Short answer: a full house rewire in London takes 3–5 working days for a 1–2 bed flat, 5–10 days for a 3-bed terrace or semi, and 10–15 days for a 4-bed house, with a partial rewire anywhere from 1 to 4 days. Those figures assume the property is empty or you have cleared the rooms we are working in. Living in the house during the rewire is possible — we do it every month — but plan on adding 20–40% to the timeline because the work has to be sequenced room by room and the power put back on every evening. F & A Electrical (NICEIC registered, 9.32/10 from 242 reviews) rewires flats and houses across North and East London from Tottenham N15. Call 07407 627542 or WhatsApp a floor plan for a fixed-price timeline.
Rewire duration by property type (London, 2026)
| Property | Empty / cleared | Occupied (living in) | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bed flat | 3–4 working days | 4–6 days | 2 electricians |
| 2-bed flat or small terrace | 4–5 days | 5–7 days | 2 |
| 3-bed terrace or semi | 5–8 days | 7–10 days | 2–3 |
| 4-bed house | 8–12 days | 10–15 days | 2–3 |
| 5-bed+ or house split into flats | 12–18 days | 15–22 days | 3 |
| Partial rewire (kitchen, one floor, lighting only) | 1–3 days | 1–4 days | 1–2 |
| Consumer unit only (no rewire) | Half a day | Half a day | 1 |
“Working days” means the electrical work itself. Plastering, drying and redecoration come after and are usually another 1–2 weeks of the house not being quite normal, which is why the whole project often feels like a month even when we were on site for a week. Prices for each row are on our house rewire cost guide; the service itself is described on the house rewiring London page.
What happens on each day of a rewire
A typical 3-bed Victorian terrace in Haringey or Hackney, cleared, two electricians, runs like this:
| Day | Stage | What you’ll see |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Strip-out and set-up | Old cables disconnected, board isolated, floorboards lifted in halls and landings, chases marked on walls. Loudest day. |
| Days 2–4 | First fix | New cables run under floors and up chased walls; back boxes set; new circuits for kitchen, cooker, shower, sockets, lighting, smoke alarms. Dust and noise, no usable sockets in the rooms being worked. |
| Day 5 | Consumer unit | New metal 18th Edition consumer unit fitted with RCBOs, SPD and main earthing bonding to gas and water brought up to standard. |
| Days 6–7 | Second fix | Sockets, switches, light fittings and cooker outlet fitted; floorboards refixed. The house starts looking finished. |
| Day 8 | Testing and certification | Every circuit dead- and live-tested, board labelled, Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) issued and the job notified to Building Control through NICEIC. |
A flat compresses the same sequence into 3–5 days because there is one floor and shorter cable runs. A 4-bed house stretches it because there are more circuits (typically 12–16 ways against 8–10 in a flat) and more lath-and-plaster ceilings to work around.
Can you live in a house while it’s being rewired?
Yes, and about half our full rewires are done with the family in residence. It works if you accept three things. First, we work room by room rather than stripping the whole house at once, which is why it takes longer. Second, you will lose power to the rooms being worked on during the day, and for the day the board is changed the whole house is off for roughly 4–6 hours. Third, we put lighting and a ring of sockets back live every evening, so you always have the kettle, the fridge and the lights overnight — that is a firm promise on every occupied job. A functioning kitchen and one bedroom are the two rooms we keep usable throughout; the bathroom is usually a single day.
What makes an occupied rewire easier: an empty spare room we can use as a staging area, carpets lifted along the hall and landing before we arrive, and the loft cleared. What makes it harder: fitted wardrobes on the walls we need to chase, tenants who cannot be given a schedule, and pets that need to be kept out of open floors. If you are a landlord rewiring between tenancies, the void is by far the cheapest and fastest time to do it, and it pairs well with the landlord EICR you will need for the next tenancy.
What adds days to a rewire
- Occupied property — add 20–40% for room-by-room sequencing and daily reinstatement.
- Lath-and-plaster ceilings (most pre-1930 London houses) — cables have to be fished rather than dropped, roughly a day extra per floor.
- Solid floors downstairs — no floor void to run under, so cables go up and over through the first floor or are surface-run in trunking. Half a day to a day.
- Plastering included — we can arrange it, but chases need to be filled and dry before decoration: add a week of elapsed time, not electrician time.
