Hi. Trying to let out my late elderly aunt’s 2 bed flat in North London. After inspection for EICR the electrician said it failed as a new fusebox was needed. Not surprising as existing one was very old. What did surprise me when I received the report was the number of C2 faults needing fixing and the very high quote given to do this work. I’m no electrician so need some help please understanding what these observations mean and what a reasonable price to get them fixed would be. Thanks.
Most people here arent electricians either
Get a proper itemised quote from your sparky of what they will do, showing what item is for what c2 fault listed. Ask what is essential to address the c2 and what recommended. Might recommend a whole rewire when only needed for the circuits mentioned etc
Find out if includes labour or parts /materials too. If you are upgrading or renewing anything else at same time (eg switches or bathroom fan) worth doing at same time. If there’s no window or fan in the bathroom you need one under current building regs and good idea anyway to prevent mould - tenants often dont venilate/open windows
Try the diynot site electrician forum
Source: DIYnot Electrics UK | DIYnot Forums
or post on Checkatrade the spec for the job (once supplied by sparky) and the report you shared.
Reads like it’s more than a straight swap and test as you have some circuits with no rcd protection at all, plus eg unsuitable light fittings in your bathroom which need replacing. The entire circuits might need replacing or simply plugging thrm into the new rcd may address what’s needed. Hard to tell
Some costs here
Consumer Unit Replacement Cost (UK) | Checkatrade https://share.google/9PuxoPBL0v1cQ8lAL
Consumer Unit Upgrade Cost: UK Prices, Factors, Timescales | Electrical Testing London Consumer Unit Upgrade Cost: UK Prices, Factors, Timescales | Electrical Testing London
Good luck
Sounds like a complete re wire What were you quoted?
The guy who did the tests just said it needed a new fusebox. When I asked how much it would be he said £500 - £1000 but he did say I should get 3 or 4 quotes. The company he worked for then sent me a quote of over £2700 with the above observations.
is it the red/ black cable?
One of the items is that metal boxes have no rubber grommets in them , so cannot be just the consumer unit needs replacing . Get more quotes. I speak as a landlord not an electrician
David / Colin thanks for replying. The quote does not itemise the works to be done, just lists the observations as in the report above and says “The C2 remedial quotation includes replacement of the existing consumer unit to restore suitable integrity, cable containment and safety compliance, Testing and certification are included upon completion.” I do want to get more quotes but need to know what I’m asking the quote to cover. Would it be sufficient to post the observations on Checkatrade as I have here?
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never been on check a trade I have an electrician who I always use. Posting seems a good idea tho some elecs may differ in opinion
Just because the company hasnt given you an itemized breakdown doesnt mean you cant ask them for one just write saying
'Your electrician verbally quoted a cost of £500-£1000 for a replacement RCD, As you are proposing costs more than treble that, please can you provide an itemised explanation of what exactly will be provided, against each item.
Please can you also answer the following questions [happy to speak by 'phone if easier]
Item 1 refers to meter tails with PVC stripped back and insulation exposed – what is the solution, re-wiring this short section? What is the cost?
Item 2 refers to a missing label, what is the cost of a new label?
Items 3 -5 refer to excessive opening at top of RCD, having a non-metal RCD, that cables don’t terminate correctly, presumably these will all be solved by installing a new RCD. What is the cost
Item 6 refers to cables installed ‘without means of support’ presumably the solution is support for the cables such as a cable tray or conduit. What is the proposed cost of these?
Item 7 refers to a grommet for a back box not being present to hold the cable entering the back box securely. What is the cost of a replacement grommet
Item 8 refers to a damaged back box for a socket. What is the cost of a replacement back box?
Item 9 refers to “sockets liable to be used by ordinary persons that …cannot be used to supply equipment outside”- what is the issue exactly? How many sockets are referred to and what would cost be to replace with suitable ones?
Item 10 refers to no RCD protection for a cooker circuit – will this not be solved by connecting the cooker circuit to the new RCD unit? Or is something else needed [a fused switch for the cooker circuit?] What is needed and what is the cost?
