Options short of a full rewire, and when there's no way round one

The real alternative to rewiring a house is finding out which parts need the work. An EICR shows the condition of the wiring. Sound cable may only need RCD protection or a new consumer unit, failing circuits can get a partial rewire, and worn-out cable has no substitute.

Start with an EICR, not a rewire quote

Electrical Safety First says there are no set guidelines on when a house should be rewired. Old wiring isn't automatically unsafe, and if it's tested and found in good condition there's no requirement to rewire. NICEIC adds that an EICR may point to specific circuits rather than the whole house.

So the first spend is the inspection. Our guide price for an EICR is from £120 for a one-bed flat, from £150 for a two-bed and from £200 for a three-bed house, all including VAT. Our electricians in East London carry out EICRs and full and partial rewires from our Walthamstow base, and our guide to what an EICR's codes mean explains the report you'll get.

If you've been told the house needs rewiring and want a second look at the evidence, book an electrician in London to inspect it first.

Four options side by side

Each option fixes something different. The first three leave the existing cable in place, and only a rewire, surface or chased, replaces cable that's breaking down. That's why the inspection comes first.

The notification column follows regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010: a new circuit and a consumer unit replacement are notifiable. NICEIC confirms that rewires are notifiable under Part P, and a registered electrician self-certifies them.

Is a plug-in RCD enough for now?

It's a stopgap, and a sensible one. Electrical Safety First says older consumer units may have no RCD, which doesn't automatically make them unsafe. Where there's no RCD, or it isn't working, its advice is to use plug-in RCDs for all the sockets in your home.

A plug-in RCD only protects what's plugged into it. The lighting and the fixed appliances stay unprotected, and the cable behind the plaster is no better than it was.

A new consumer unit on wiring that tests sound

Where the cable is in good order and the board is the weak point, a replacement consumer unit brings the protection up to date. Current BS 7671 asks for a 30 mA RCD on sockets rated up to 32 A, bar a narrow risk-assessed exception, and on all lighting in a home, with the board non-combustible or inside a non-combustible cabinet.

Our guide price for a consumer unit replacement is from £400, typically £400 to £700. Our consumer unit replacement cost guide covers what the job includes and how it goes with older wiring. If a car charger is what sent you to the board, check whether a charger needs a new board at all.

Which circuits does a partial rewire replace?

Only the ones that need it. NICEIC describes a partial rewire as one that replaces specific circuits, and says it generally costs less than a full one. Our guide price for a partial rewire is from £2,000. A full rewire has no guide price, because it depends on the house, so we quote it after a survey.

Worked example: a two-bed house, three outcomes

Here's how the guide prices fall for the same two-bed house, depending on what the inspection finds.

1. The EICR, from £150. Every route starts here.
2. If the cable is sound and the board is old, a new consumer unit, from £400.
3. If the kitchen and upstairs sockets fail, a partial rewire of those circuits, from £2,000.
4. If the cable is worn out in every room, a full rewire, quoted once we've surveyed the house.

Any lighting circuit that's rewired needs 30 mA RCD protection, as all new lighting in a home does. Each line is a "from" figure, and the visit sets the real price.

Surface wiring: a full rewire without chasing walls

Surface wiring is still a full rewire, but the cable runs along walls and ceilings in trunking instead of being buried in the plaster. Mid Suffolk District Council rewires its homes this way only, because flush work can take longer and needs redecorating afterwards.

The trade-off is looks: the trunking stays visible. If you're redecorating anyway, chased cable may suit you better, and our guide to how disruptive rewiring a house is walks through what each stage does to a lived-in home.

How old is too old for house wiring?

The authorities don't give one answer. Electrical Safety First's own FAQ says condition matters, not age. Its home buyers' advice says electrics more than 50 years old should be checked and updated. NICEIC, citing the same charity, gives 30 years with the original wiring as a rule of thumb.

Read together, age tells you when to book an inspection, and the report tells you what to do. Electrical Safety First suggests an inspection at least every 10 years for a home you own.

Signs to book an inspection now

• Burn marks on plugs or sockets, or sockets and switches gone brown
• Buzzing or crackling from switches, fittings or sockets
• Fuses blowing or breakers tripping again and again
• A burning smell you can't trace

These come from Electrical Safety First and NICEIC. Any one of them is a reason to call 07727 619854 rather than wait for the next inspection date.

When there's no alternative to a full rewire

If the report finds the cable insulation breaking down across the house, nothing on this page fixes it. NICEIC warns that deteriorating insulation around cables raises the risk of shock or fire, and a new board or plug-in RCD leaves that cable in place. Planning the rewire alongside other building work can be less disruptive, NICEIC adds.