Licensed electrical contractor
Wiring that behaves the same on the worst day of the year
Fault finding, consumer units, rewires, lighting and charge points across the North Quarter and the boroughs around it. Booked windows, diagnosis before parts, and written notes you can hand to the next trade.
01 — 04 · The call-out sequence
How a job actually runs
Most hesitation about booking an electrician is about what happens after the van arrives. This is the order we work in, on every job, from a dead socket to a full board change.
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01
Describe the fault
Tell us what trips, when it trips, and what was switched on at the time. That detail usually narrows a fault to one or two circuits before we set off.
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02
A booked window
You get a two-hour arrival window and a note of what we expect to do in it. If the work needs the supply off, we agree that beforehand.
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03
Diagnosis before parts
We test first and quote second. Nothing is replaced on a guess, and if a part has to be ordered you hear the reason and the wait on the day.
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04
Certificate and notes
Notifiable work is registered and you receive the certificate plus plain-language notes on anything we flagged but did not touch.
Service index
Six lanes of work
Pick the lane that matches your situation. Visit lengths are the usual case for an average domestic property, not a promise — access, board condition and cable routes move them.
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Lane 01
Fault finding & call-outs
Tripping RCDs, dead circuits, intermittent lighting and burning smells. We isolate the circuit, test it properly and make it safe before anything is rebuilt.
- Insulation resistance test
- Circuit isolation
- Temporary make-safe
Typical visit
2–4 hours -
Lane 02
Consumer unit upgrades
Replacing rewireable fuse boxes and older split-load boards with RCBO protection, so one fault takes out one circuit instead of the whole house.
- Pre-change circuit test
- RCBO per circuit
- Main bonding check
Typical visit
One day -
Lane 03
Rewires & part rewires
Full or room-by-room rewiring, phased so the property stays liveable. Old rubber and early PVC cable, undersized earths and buried junction boxes are the usual reasons.
- Phased circuit plan
- Chase & make good
- New circuit schedule
Typical visit
3–8 days -
Lane 04
Lighting design & installation
Layered lighting for kitchens, stairs and workrooms: switching plan first, fittings second. Dimming is specified against the driver, not guessed at the wall.
- Switching plan
- Driver-matched dimmers
- Outdoor & garden runs
Typical visit
1–2 days -
Lane 05
EV charge point installation
Load assessment first: we check what the incoming supply and main fuse can carry, then install with the earthing arrangement the site actually needs.
- Supply load assessment
- Dedicated circuit
- Earthing arrangement
Typical visit
Half day -
Lane 06
Landlord & pre-sale inspections
Condition reports for rented and selling properties, with coded observations explained in order of urgency rather than handed over as a list of codes.
- Condition report
- Coded observations
- Remedial priority list
Typical visit
3–5 hours
Inspection coverage
What we check, and why it matters
A condition report is not a formality. Here is what gets tested on an inspection visit and what a failure on each line usually means for the property.
| What we check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Earthing & main bonding | The path a fault current takes to clear safely. Missing bonding to gas and water is the single most common serious finding in older properties. |
| RCD / RCBO protection | Disconnection speed on an earth fault. Boards without it rely on a fuse that may not clear quickly enough for someone holding the appliance. |
| Circuit loading | Kitchens and home offices often sit on a ring designed decades before the appliances on it. Overloaded circuits run warm and age fast. |
| Cable condition & type | Rubber, lead and early PVC insulation becomes brittle. Once it cracks at the back of a fitting, a fault is a matter of time rather than chance. |
| Consumer unit condition | Enclosure material, labelling and whether the circuit schedule matches reality. An unlabelled board makes every later repair slower and riskier. |
| Accessories & sockets | Scorching, loose terminals and painted-over faceplates. Heat marks around a socket are always investigated, never simply replaced. |
| Outdoor & garden circuits | Buried cable depth, gland condition and the rating of outdoor enclosures. Garden runs added informally are a frequent source of nuisance tripping. |
Field notes
Five things a board tells you before it fails
None of these mean you need a full rewire. They do mean the installation is asking to be tested rather than ignored.
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It trips only when the shower runs
A fault that appears under load usually points at one circuit with degraded insulation or a heating element on its way out — not at the board itself.
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A faceplate is warm to the touch
Warmth at a socket or switch means resistance where there should be none, normally a loose terminal. It is a small fix now and a burnt back-box later.
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The board hums or buzzes
A steady buzz from an older board often comes from a loose busbar connection. It is worth investigating on the same visit as anything else.
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Lights dip when an appliance starts
Brief dimming as a motor kicks in can be normal; repeated, visible dipping across the property suggests a supply or connection issue worth measuring.
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There is no test button on the board
If nothing on the board has a test button, the installation has no residual current protection at all. That alone justifies an inspection.
Working method
Plan the switching, then buy the fittings
Most disappointing lighting is not a bad fitting; it is a good fitting on the wrong switch line. We mark up where light is needed for tasks, where it is needed for movement, and where it is only ever needed at night. The circuit follows that map.
The same order applies to charge points and boards: measure the supply, agree the layout, then specify hardware. It is slower on paper and considerably faster on site.
Questions we get weekly
Before you book
Do I actually need a full rewire?
Usually not. A rewire is justified by cable condition and earthing, not by the age of the house. If the circuits test well and only the board is outdated, a consumer unit upgrade with remedial work does the same job for a fraction of the disruption. We will say so when that is the case.
What certificate do I get at the end?
New circuits and board changes come with an Electrical Installation Certificate; alterations to an existing circuit get a Minor Works Certificate; an inspection produces a condition report. Each one is issued with the test results attached, not just a signature page.
Can you work around occupied rooms?
Yes — phased work is the normal way we handle occupied properties. We agree which circuits go dead on which day, keep at least one working socket circuit and the kitchen live wherever possible, and sheet up before chasing walls.
What happens if the fault needs a part you do not carry?
We make the circuit safe, tell you the part, the reason and the expected wait before we leave, and book the return visit then. You are not charged a second call-out for a return on the same fault.
Can a charge point go on an older supply?
Often, but it depends on the main fuse rating, the earthing arrangement and what else draws heavily in the property. We measure before quoting; if load management or a supply upgrade is needed, that is established at the survey rather than discovered on installation day.
How long is a consumer unit upgrade, and is the power off all day?
Plan for a full day. The supply is off for most of it, with power returned circuit by circuit as testing completes. If the pre-change tests find a circuit with a fault, we will not energise it — we explain the options before the board goes back on.
Enquiry
Request a booking window
Tell us what the installation is doing. The more specific the symptom, the more likely the right parts are on the van the first time.
- Reply: same working day for enquiries before 16:00
- Survey: free for rewires, boards and charge points
- Windows: two-hour arrival slots, morning or afternoon