In short: HMO electrical works keep the wiring in a shared house safe and certificated. Private landlords must have the installation inspected and tested at least every five years, and any urgent or potentially dangerous items on the report (EICR) must be fixed within the deadline. We carry out the remedials, upgrades and full rewires.
What do rewires and EICR remedials include?
- EICR remedial works with confirmation
- Consumer unit replacement
- Full or partial rewires
- Extra sockets and USB points in rooms
- Mains-powered alarm circuits
- Bathroom and kitchen circuits
- Emergency lighting circuits
- Electrical installation certificates
When do landlords need it?
- An EICR with C1, C2 or FI items
- Old wiring or an old fuse board
- Converting or adding rooms
What rules apply in each UK nation?
The law differs between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and councils publish their own HMO standards on top. These are the points that usually matter for this work.
England
- Electrical installations must be inspected and tested at least every 5 years; remedial work is due within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so.
- Mandatory HMO licence for 5 or more people in 2 or more households (since October 2018); councils can add additional licensing for smaller HMOs.
- BS 7671, the wiring standard, calls for arc fault detection devices in HMOs on new socket circuits, such as rewires and consumer unit changes.
- Licences last up to 5 years and carry conditions on gas and electrical safety, alarms, room sizes and waste.
Wales
- An electrical inspection and test at least every 5 years, with the report given to the contract-holder within 14 days.
- Mandatory licence for HMOs with 3 or more storeys and 5 or more people in 2 or more households; Wales did not adopt England’s 2018 change.
- Councils such as Cardiff and Swansea run additional licensing for HMOs outside the mandatory scheme.
- Landlords must register with Rent Smart Wales, and those who manage their own lets need a Rent Smart Wales licence.
Scotland
- An EICR before the first let and at least every 5 years, with C1 and C2 items fixed, PAT testing of supplied appliances and RCD protection.
- Every HMO needs a council licence: 3 or more people who are not all from one or two families, sharing basic amenities. Licences last up to 3 years.
- Landlords must also be on the Scottish landlord register, renewed every 3 years.
Northern Ireland
- HMO licence conditions require a satisfactory EICR at least every 5 years.
- A licence is needed where 3 or more people forming more than two households live as their main home and pay rent; the NI HMO Unit at Belfast City Council licenses for every council.
- Licences usually last 5 years, and landlords must also register with the NI landlord registration scheme.
All HMO rules for Northern Ireland
How much do rewires and EICR remedials cost?
| Item | UK typical | Per |
|---|---|---|
| EICR, 5+ bedroom house | £150 – £400 | inspection |
| Consumer unit upgrade with RCBOs and AFDDs | £700 – £1,400 | house |
| Full rewire, 4–5 bedroom house | £6,000 – £12,000 | house |
Typical time on site: 1–7 working days. Your fixed price follows a site visit; use the guide-price tool for a figure for your house.
How the job runs
- Free site visit and measured survey.
- Itemised written quote and programme.
- Works with one point of contact and photo updates.
- Handover with certificates, drawings and photos.
Questions about rewires and EICR remedials
How often does an HMO need an EICR?
At least every five years in England, Wales and Scotland, and HMO licence conditions in Northern Ireland ask for the same. Your licence may set extra conditions. Our HMO rules pages for each nation give the details.
How long do I have to fix EICR items?
In England, remedial or further investigation work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and you must confirm completion to the tenants and the council.
Is a full rewire disruptive?
Yes. It means lifting floorboards and chasing walls, so it is best done in an empty house or room by room during voids.
Do you issue certificates?
Yes: installation or minor works certificates and written confirmation of remedials, issued by the qualified electrician who did the work.
Related services
- Fire alarm and detection systems
- Licence condition and schedule-of-works
- Full HMO refurbishment
- House to HMO conversion
- Bedroom upgrades and room refits
- Escape routes, emergency lighting and fire stopping
Where we work
Choose a nation and area for local rules, postcodes and regional prices.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- County Durham
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
Scotland
- Aberdeen City
- Aberdeenshire
- Angus
- Argyll and Bute
- City of Edinburgh
- Clackmannanshire
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Dundee City
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Lothian
- East Renfrewshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Glasgow City
- Highland
- Inverclyde
- Midlothian
- Moray
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Orkney Islands
- Perth and Kinross
- Renfrewshire
- Scottish Borders
- Shetland Islands
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- Stirling
- West Dunbartonshire
- West Lothian