Electrical rewiring in an apartment

When it is worth replacing the old wiring

An explanation on LV portāls says that in many homes the wiring was installed in the Soviet era, and that the cables there are 30–50 years old and worn. However, age alone cannot tell you the condition of your own wiring. An inspection of the electrical installation shows that: the Fire Safety Regulations currently in force provide for it once every 10 years, with the results recorded in an inspection report.

Replacement is usually planned together with other work, because the cables run in walls, ceilings and floors. If you paint the walls first and then open them for cables, part of the finishing has to be redone. For how to assess an old installation, read the article old electrical wiring in an apartment.

Some building series descriptions list worn-out wiring among the typical problems: nopo.lv writes this about 464 and 467 series buildings, and for the 119 series it mentions electrical risers. Check in your own apartment what has survived from the time the building was built.

What belongs to the apartment and what to the whole building

The Law on Residential Properties counts the utility networks up to the common-property risers as part of the apartment. The building's engineering systems, including the electrical riser in the stairwell, are the common property of the apartment owners, and the electricity supply of common property is provided as part of managing the building. The user is responsible for connecting their own equipment and for its technical condition in the apartment.

So replacing the apartment's installation usually covers the network from the apartment's entry point to the last socket. If your plan affects the stairwell distribution board or the riser, it affects common property, and the consent of the apartment owners' association is then needed. In such cases, contact the building manager first.

Requirements for a new installation

Since 01.07.2025, in new buildings and when the electrical installation of existing buildings is rebuilt, it must be fitted with residual current protection. Building code LBN 261-15 requires residual current protection for household general-purpose socket circuits up to 32 A and for lighting circuits, with a tripping current of no more than 30 mA.

The same building code states that the electrical installation is carried out under the supervision of a certified construction specialist, and that the test measurements (wire resistance, full loop impedance, earthing) are carried out by a certified electrical specialist. A construction specialist can be found in the BIS register of construction specialists.

The usual order of work

1. Plan Sockets, switches, light points and large appliances are marked on the apartment plan: hob, oven, washing machine, water heater. The number of points and circuits depends on this.
2. Disconnection and removal The apartment's installation is disconnected from the supply, and the old wires and boxes are disconnected and, where necessary, removed.
3. Chases and boxes In concrete or brick walls, chases are cut for the cables and places for the boxes; in plasterboard walls the cables are pulled into the frame.
4. Cables and consumer unit The new cables are pulled in by circuit and connected in the apartment's consumer unit with residual current protection.
5. Measurements An electrical specialist carries out the measurements on the installation and records the results, which you should keep together with the diagram.
6. Fittings after finishing Once the walls are plastered, skimmed and painted, the sockets, switches and light fittings are installed.

What to decide before the request

• How many sockets and where: in the kitchen by the worktop, by the bed, by the TV, at the workplace, in the bathroom.
• Which appliances need a separate circuit, for example an electric hob or oven.
• Whether you plan electric underfloor heating. When the installation is rebuilt, the residual current protection requirement may also apply to it; see underfloor heating installation.
• Whether you will live in the apartment during the renovation; write this in the request.
• Whether there is a previous inspection report or an installation diagram.

If you are replacing the installation together with the whole apartment, see also full renovation: there, the wiring is one of the first jobs after demolition.

How much electrical rewiring costs

Electrical rewiring in an apartment costs from €20/m² of apartment floor area. Sockets, switches and light points are charged separately: from €12 per point. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: a 2-room apartment of 50 m² with 30 points. Installation 50 × €20 = €1,000, points 30 × €12 = €360, a total of from €1,360 (labour).

The price is affected by the apartment's floor area and number of rooms, the number of points, the condition of the walls, floors and ceilings, and whether the replacement is part of a full renovation. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices: renovation prices.