Item 11 – as item 10
Item 12 as item 7
Item 13 absence of SPD installations. SPDs are modules installed within RCD units. These are included in new metal RCDs as part of 18th Edition Wiring Regulations, so this should be covered by the installation of the new metal RCD
Item 14 – what is the cost of a new light fitting proposed and the cost of fitting it
Item 15 – what is the cost of adding the fuse/RCD protection for this circuit?
thank you in anticipation"
- Tbh they seem to have identified every possible fault with existing setup, but it looks to me like you need
some better insulation in cables going into the consumer unit and a label
a new metal RCD
some trunking to hold a cable in place
replacement of the back boxes of some sockets or just small rubber grommets to hold the cables entering the socket and protect the cable from the metal edges - but they maybe just quoted for entirely new back boxes/sockets
fitting of some protection/isolation sockets/fuses for the cooker and shower/light circuits
some replacement of other sockets [are there some on the outside which arent proper external sockets with protection and covers?]
a new light fitting in the bathroom that is ok in humid areas
- Outdoor/weatherproof sockets cost 120-250 (see New Plug Socket Installation Cost 2026 - MyBuilder
- Isolation switches inc installation can easily cost £200-300 each
- A new metal RCD could be 1000
so if you have a few sockets needing replacing, the 2700 figure may be a bit inflated but not that far from what’s needed, I’m afraid
Good luck
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David240 Mentions ‘RCD’ thoughout his reply - he means a Consumer unit, C/U AKA Fuseboard AKA DB - Distribution Board. 18th Edition regulations mean a non combustible casing as in metal since 2015. Incorporating both individual circuit RCD’s - Residual Current Devices/ RCBO’s and Surge protection. These trip when there is leakage of current to earth due to a fault or a path to earth via a human electrocution within 40milliseconds and trip supply over voltage surges respectively.
Fully agree with his assessment in general. A price of the work to replace a consumer unit,C/U , is dictated by A) The number of individual circuits that need to be accomodated in a new installation and thus the labour time that this generates B) Cost of materials C) Hourly rate.
OP have not said how many ‘ways’ the old C/U has or what size of board is proposed. Older installs often had circuits doubled up - eg. all lighting on one fuse, all sockets on another, Cooker fuse, Shower fuse, this is only 4 circuits , a very small C/U. But is there a need for future expansion? or splitting out of current circuits . A brand new metal cased ten way C/U costs £100 -£150 with the RCBO fuses at most from the local Electrical factors. Alternative quotes will probably require a photo of current C/U close up to give any meaningful answer.
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What age is this 2 bed flat ? If it has red/black cabling and rewireble fuses on an old grey metal fuseboard its well old -1970s. The report does not mention anything like this.
In itself, there is nothing wrong with a plastic C/U where there is no sign of mechanical or heat damage - its listed as a C3 - room for improvement. But there is mention of a hole in the top. which is a C2 - potentially dangerous if the right conditions exist.
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David - thanks for all that. It is very helpful. Ray - thanks for your help too. I’m up North at the mo so can’t take a pic until next week but my aunt had indeed lived there since the 1970’s and from memory the fuseboard is how you describe.
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I’ve had lot of experience with electricians and good ones are not cheap, and that’s in Scotland . I imagine they are 30-50% more in London . So that figure isn’t too bad , maybe 25 % high .
You need a certified electrician to do this work . Don’t go for someone cheaper that isn’t . They’ll have to supply an EIC for the work and then EICR for your rental compliance.
A good consumer unit isn’t just £100 it’s more like £250 + , including install it’s prob closer to £1000 by your list for CU and tails, and it seems to attract a premium fee for re-installing one (much like plumbers do for boilers) if you can get someone to either agree a price upfront or do hourly rate that will be best .
If it’s 60year old wiring then a re-wire might be best to do as well , which could take it up to £4k+ but a really good thing to do to future proof property and safety .
Let’s just say I know of people that have used the cheapest company quote , only to find out in 5 years when the `EICR needs redone that the previously company did not do the work right and signed off work that was not to code . Then they needed to pay the new sparky to redo the old work to be passable. And the old company no longer exists or has changed name.
I’d always go for someone that’s recommended by a friend who has had extensive work done , or used them for years . And I prefer small companies or family run business , check how long they have been operating , anything over 10 years and you should be in good hands.
And make sure you get detailed quotes, and they take time to nicely explain it all to you , if they can’t be bothered or don’t work that way, or bark / talk at you , then they’re not honest & professional in my eyes.
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Also the first time renting a property and bringing it up to code and spec , is the most expensive year (barring boiler replacements or dealing with floods ) don’t expect to make anything this year . And you’ll still get taxed on your rental income as flat prep costs like this and furniture , kitting it out are not allowed to be deducted from income . Though future electricians costs will be .
