HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

How to hire a socket and switch fitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Replacing sockets and switches is not notifiable, but it still needs testing. The check, the questions for smart switches, and what to be handed.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a socket and switch fitter in five steps

  1. List the pointsHow many sockets and switches, which rooms, what finish — and photos of the existing ones.
  2. Search the registerBefore you book the socket and switch work in England or Wales, find the business on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register.
  3. Check smart and dimmer compatibilityMany smart switches need a neutral at the switch; dimmers must suit the lamps.
  4. Get a per-point priceFaceplates named, and whether new points in new positions are priced differently.
  5. Ask for the test resultsA Minor Works Certificate for anything beyond a like-for-like swap.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, replacing a socket, switch or faceplate is not notifiable; a new point near a bath or shower is, and in Wales a new point in a kitchen or outdoors. Where the socket and switch 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.

Search the business name on the register before you agree the socket and switch work. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

When the socket and switch work adds or alters a point, it is tested to BS 7671 and recorded on a Minor Works Certificate. Notifiable work such as the socket and switch 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.

Before you pay for the socket and switch work, ask for the certificate with its test results. gov.wales →

Building warrant (Scotland) and Northern Ireland

In Scotland there is no equivalent register; the socket and switch work is judged against building standard 4.5 (wiring to BS 7671), and certain work — rewiring a flat is the usual example — needs a building warrant, which the owner obtains. For the socket and switch work in Northern Ireland, the building regulations contain no Part P-style notification scheme for domestic wiring.

Scottish homeowners should ask whether the socket and switch work needs a warrant before work starts, and who will certify it. gov.scot →

Insurance and trader status

Ask who insures the trader doing the socket and switch work and for how much; public liability is standard. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers the socket and switch work when the provider is a trader, and a contract made off-premises or online can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — less what was done if you asked for an early start, and not at all for goods made to your specification.

Have the insurance details in hand before the socket and switch work, and check the trader and ID-checked marks on the profile.

VAT

HMRC puts fitting sockets and switches at the standard rate of 20%; once a trader's taxable turnover passes £90,000 it must register, charge the 20% and list it apart from the price of the work.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the price per point. gov.uk →

“Do these smart switches need a neutral at the switch?”

A good answer: A clear answer after looking at the wiring: many do, and older switch drops often lack one.

“Will the dimmer switch suit my LED lamps?”

A good answer: Yes, with the dimmer and lamp types matched — mismatches flicker or buzz.

“Is the price per point, and are faceplates included?”

A good answer: Per point with the faceplate named; metal and USB finishes priced separately.

“What about sockets near the sink or in the bathroom?”

A good answer: They must meet the distance and zone rules; work near a bath or shower is notifiable in England and Wales.

“Will you test the circuits behind each socket and switch?”

A good answer: Yes; even a faceplate swap should end with a polarity and earth check.

“Can you do the whole room in one visit?”

A good answer: Usually, and the per-point price should drop when they do.

Getting the quote right

  • Number of points and the price per point
  • Faceplate range and finish named
  • Smart or dimmer switches listed with the lamp type they suit
  • New points in new positions priced separately
  • Who actually attends — the electrician changing the points, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Fits smart switches without checking for a neutral
  • No tests at all after changing accessories
  • Ignores the zones around a bath or shower
  • A per-point price that doubles once they arrive
  • Won't name the faceplate range
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£75
HIGH
£250

What a socket and switch fitter costs: £30–£250 per point

Socket and switch work is priced per point; the finish, smart or dimmer switches and new positions move it, and a whole room in one visit brings the per-point price down. Socket & Switch Installation 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

Socket and switch fitters 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. Look at the wiringThe fitter checks the back boxes and switch drops before buying anything smart.
  2. IsolateEach circuit is switched off and proved dead.
  3. Replace or addAccessories changed, back boxes deepened where needed, new points wired.
  4. TestPolarity, earth continuity and, for altered circuits, the full Minor Works tests.
  5. Hand overSmart switches set up with you, test results and any certificate handed over.

Faceplate
The visible front of a socket or switch.
Neutral at the switch
A neutral wire in the switch box, which many smart switches need.
Two-way switching
Two switches controlling one light, as on a staircase.
Trailing-edge dimmer
A dimmer type generally suited to LED lamps.
Back box
The box in the wall behind the accessory.
Minor Works Certificate
The certificate for an addition or alteration to a circuit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep any certificateA Minor Works Certificate for new or altered points; a note of the faceplate range for matching later.
Try every pointEvery socket, every switch, every dimmer through its full range.
Check the finishFaceplates level, tight to the wall, and no scorch marks or loose screws.
Review the jobOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the socket and switch work falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the electrician firstA dated message setting out what is wrong with the socket and switch work gives the trader the chance to fix it. If the socket and switch work was not done with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you insist on repeat performance or, failing that, a price reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the socket and switch 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 workNotifiable work that nobody certified or notified is a matter for the council's building control in England and Wales, so report the socket and switch work there if that is what happened; a missing compliance certificate can be chased through the electrician's scheme. For a dispute about the socket and switch 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 socket and switch 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 a socket and switch fitter: questions people ask

Not by law in England or Wales for like-for-like replacement. New points near a bath or shower — and in Wales in a kitchen or outdoors — are notifiable and must be self-certified or notified.

A Minor Works Certificate for new or altered points; for straight swaps, at least a note that polarity and earth were checked.

£30–£250 a point, typically around £75. Faceplate swaps are the cheap end; new points and premium finishes cost more. The full figures sit in the Socket & Switch Installation price guide; the postcode search above lists socket and switch fitters close to you with their prices.

Usually the lamp and dimmer types do not match; ask for a dimmer rated for the LED load.

Like-for-like replacement is not notifiable, but if you are not sure the circuit is dead and wired correctly, leave it to an electrician.

If there is a neutral at the switch, or you choose a model that does not need one; the fitter should check first.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Extra SocketsHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Lighting InstallationHow to hire: LED LightingHow to hire: Downlight InstallationHow to hire: Electrical Fault FindingHow to hire: Data & Network CablingHow to hire: Partial RewiringAll 701 hiring guides →

Socket and switch fitters near you

Socket and switch fitters in LondonSocket and switch fitters in ManchesterSocket and switch fitters in BirminghamSocket and switch fitters in GlasgowSocket and switch fitters in BelfastAll socket and switch fitters on Locufy →Do it yourself: replacing a socket or light switch like for like →

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