- Extra circuits — an electric shower, induction hob, EV charger or garden supply each add 2–4 hours.
- Supply upgrade — if the property needs a new cut-out or a 100A fuse from UK Power Networks, their appointment (2–6 weeks’ lead time) sets the finish date, not us. Book it the day you accept the quote.
- Surprises — asbestos in old fuse boards or floor tiles, and rubber-insulated cable that crumbles when touched, both of which stop work in that area until dealt with.
Do you actually need a full rewire, or just a new board?
Many “my electrician says I need a rewire” enquiries in London are really a 1990s board with no RCD protection and a couple of damaged circuits. If the cable is PVC (grey or white sheath, post-1966) and tests clean, a fuse board replacement from £550 labour-only plus targeted repairs is often the right answer and takes half a day, not a fortnight. Rubber or lead-sheathed cable, round-pin sockets, cotton-covered flex and a wooden fuse board mean a full rewire. If you are unsure, an EICR from £140 gives you a coded list — our guide to C1, C2 and C3 codes explains what needs doing now versus later. A rewire is certified on an EIC; the difference is explained in EIC vs EICR.
How long does a flat rewire take in London?
A flat rewire in London takes 3–7 working days for one crew — faster than a house because there is no loft or first-floor run, slower per square metre because everything happens in one occupied space. A purpose-built 1–2 bed flat with an accessible board and plasterboard walls is 3–4 days; a 2–3 bed Victorian or Edwardian conversion flat is 5–7 days once you add lath-and-plaster chasing, a top-floor cable drop from the loft, and the shared-supply work that conversions in Hackney, Islington and Haringey almost always need. The three things that stretch a flat rewire are: a communal meter cupboard that needs the freeholder’s key and a separate isolation visit; solid concrete floors in 1960s–80s blocks, which force surface trunking or ceiling routes; and living in during the job, which adds roughly a day of making-good so you have a working kitchen and one clean room every night. Leaseholders should also budget a week of lead time for the freeholder’s consent letter — see who is responsible for what in a leasehold flat. Prices are on the rewire cost guide; all our figures are labour-only and NICEIC-certified with a Part P notification included.
| Flat type | Typical duration (one crew) |
|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bed purpose-built, plasterboard walls | 3 days |
| 2-bed purpose-built, concrete floors | 4–5 days |
| 2-bed Victorian conversion, ground floor | 5 days |
| 3-bed conversion, top floor (loft drops) | 6–7 days |
| Any of the above, occupied during works | +1 day |
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to rewire a 3-bed house in London?
Five to eight working days if it is empty or cleared, seven to ten if you are living in. Add a week for plastering to dry before decorating.
How long does it take to rewire a 2-bed flat?
Four to five days empty, up to a week occupied. A purpose-built flat with a floor void is at the quick end; a converted flat with solid floors is at the slow end.
Will I have no electricity during the rewire?
Not overnight. During the day the rooms being worked on are off; on consumer-unit day the whole property is off for 4–6 hours. Every evening we reinstate lighting and sockets.
How long does a flat rewire take?
3–7 working days in London: 3–4 for a purpose-built flat, 5–7 for a period conversion, plus a day if you’re living in it. Communal meter cupboards and concrete floors are the usual causes of delay.
How long does a partial rewire take?
One to four days. A kitchen rewire with new cooker and appliance circuits is typically two days; a lighting-only rewire of a whole house is two to three.
Does a rewire need Building Control?
Yes — it is notifiable work under Part P. As an NICEIC registered contractor we self-certify and notify your council for you; you receive the EIC and the Building Regulations compliance certificate in the post. No separate Building Control fee.
Can a rewire be done in a day?
No. Anyone offering a one-day full rewire is replacing the board and leaving the old cable in the walls. A genuine rewire replaces every cable, and the smallest flat takes three days with two electricians.
How much notice do you need?
Usually one to three weeks for a full rewire, longer in spring and early autumn when demand peaks. Same-week is often possible for partial rewires and board changes.
Fixed-price rewires with a written timeline across Haringey, Hackney, Islington, Camden, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Newham and Tower Hamlets — see our full price list, the Renters’ Rights Act guide if you are a landlord, and all areas we cover. Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453, or WhatsApp photos of your fuse board and a couple of sockets and we’ll tell you whether it’s a board job or a rewire.