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I’d check this - if it’s replacement of old with modern equivalent rather than an upgrade or for a brand new place, it should be an allowable expense I ‘think’ - at least that’s what hmrc were saying in a seminar on landlord part of tax returns i went to recently…
"
Allowable expenses include the costs of maintenance and repairs to the property (but not ‘capital’ improvements).
A repair restores an asset to its original condition, sometimes by replacing parts of it.
Property repairs can include:
- replacing roof tiles blown off by a storm
- replacing a broken-down boiler
- redecoration between tenants to restore the property to its original condition
Replacing a part of the property with the nearest modern equivalent is still a repair if the improvement is incidental to the repair, such as replacing a single-glazed window with a double-glazed window"
So if you arent adding extra circuits just replacing existing ones with new wiring it is a repair I’d think
Best
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Hi David, yes during or in between tenancies you can claim all as allowable expense / repairs.
However I understood (maybe wrongly) that OP has inherited flat and is prepping it to rent for the first time by herself as landlord / owner . In which case pre rental preparation costs are not an allowable expense . Maybe if she was doing it through a LTD co. setup.
Maybe someone else can clarify this distinction ..
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Looking online I think it “depends” . Basically if a property was so bad before the repairs that it wasnt rentable it would be a capital improvement
"One of the most common questions relating to the issue of pre-letting expenses relates to costs incurred for the repair and maintenance of a property which will be coming onto the rental market. It may be possible to offset costs against income as a revenue expense subject to certain conditions being met:
The cost relates to replacing worn or dilapidated items;
The property was already in good enough condition to be rented out before repairs were conducted;
The property price was not significantly lower due to the repairs and maintenance needed prior to letting;
If the price was reduced, it was only based on the cost of rectifying ‘normal wear and tear’."
https://rjp.co.uk/can-you-claim-pre-letting-costs-and-repairs-to-a-property/
What You Cannot Claim (Capital Expenses)
You cannot claim tax relief for “capital” expenditure—these are costs that enhance, significantly upgrade, or alter the property’s footprint. [1, 2]
- Converting a room or building an extension
- Installing a completely new bathroom or kitchen where there was none
- Upgrading an outdated or dangerous electrical system [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Important Caveat (The “Dilapidation” Rule):
If you purchased a property in a severely run-down or derelict state at a heavily discounted price, costs to bring it into a rentable state for the first time are often deemed capital works and are not allowable expenses. [1, 2]
This includes tho
"
Grey areas for tax
£10,000 rewiring could be capital if a complete system replacement was needed, or revenue if the existing system could be improved"
So i think in this case the things to make it safe like a new consumer unit may not be allowable, but rewiring (which hasnt been specified as needed by the EICR and may be desirable rather than necessary) may be allowable…
Best
Tax allowable or not matters not yet. Get more estimates is the bottom line
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If never rented out before and needs work to get to a standard that it can legally be rented eg this new C/U then its a capital allowance. If OP can get small upgrade to property electrics to address all the C2 codes and get it to pass an EICR with the existing C/U ( its a C3 code and shows no damage, heat or mechanical. ) then rent it for a year he can then legitimately replace the c/U and claim it on revenue expenses.
Get more advice and quotes from qualified electricians that are recommended to you. OP may be suprised at the variety of opinions as to what is C3 and what is C2. I look at this report and see his EICR electrician is taking the biscuit with some codes. if C/U is a well known brand and RCBO’s are available then fit those to get rid of RCD lacking circuits. Cooker, lights , sockets but only if the cable issues of meter tails and back box grommets can be resolved easily. A plastic C/U is still compliant if in good condition, no damage, no IP holes.
The majority of those rectifications would be covered by replacing the consumer unit.
I’ve had a few done recently because the electrician does not like the old PVC units which, by the way, were compliant with the codes at the time of installation. However, they now seem to be able to insist upon it for a certification…??
I was charged £395 + VAT, which I think is high.
I recently fitted one myself, an 8-way unit with twin RCD circuits. It took me 4 hours, I’m not an electrician, and I had to strip all new cables and connect 2 meter tails. The unit cost less than £100 including extra MCB’s from Toolstation. It would cost you more to replace individual MCB’s with RCD’s.
An electrician should be able to replace an existing wired CU in a couple of hours, a light fitting and a back box in half an hour, call it 4 hours including collecting the unit from the suppliers, that’s £75+VAT/ hour labour, hence my comment it was high.
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