Electrician in Central London

What we do in central London

Central London is almost entirely conversions, mansion blocks, flats above shops, and commercial units in buildings that were built for something else. Very little of it is a straightforward house with its own meter by the front door. That shapes the work: more fault-finding in shared risers, more arguments about where the landlord’s installation stops and yours starts, and more jobs that have to be done out of hours because the building is occupied in the day.

Getting into the job: access, parking and the practical side

This is the part central London customers care about and most trade websites skip. Three things change how a job runs here.

Access. In an office building or a managed block we usually need to be inducted, booked in with building management, and given a slot for the goods lift. For anything that involves isolating a riser or a landlord’s supply, there is a permit-to-work process and a notice period. We would rather sort that out on the phone a week before than turn up and be sent away. Tell us the building manager’s details when you book.

Working hours. Offices often want us in before 8am or after 6pm; retail units frequently want a Sunday. We do that, and out-of-hours is priced at £60 + VAT per half hour on top. Our out-of-hours and access cost guide sets out the permits, goods lift slots, bay suspensions and Congestion Charge in full. For an occupied block, a board change means the flat is off for most of a day, so we agree the date with the tenant rather than the agent’s calendar.

Parking and charges. The Congestion Charge and ULEZ apply, parking bays have to be suspended or paid for, and in some City streets there is simply nowhere to put a van. We factor that into the quote rather than adding it as a surprise at the end. If the building has a loading bay or a basement car park, say so — it genuinely makes the job cheaper.

Our central London prices — labour and certification only

These prices cover labour and certification only. Consumer units, cable, accessories and fittings are itemised separately so you can see what is materials and what is us. Minimum charge is £90 + VAT (£108 inc VAT), which is one hour at the standard rate, and nothing is priced below it.

Work	Price (labour and certification)
Minimum charge / first hour	£90 + VAT (£108 inc VAT)
Standard labour, per hour after that	£90 + VAT
EICR, flat or 1–2 bed	from £140
EICR, 3-bed	from £170
EICR, 4-bed	from £200
EICR, 5-bed or larger	from £250
EICR, large or multi-board property	£300–£400
HMO EICR	£250–£500 depending on units and boards
Commercial EICR	from £220
Consumer unit, 6-way	from £550
Consumer unit, 10-way	from £650
Consumer unit, 12-way or larger	from £750
Consumer unit + EICR, same visit	from £690
Main earthing and bonding alongside a board	from £108
Flat rewire	£2,200–£3,200 (1 bed), £3,000–£4,500 (2 bed), £4,200–£6,000 (3 bed)
Partial rewire	£1,600–£3,000
Out of hours	£60 + VAT per half hour
PAT testing	around £5 per appliance, £108 inc VAT minimum charge applies

Full breakdowns: EICR costs in London, fuse board replacement, commercial EICR costs and PAT testing.

What we actually find in central London wiring

Bonding that nobody can prove exists. In a converted building the incoming water main is usually in a communal cupboard or a basement, and the flat’s bonding was either never run or was run to a stop tap that has since been replaced in plastic. It is the most frequent code 2 we write up, and it is cheap to put right once we can establish where the services actually come in.

Old TN-S supplies and no reliable main earth. Plenty of central buildings are still fed by old cables where the earth is the lead sheath. Where that connection has deteriorated there is effectively no main earth, which is a code 1 and a conversation with the network operator rather than something we can solve at the board. We explain it on no main earth — what it means.

Circuits that cross between flats. In a building cut into units in the 1980s we regularly find a landing light or a basement socket fed from the wrong flat’s board, or a shared circuit that means isolating one flat kills another’s fridge. It has to be untangled before anything can be certified honestly.

Sub-boards nobody recorded. In commercial units especially: a previous tenant added a board for a kitchen or a server cupboard and left no schedule. We trace it, label it and record it, which is usually the single most useful thing we do on a first commercial visit.

Lighting circuits with no CPC. Common in period flats, and it becomes a real problem the moment someone fits metal downlights or a metal switch plate.

Loads added onto circuits never sized for them. Electric showers, instant water heaters, and in commercial units extract fans and refrigeration, all hung off whatever was nearest.

Mansion blocks, period conversions and listed buildings

A large share of central London housing is either in a mansion block or in a period building converted into flats, and both come with the same question: what belongs to you and what belongs to the freeholder? Your installation runs from your consumer unit outwards, plus the supply arrangement serving it. The riser, the landlord’s sub-main, the communal lighting and the fire alarm in the common parts are the freeholder’s and are certified separately. If a managing agent hands you a report with codes against things you do not own, that is why. We cover it properly on EICRs on leasehold flats and communal areas.

