they are suitable before the day.

“Which certificate will I get, and when?”

A good answer: A Minor Works Certificate for a small addition, an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit, handed over on the day with the readings filled in.

“Will you test the circuit you are adding to?”

A good answer: Yes. If the existing wiring has no RCD protection or shows a fault, a good electrician tells you before carrying on and prices the fix separately.

“Who will actually do the work?”

A good answer: If an apprentice or a colleague does part of it, the registered electrician still tests and certifies the whole job.

Getting the quote right

  • The hourly rate, the minimum charge and how part-hours are counted
  • Any call-out or travel charge shown on its own line
  • Parts listed by make and type, priced apart from the labour
  • Who actually attends — the qualified electrician, or an apprentice under them, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • Which certificate is included, and any building control fee if the work is notified rather than self-certified
  • Written down — a message on Locufy counts; a figure over the phone does not

Walk away if

  • Not on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register in England or Wales, yet offering to 'sort the paperwork' for a new circuit
  • No certificate offered for a new circuit or consumer unit, or 'you don't need one for this'
  • An open-ended hourly rate with no estimate of the hours
  • Cash only, or money for parts before anything is itemised
  • Unwilling to look at the consumer unit before working on anything connected to it
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£60
HIGH
£100

What an electrician costs: £40–£100 per hour

Electricians charge small jobs by the hour plus parts, usually with a minimum charge; longer jobs are better priced as a day rate or a fixed price. A consumer unit, a rewire and an EV charger each have their own guide. Electrician price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Electricians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. Look firstThe electrician looks at the consumer unit and the circuit involved before starting anything significant; a fault in the existing wiring changes the plan and the hours.
  2. Isolate and prove deadThe circuit is switched off, locked off at the consumer unit and tested dead before a single cable is touched.
  3. The workCables, accessories and fittings installed to BS 7671. Chasing walls and making good are agreed beforehand; they are often outside an hourly job.
  4. TestNew or altered circuits are tested — continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation — before the power goes back on.
  5. Certificate and handoverYou get the certificate with the readings, the consumer unit labelled where anything changed, and a written note of the hours worked.

Consumer unit
The fuse box: the board of switches and breakers where the supply enters the home.
RCD / RCBO
Devices that cut the power in an earth fault; an RCBO protects a single circuit, an RCD a group of them.
Minor Works Certificate
The certificate for a small addition or alteration to an existing circuit, such as an extra socket.
Electrical Installation Certificate
The certificate for a new circuit or installation, with its test results.
BS 7671
The wiring regulations every installation is designed, installed and tested to.
Notifiable work
Work that must be self-certified by a scheme electrician or notified to building control in England and Wales.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificatesFile the Electrical Installation or Minor Works Certificate and, for notifiable work, the compliance certificate when it arrives — buyers' solicitors and insurers ask for them.
Test what was installedTry every new socket, switch and light, and press the RCD test button on the consumer unit.
Check the invoice against the hoursHours, parts and rate as agreed, and the guarantee on the workmanship written on the invoice.
Leave the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the electrical work falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Raise it with the electrician in writingKeep it factual: what was agreed for the electrical work, what is wrong, and a reasonable date to fix it. Reasonable care and skill is a term of every trader's service under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies are a redo or money off.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the electrical work under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or uncertified workIf the electrical work was notifiable in England or Wales but was never self-certified or notified, tell the council's building control; if the compliance certificate has not come, the electrician's scheme can chase it. For a dispute about the electrical work with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the electrical work is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an electrician: questions people ask

In England, an extra socket or light on an existing circuit away from a bathroom does not need notifying, so any competent electrician can do it. A new circuit, a consumer unit or work near a bath or shower must be self-certified by a scheme electrician or notified to building control first; Wales adds kitchens and outdoor work.

A Minor Works Certificate for a small addition, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit, each with test results. For notifiable work the scheme sends a compliance certificate as well — within 8 weeks in England, according to gov.uk.

£40–£100 an hour, typically around £60. Most small jobs are charged on the hours plus parts, and many electricians have a one-hour minimum. The full figures sit in the Electrician price guide; the postcode search above lists electricians close to you with their prices.

Scotland has no competent person register for electricians: wiring must meet building standard 4.5 (BS 7671), and some jobs, such as rewiring a flat, need a building warrant from the council. Northern Ireland has no notification scheme for home wiring, but its private landlords must have the installation tested at least every five years.

For an hour's work, the hourly rate. For anything longer, ask for a day rate or a fixed price for the defined job, so the risk of the job running over is not all yours.

Tell the electrician in writing and give them the chance to put it right; under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for the work to be redone or for a price reduction. The full ladder, including small claims, is below.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Emergency ElectricianHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingHow to hire: Consumer Unit / Fuse Board UpgradeHow to hire: Electrical Safety Inspection (EICR)How to hire: Full RewiringHow to hire: Extra SocketsHow to hire: Lighting InstallationHow to hire: EV Charger InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Electricians near you

Electricians in LondonElectricians in ManchesterElectricians in BirminghamElectricians in GlasgowElectricians in BelfastAll electricians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. gov.scot — Building Standards Technical Handbook 2022 (domestic), standard 4.5 electrical safety
  6. gov.uk — building regulations: when you do not need approval
  7. gov.uk — building regulations: use a competent person scheme
  8. Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
  9. Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024
  10. gov.uk — when to register for VAT (the £90,000 threshold)
  11. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  12. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  14. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  15. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  16. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  17. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  18. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  19. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  20. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  21. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register