HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

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

Power off or a burning smell: the one-minute register check, what to ask before anyone sets off, and the paperwork to keep for your insurer.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an emergency electrician in five steps

  1. Make it safe firstBurning smell, scorching or water in a fitting: switch off at the main switch and stay clear of anything wet.
  2. Check the register while you waitIn England and Wales, search the business on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register before you confirm.
  3. Get the call-out price in writingThe call-out fee, what time it covers and the hourly rate after it, sent as a message before anyone leaves.
  4. Agree make-safe now, repair laterAt night the job is to make the installation safe; a bigger repair can be quoted in daylight.
  5. Keep the invoice and the reportYour home insurer will want them, with any Minor Works Certificate for repairs that alter a circuit.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, a like-for-like repair is not notifiable, but if the emergency call-out turns into a new circuit or a replacement consumer unit, that part is. Should any part of the emergency call-out be notifiable, the simplest route is an electrician on an authorised competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, who self-certifies it; the alternative is notifying building control in advance and paying for its inspection.

Type the business name into the register's search before the emergency call-out is booked. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

Where the emergency call-out changes a circuit, the electrician tests it to BS 7671 and records it on a Minor Works Certificate, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for anything new. When the emergency call-out is notifiable, expect the scheme's Building Regulations compliance certificate too: 8 weeks is gov.uk's figure for England, 30 days the Welsh Government's.

Get the certificate and its schedule of results on the day the emergency call-out is completed. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

Scotland has no competent person register for electricians: the emergency call-out 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 emergency call-out there carries no notification step.

In Scotland, ask whether the emergency call-out needs a warrant and whether the electrician is an approved certifier of construction. gov.scot →

Insurance and trader status

Ask who insures the electrician for public liability before they set off. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the emergency call-out because you are dealing with a trader, but there is usually no 14-day cancellation: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes a visit you specifically asked for to carry out urgent repairs.

Get the call-out fee and rate in writing before the visit, and look for the trader and ID-checked badges on the Locufy profile.

VAT

VAT on emergency electrical call-outs, nights and weekends included, is charged at the standard 20%, and any business turning over more than £90,000 a year in taxable sales has to register, add it to the price and set it out on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the call-out fee as well as the hourly rate. gov.uk →

“What is your call-out fee, and what does it cover?”

A good answer: A fixed figure, the time it includes (often the first hour) and the hourly rate after that, sent in writing before the electrician sets off.

“Are you on the competent person register?”

A good answer: Yes, with the scheme named. You can check the name while they are on the way.

“How soon can you be here?”

A good answer: A realistic time, not 'twenty minutes' from someone two counties away. A good emergency electrician will also tell you what to switch off in the meantime.

“Will you make it safe tonight and quote the repair separately?”

A good answer: Yes. Making safe, isolating the faulty circuit and restoring power to the rest of the house, is the emergency; a new board or a rewire is not a night job.

“Which parts do you carry, and how are they charged?”

A good answer: Common breakers, RCDs and accessories on the van, itemised on the invoice at a stated price.

“Will I get a report I can give my insurer?”

A good answer: A written note of the fault found, what was done, and any certificate for work that altered a circuit.

“Is the fault likely to come back?”

A good answer: An honest view: a tripped RCD from a faulty appliance is solved; an intermittent fault in hidden wiring may need a daytime visit to trace.

Getting the quote right

  • The call-out fee and the time it covers, stated before the visit
  • The hourly rate after the first period, and when night or weekend rates apply
  • Parts itemised by type and price
  • Who actually attends — the electrician sent out tonight, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • Make-safe work kept separate from any follow-up repair quote

Walk away if

  • No price at all until they arrive, or 'it depends' with no hourly rate
  • A demand for card payment in full before they look at the fault
  • Pressure to replace the consumer unit on the night
  • No name, no business address and no entry on the competent person register in England or Wales
  • Advice to switch the power back on before the fault is found
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£250

What an emergency electrician costs: £60–£250 per job

Emergency electricians charge a call-out fee that covers attending and the first period of work, then an hourly rate, with higher rates at night and weekends; parts are extra. Emergency 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

Emergency 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.

  1. Phone triageThe electrician asks what happened and tells you what to switch off; the call-out fee and rate are agreed before they set off.
  2. Find the faultOn arrival they isolate the affected circuit and test to locate the fault rather than guess.
  3. Make safeThe faulty circuit or fitting is disconnected and the rest of the house is restored where it is safe to do so.
  4. Repair or quoteA simple repair is done there and then; anything bigger is quoted for a daytime visit.
  5. Report and invoiceYou get a written note of the fault, what was done, any certificate and an itemised invoice.

Call-out fee
The charge for attending, usually covering the first period of work.
Make safe
Isolating a dangerous circuit or fitting so the rest of the home can be used.
RCD trip
The safety switch cutting power because current is leaking, often through a faulty appliance.
Isolation
Switching off and locking off a circuit before work.
Minor Works Certificate
The certificate for a repair or small alteration to an existing circuit.
Insulation resistance test
A test that shows whether cable insulation has broken down or got wet.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkThe invoice, the written fault report and any Minor Works Certificate; an insurer handling a claim for water or fire damage will ask for them.
Test what was restoredCheck the circuits that came back on, press the RCD test button and note anything still dead.
Book the follow-up properlyIf the repair is still to come, get it quoted in writing like any other job — you are no longer in a hurry.
Write the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the emergency call-out falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Give the electrician a written chance to fix itMost problems with the emergency call-out are settled at this stage: say what is wrong, attach photos and set a fair deadline. If the emergency call-out fell below reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to have it redone or to pay less.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the emergency call-out 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 emergency call-out 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 emergency call-out 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 emergency call-out 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 emergency electrician: questions people ask

Repairs and like-for-like replacements are not notifiable in England and Wales, so registration is not a legal requirement for a make-safe visit. If the work becomes a new circuit or consumer unit, a scheme electrician self-certifies it, or building control must be told.

A Minor Works Certificate if a circuit was altered, or an Electrical Installation Certificate if something new was installed; for a simple make-safe, a written report of the fault.

£60–£250 a job, typically around £150. The call-out fee comes first; nights, weekends and parts push it up. For what is usually included, read the Emergency Electrician price guide; enter a postcode above to compare emergency electricians locally.

Switch off at the main switch if anything is burning, scorched or wet, keep away from wet electrics, and leave the consumer unit cover on.

Once, after unplugging appliances. If it trips again straight away, leave it off and wait for the electrician.

That depends on your policy; keep the invoice and the fault report so the insurer can see what failed and why.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingHow to hire: Consumer Unit / Fuse Board UpgradeHow to hire: Electrical Safety Inspection (EICR)How to hire: Partial RewiringHow to hire: Electric Shower InstallationHow to hire: Socket & Switch InstallationHow to hire: Full RewiringAll 701 hiring guides →

Emergency electricians near you

Emergency electricians in LondonEmergency electricians in ManchesterEmergency electricians in BirminghamEmergency electricians in GlasgowEmergency electricians in BelfastAll emergency 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. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  13. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  14. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  15. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  16. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  17. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  18. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register