Listed buildings and conservation areas are the norm rather than the exception in much of the centre. That does not stop a rewire, but it changes how it is done — surface routes, existing chases, lifting floors instead of chasing walls, and sometimes listed building consent for what sounds like a minor alteration. Our guide to rewiring a listed or conservation-area property sets out what to expect and what to agree before anyone opens a wall.

Offices, retail and hospitality in the West End and the City

Commercial work is a big part of what we do in EC and W1. Offices want periodic inspection, board work, lighting changes and fit-out support; shops want emergency lighting and fire alarm certification on a schedule they can hand to an insurer; cafes and restaurants want extract, refrigeration and kitchen loads done properly and tested.

Commercial EICRs start at £220. We also do emergency lighting and fire alarm certification, PAT testing for insurance, and distribution board work. Useful pages: commercial electrician, office electrician, emergency lighting certificates and EICRs on a shop with flats above, which is a very common central London arrangement and more complicated than it looks.

If you are taking a lease on a unit, test before you sign. An unrecorded sub-board or an undersized supply is a negotiating point before completion and a bill afterwards.

Which council holds your records?

Central London is a patchwork, and it matters as soon as any of the work is notifiable. The City of London has its own building control through the City Corporation; W1 and much of WC2 are Westminster; WC1 and the north side of the centre are Camden; EC1 is split between the City and Islington. A notifiable job — a new circuit, a consumer unit, a rewire — is notified to the authority for that address, and that is where a conveyancer will go looking years later. We handle the notification through our Part P scheme either way; our page on Part P and building control notification explains how it works and what paperwork you should end up holding.

The same patchwork applies to landlord licensing. Schemes and boundaries change, so always check the council’s current scheme for your street rather than relying on what an agent told you last year.

Landlords, short lets and letting agents

Central London has a lot of rented and short-let stock, and the paperwork expectations are higher than in outer London because agents and insurers ask for more. We do landlord EICRs, remedials, emergency lighting and fire alarm certification, and we will send the certificate and a priced remedial list the same day where we can. For shared and licensed houses the fire detection grade and the emergency lighting are usually what gets picked up, not the wiring — see our HMO EICR page.

Nearby areas we cover

Central London by postcode: EC1 Clerkenwell and Farringdon · W1 Fitzrovia, Marylebone and Soho · N1 Angel and Islington · E1 Whitechapel and Spitalfields · NW1 Camden and Regent’s Park.

Boroughs on the central edge: Westminster · Camden · Islington · Hackney · Tower Hamlets. And the wider patch: North London and East London.

The full list of boroughs and postcodes is on our London service areas page, and every question we get asked is answered with real London prices in our electrical guides.

Central London electrician — common questions

Do you charge extra for the Congestion Charge and parking?

It is built into the quote rather than added afterwards. If you can offer a loading bay, a basement space or a suspended bay, the job costs less and we will say so.

Can you work out of hours in an office or shop?

Yes. Early mornings, evenings and Sundays are normal for us in the centre. Out of hours is £60 + VAT per half hour on top of the standard rate, and for anything involving a riser we need the building’s permit process started in advance.

How much is an EICR on a central London flat?

From £140 for a one or two bedroom flat, including the test, the report and the certificate. A period conversion with circuits that cross between flats takes longer and we will tell you that before we start, not halfway through.

My managing agent sent me an EICR with faults against the communal areas. Am I liable?

Generally not. Your responsibility runs from your consumer unit outwards. The riser, the landlord’s sub-main and the common parts are the freeholder’s, and they need their own report. Send us what you have been given and we will tell you which items are actually yours.

Can you rewire a flat in a listed building?

Yes, but the method matters and consent may be needed for alterations you would not think twice about elsewhere. We agree routes and fixings before starting. Read our listed and conservation-area rewire guide first.

Do you do emergency callouts in the City?

Yes, within reason about the drive. We are coming from N15, so 30 to 45 minutes is realistic and worse in rush hour. Ring 07407 627542 and we will give you a straight answer on timing.

NICEIC approved contractor. Part P registered. Work certified to BS 7671. Fully insured. Checkatrade 9.32 out of 10 from 242 reviews. Prices are labour and certification only; parts and fittings are itemised separately. Minimum charge £90 + VAT (£108 inc VAT).