Questions to Ask Electrician
Questions for the phone call and the walk-through before you hire an electrician for a repair, a rewire, or a new installation. They cover the diagnosis, licensing and insurance, what the price does and does not include, permits and inspection, disruption to the house, and how the work gets paid for.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What do you think is causing this, and how did you work that out?
Why ask it
You are checking whether there was a diagnosis or a guess. Someone who tested something, or who explains what they ruled out, is worth more than someone who names a part in the first thirty seconds and reaches for a quote.
What needs doing now, and what could safely wait?
Why ask it
A good electrician will separate the two without being pushed, and will say plainly if nothing can wait. A quote that arrives as one undivided number, with everything urgent, deserves a second opinion.
Is this a repair, or is the wiring behind it going to need replacing before long?
Why ask it
This matters most in older properties, where a cheap fix can be money spent twice. Ask what they saw that makes them say either way, such as the type of cable, the age of the panel, or heat damage.
Are you licensed to do this work here, and what is your license number?
Why ask it
Requirements differ by state and city, and a number you can check with the licensing board is worth more than a card in a van window. Irritation at being asked is itself an answer.
Are you insured, and does that cover damage to my property as well as injury to you?
Why ask it
Liability cover and workers compensation are different things, and an electrical fire is the scenario the question exists for. Ask for the certificate, and check the dates rather than only that one exists.
How many jobs like this one have you done in the past year?
Why ask it
General experience matters less than recent, comparable work, particularly for panel replacements, older wiring, or car charger installations. A vague answer to a specific question usually means the job would be a first.
Can you give me two addresses or customers where you did similar work?
Why ask it
Asking for comparable jobs rather than references in general makes the answer harder to pad. Actually calling one is worth the awkwardness: ask whether the final price matched the quote and whether the site was left clean.
Is this a fixed price or an estimate, and what would make it change?
Why ask it
The distinction decides who carries the risk. If it is an estimate, get the hourly rate, the expected hours, and the specific discoveries that would add cost, in writing, before anyone starts.
Does the price include materials, permits, and repairing the walls afterwards?
Why ask it
These three are the usual sources of a bill higher than the quote. Plastering and decorating in particular are often outside an electrician's scope, so find out now who is arranging that.
Is there a call-out charge or a minimum, and is the first hour priced differently?
Why ask it
For small jobs this can be most of the bill, and it also determines whether it is worth saving up several small tasks for one visit. Ask whether travel time and collecting parts are charged.
Does this work need a permit and an inspection, and who arranges them?
Why ask it
Unpermitted electrical work can surface later during a sale or an insurance claim. An electrician who suggests skipping the permit to save you money is offering to transfer their risk onto your house.
Will anything need bringing up to current code as part of this job?
Why ask it
Touching old work often triggers requirements around bonding, grounding, or protective devices. Better to hear about that in the quote than as a change order on the second day.
Will the power be off, which circuits, and for how long?
Why ask it
This is the answer you plan the day around: freezers, medical equipment, working from home, a router that needs to be up for a call. Anyone who cannot estimate it has not thought through the sequence of work.
How much of the walls, ceilings, or floors will you need to open, and who puts them back?
Why ask it
Chasing cable is where the mess lives, and expectations differ sharply on what putting it back means. Ask whether they patch, and to what standard, or whether you are hiring a plasterer next.
Will you be doing the work yourself, or an apprentice or subcontractor?
Why ask it
Apprentice labour is normal and often fine, but you want to know who is supervising and how often they are actually on site. It also tells you who to speak to when a decision is needed at ten in the morning.
What are you expecting to find once you open it up, and what would that change?
Why ask it
Experienced electricians will name likely surprises: aluminium wiring, no ground, a junction buried in a wall, undersized cable. Naming them in advance is the difference between a change order and an argument.
What guarantee comes with the work, and is it written down?
Why ask it
Ask what is covered, for how long, and whether it covers labour as well as parts, since manufacturer cover on a device is not the same as cover on the installation. A verbal promise on a job that fails in two years is worth very little.
What happens if the inspector fails the work?
Why ask it
The answer should be that they return and fix it at no cost. Hesitation here tells you either that inspections are unfamiliar territory or that the price assumes everything passes first time.
What do you need from me on the day?
Why ask it
Parking, access to the panel, clearing a loft hatch, keeping pets and children away, and somebody being home all affect whether the job runs to time. Waiting time is usually billable, so this question can save money.
What are the payment terms, and how much do you want up front?
Why ask it
A deposit for materials on a large job is normal; asking for the full amount before starting is not. Agree on what completion means, and pay the final portion after the inspection rather than before it.
Hiring an electrician
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you let anyone in
- 1Check the license number with your state or city licensing board rather than trusting a card or a website badge.
- 2Ask for the insurance certificate and look at the expiry date and the coverage type, not just the logo.
- 3Get three quotes for anything larger than a couple of hours of work, and make sure they are quoting the same scope.
- 4Read the reviews that mention price changes and cleanliness, not the star average.
- 5For anything involving the panel, the meter, or a rewire, ask whether they have done that exact job in your type and age of property.
Comparing quotes properly
- Line up the quotes by scope. The cheapest one is often cheapest because it leaves out the permit, the patching, or a device the others included.
- Check whether each price is fixed or an estimate, and note the hourly rate on the estimates.
- Look for who handles disposal of old fittings and whether the panel schedule will be labelled at the end.
- Ask each of them the same question about likely surprises. The answers tell you who has actually looked.
Reasons to stop
- Unwilling to show a license or insurance, or offering a reason why neither applies to this job.
- Suggests skipping the permit, or offers a discount for cash with no paperwork.
- Wants full payment before starting, or asks for cash to buy materials on the way.
- Quotes without looking at the panel or the affected circuits.
- Pressure to decide today, or a price that only holds until they leave the driveway.
- Cannot explain what is wrong in language you follow, and does not try when asked.
What the paperwork should say
- Scope of work, itemised, including materials and specific devices by make and model where it matters.
- Total price, what is fixed and what is estimated, and the process for approving extra work before it is done.
- Payment schedule, with the final payment tied to inspection sign-off rather than to the van leaving.
- Permit and inspection responsibilities, named.
- Guarantee terms, length, and what would void them.
- Who is doing the work, and what happens to the schedule if they are pulled onto another job.
On the day
- Be present at the start, walk the job with them, and agree what gets touched and what does not.
- Ask to be shown anything they find that changes the price, before it is covered up again.
- Photograph open walls and the panel before it is closed. This is the record you will want in five years.
- At the end, ask them to walk you through what was done, show you the labelled panel, and test the work in front of you.
- Keep the invoice, the permit, and the inspection paperwork together. A buyer's surveyor will ask for it eventually.