Last Updated on June 28, 2026
There is a simple question every UK homeowner asks before they pick up the phone: what should this cost? It turns out the answer depends entirely on who you ask. So we compiled the 2026 figures for the three trades people search for most, electricians, plumbers and roofers, and put them in one place, job by job.
The short version
- By the hour: an electrician runs roughly £45 to £65, a plumber £45 to £75, a roofer £30 to £45, before London adds its premium.
- The big jobs: a full rewire is £3,900 to £10,000, a boiler swap £1,800 to £3,500, a new roof £4,000 to £13,000.
- London and the South East add 15 to 30 per cent on most jobs.
- The “average” rate is not really a number. One aggregator put the average electrician at £33 an hour in Nottingham; Checkatrade’s guide says £45 to £65. Same trade, same year.
What an electrician costs in 2026
| Job | Typical UK cost, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £45 to £65 |
| Day rate (domestic) | £250 to £350 |
| Call-out fee | £60 to £120 |
| Replace a socket | £55 to £75 |
| EICR safety report | from £250 |
| New consumer unit (fuse box) | £780 to £1,000 |
| 7kW home EV charger, fitted | £800 to £1,200 |
| Full house rewire | £3,900 to £10,000 |
Typical UK ranges for 2026. London and emergency or out-of-hours work can run higher, up to around £100 an hour for call-outs.
What a plumber costs in 2026
| Job | Typical UK cost, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £45 to £75 |
| Day rate | £250 to £500 |
| Call-out fee | £60 to £120 |
| Emergency call-out | £100 to £120 |
| Replace a tap or fix a leak | £80 to £200 |
| New radiator, fitted | £150 to £300 |
| Boiler replacement | £1,800 to £3,500 |
| New bathroom, fitting | £3,000 to £6,000 |
Typical UK ranges for 2026. Call-out fees often include the first hour; emergency and weekend work costs more.
What a roofer costs in 2026
| Job | Typical UK cost, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £30 to £45 |
| Day rate | £150 to £350 |
| Replace 1 to 5 slipped or broken tiles | £150 to £400 |
| Lead flashing around a chimney | £200 to £600 |
| Patch a flat roof | £200 to £800 |
| Replace a flat roof (GRP) | £3,000 to £6,000 |
| Repair or replace guttering | £400 to £700 |
| New roof (semi or detached) | £4,000 to £13,000 |
| Scaffolding (two storey, if needed) | £500 to £1,200 |
Typical UK ranges for 2026. Roofing prices swing widely with access, materials and scaffolding. Day rates are lowest in the North and highest in London.
Why the numbers never quite agree
If you read three cost guides you will get three different answers, and that is not a mistake. It is worth understanding why, because it tells you how to read any quote.
The source decides the number. Aggregators of independent sole traders tend to show lower hourly rates than directories of vetted, insured firms. When we ran our nine-city search study, the local-rate site HaMuch put the average electrician at £33 to £37 an hour across Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol, and £52 in London, all below Checkatrade’s headline £45 to £65. Neither is wrong. They are measuring different businesses.
Region changes everything. A London tradesperson can charge close to double a counterpart in the North or Scotland for the same work.
What is included is the real variable. A quote may or may not cover materials, VAT, scaffolding, parking, waste removal, a call-out fee, or an out-of-hours premium. Two identical-looking prices can mean very different things.
How to use these figures
Treat the ranges above as a sense check, not a quote. If a price comes in far below the range, ask what has been left out. If it comes in far above, ask why. Then do the one thing that protects you on any job: get it in writing, confirm the business is registered with the relevant body, and make sure the quote spells out materials, VAT and any call-out or scaffolding costs.
