Short answer
Have the wiring assessed if the cables are fabric, lead or brittle rubber, lighting has no earth, accessories overheat, or an EICR recommends rewiring. A house built before a particular year is not automatically due a rewire.
On this page
Signs that justify an assessment
- Cable with fabric, lead or brittle rubber insulation, where you can see it in a loft, under floors or at a fitting.
- Lighting circuits with no earth connection, which limits the fittings you can safely use.
- Sockets or switches that are warm, discolored or cracked.
- A mixture of old and newer wiring with no record of what was altered.
- Circuits that trip or blow as soon as an ordinary load is added.
- An EICR that recommends a rewire or further investigation, with the reasons coded.
Electrical Safety First publishes practical home-safety guidance, including when to stop using damaged electrical equipment and when to use a registered electrician. HSE's electricity pages set out why electrical work is a serious risk when it is done without the right competence.
What is not proof
The year a house was built does not tell you the wiring is original. Homes are rewired, partially rewired and patched. A full rewire is disruptive and should follow from the condition of the cables, not from a rule of thumb about the decade. Ask the electrician what they have actually seen.
Partial or full
A damaged circuit can sometimes be replaced on its own. A full rewire is considered when enough of the installation is in poor condition that repairing it circuit by circuit is not sensible. That is a judgement after inspection. Get it in writing, with what is excluded, such as making good the decorations.
Safety while you decide
Stop using anything that is hot, smelling of burning or sparking. Call 999 if there is fire or smoke. Do not hide brittle cable behind new fittings and carry on.
Describe what you have found on the house rewiring page. If you have an EICR, say so. The electrician quotes the work. This site does not.
Sources
Questions
Does a 1930s house always need rewiring?
No. It needs rewiring if the installation that is there now is unsafe or unsuitable. Many older houses have already been rewired.
Can I rewire one room?
Sometimes. It depends whether that circuit can be separated safely from the rest. An electrician confirms that.
Need this done? Read the House rewiring guide, or start a request.
Electrical fault at home? Find the right electrician.
A consumer unit that keeps tripping. A socket that has stopped working. Lights flickering for no obvious reason.