Property services
Electricians in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Rewiring, consumer units, testing, EICRs and fault finding.
Electrical work covers testing and inspection, consumer unit replacement, additional circuits, rewiring and fault finding. In Scotland the practical benchmark is registration with SELECT or NICEIC, whose members self-certify work under the building standards system.
The document most owners meet is the Electrical Installation Condition Report — an EICR. It grades faults C1 (danger present), C2 (potentially dangerous) and C3 (improvement recommended). A C1 or C2 makes the report unsatisfactory and needs remedial work.
When Edinburgh owners call electricians
- You are letting a property — private landlords in Scotland need an EICR at least every five years.
- A buyer's surveyor has asked for evidence the installation is safe.
- The consumer unit has rewireable fuses or no RCD protection.
- Sockets are scarce, or you are adding a kitchen, shower or EV charger.
Local context: Edinburgh and the Lothians
Wiring in Edinburgh's tenements is often a patchwork: a 1980s rewire extended twice since, mixed cable types, no earth to lighting circuits, and a consumer unit in the hall cupboard with rewireable fuses. None of that is automatically dangerous, but it will feature in a Home Report and in a buyer's negotiation.
Solid stone walls and lath-and-plaster mean chasing cable is destructive. A good electrician plans routes through floor voids and existing risers, and prices the plasterwork honestly rather than leaving you with twenty channels to fill.
What this work typically costs
Published ranges are market context gathered from local jobs, not a quotation. We do not price work, arrange it or take a cut of it — always get your own written quotes.
| Job | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| EICR, two-bedroom flat | £150-£300 | Priced by circuit count; more if boards are inaccessible. |
| Consumer unit replacement | £550-£1,000 | Includes testing and certification; remedials found during testing are extra. |
| Additional double socket | £90-£180 | Cheaper when several are done in one visit. |
| Full rewire, two-bedroom flat | £4,500-£8,500 | Excludes plastering and decoration unless stated. |
| EV charger installation | £800-£1,400 | Off-street parking required; supply capacity check may be needed. |
Tenements and common repairs
Stair lighting, entry systems and any supply serving the close are common, billed through the factor or shared by the owners. If your own installation is fine but the close is dark, that is a scheme matter and not a job you should pay for alone.
Where a rewire crosses a party floor, the ceiling below belongs to the flat downstairs. Agree access and making-good in writing before work starts; retrofitting goodwill afterwards is expensive.
What to check before you instruct
- SELECT or NICEIC registration
- Insurance
- Certification issued on completion
- SELECT or NICEIC registration
- Both bodies publish a searchable member list. Check the business, not just the logo, and confirm the registration covers the address you are hiring.
- Certification on completion
- You should receive an Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate. Keep it — a buyer's solicitor will ask.
- Insurance
- Public liability plus professional indemnity if they are designing the installation.
- Written schedule of remedials
- After an EICR, ask for the remedial work priced item by item so you can address C1 and C2 first.
We publish factual detail supplied by each business. We do not rate, rank, endorse or guarantee anyone listed, and no business pays for placement. Checking registration, insurance and references is always your decision.
Questions to ask before you instruct
- Are you SELECT or NICEIC registered and can I see the certificate?
- Will I get a certificate I can hand to a buyer's solicitor?
- Does your price include making good plaster and decoration?
- How many circuits will you test and is the report price fixed?
- Will the supply need upgrading for what I am adding?
- Do you notify the work under building standards where required?
Businesses listed
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Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.
Read our guide on electricians
Electricians: common questions
- What is an EICR and when does an Edinburgh homeowner need one?
- An Electrical Installation Condition Report inspects and tests a fixed installation and grades faults C1 to C3. Owner-occupiers are not legally required to hold one; landlords in Scotland must have one at least every five years.
- Does rewiring a flat need building standards approval in Scotland?
- Electrical work in a dwelling must comply with the Building Standards technical handbooks. Full rewires are typically certified by a SELECT or NICEIC registered firm, and that certificate is what a buyer's solicitor asks to see.
- What certificate should I get when electrical work finishes?
- An Electrical Installation Certificate for new circuits, or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller alterations, issued in the name of the registered firm — not a receipt.