Summary
Door entry intercom work sits in a pricing grey zone for a lot of electricians and security installers — it isn't quite low-voltage data cabling, isn't quite mains electrical, and isn't quite access control, but it borrows pricing logic from all three. Get the scope wrong at quoting stage and you either underprice a job that needs a lot of first-fix cabling, or overprice a straightforward single-dwelling swap and lose the job to a competitor.
The single biggest driver of price is not the intercom hardware itself — it's the number of doors, the number of internal handsets/monitors, whether the cabling already exists (replacement) or needs running (new install), and whether the lock hardware needs to change. A tradesperson pricing this work needs to separate labour, materials, and third-party costs (lock hardware, cabling, notification) clearly so the customer sees where the money goes and so nothing gets missed on site.
This guide covers realistic UK pricing for the full range of door entry work — single dwelling to small block — the cost breakdown by line item, and the regional variation between London/South East and the rest of the UK. It assumes the reader already understands intercom system types (audio/video, analogue/IP); see door entry systems installation for the technical detail on wiring types and lock selection.
Key Facts
- Single dwelling audio intercom (like-for-like swap) — £350–£550 supply and fit, 2–4 hours labour
- Single dwelling video intercom (like-for-like swap) — £550–£900 supply and fit, half day labour
- New-build/rewire single dwelling (first-fix cabling required) — add £150–£350 for cable runs, containment, and making good
- Small residential block (4–8 flats, analogue BUS, existing riser cable) — £2,500–£4,500
- Small residential block (4–8 flats, full rewire or IP) — £4,500–£8,000
- Larger block (9–20 flats) — £8,000–£18,000 depending on system type and access control integration
- Commercial/multi-tenant IP video with access control — £6,000–£25,000+, priced per door and per credential reader
- Electrician day rate for this work — £180–£280 UK average; £250–£400 London/SE
- Specialist security installer day rate — £220–£350 UK average; £300–£500 London/SE
- Electric strike or maglock hardware — £40–£180 per door depending on type and fail-safe rating
- Part P notification — required for new circuits; self-certify via a Competent Person Scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA) or notify Building Control directly, £150–£300 LABC fee if not self-certifying
- PoE IP systems — reduce cabling cost vs 4-wire analogue on new installs (single Cat6 run vs dedicated audio/video pairs) but hardware costs more
- Riser cable replacement in blocks — the most expensive single line item if the existing BUS cable has failed; £15–£30 per metre including containment and access
- VAT — standard rate 20% applies to all domestic and commercial security installation work; no reduced-rate exemption
- Fire door interface — fail-safe locking mandatory on designated fire exits (RR(FS)O 2005); adds a break-glass unit (£25–£60) and, on integrated systems, a fire alarm interface relay (£40–£120)
- GDPR privacy signage — required where a video intercom captures identifiable images of visitors in a communal area; £0–£30 (signage), factor in as a line item on quotes for blocks
- Warranty/callback allowance — build in 12 months parts warranty as standard; budget 5–8% of job value for callback risk on multi-flat systems
Quick Reference Table — Cost Breakdown by Job Type
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Try squote free →| Job Type | Labour | Materials/Hardware | Sundries (cable, containment, making good) | Typical Total (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio intercom, like-for-like swap (house) | £120–£200 | £150–£280 | £20–£50 | £350–£550 |
| Video intercom, like-for-like swap (house) | £150–£250 | £280–£550 | £30–£70 | £550–£900 |
| Video intercom, new circuit (house, first fix needed) | £250–£400 | £280–£550 | £120–£300 | £700–£1,250 |
| Analogue BUS, small block (4–8 flats, existing riser) | £800–£1,400 | £1,200–£2,200 | £300–£700 | £2,500–£4,500 |
| Analogue/IP, small block (4–8 flats, new riser cable) | £1,400–£2,400 | £1,500–£2,800 | £1,200–£2,500 | £4,500–£8,000 |
| IP video, medium block (9–20 flats) | £2,500–£5,000 | £3,500–£8,000 | £1,500–£4,500 | £8,000–£18,000 |
| Commercial IP + access control (per door, multi-door site) | £300–£600/door | £400–£900/door | £150–£400/door | £1,000–£2,200/door |
Detailed Guidance
Pricing a single-dwelling swap
The most common job on the books for most electricians: an existing analogue intercom has failed or the customer wants an upgrade to video. If the existing cabling is intact and compatible with the new unit's wiring requirements, this is a straightforward job:
- Survey — confirm existing cable type (2-wire, 4-wire, or none) and condition; test continuity if the system has been dead for a while
- Remove old equipment — outdoor station, indoor handset, any dated wiring accessories
- Fit new outdoor station — mechanical fixing, weatherproofing at the wall penetration, IP rating check (IP54 minimum for exposed locations, IP65/66 preferred)
- Fit new indoor handset/monitor — surface or flush mount depending on existing back box
- Terminate and test — including the lock release circuit
- Client handover — programming (video systems often need app pairing; audio systems are usually plug-and-play)
Price this at 2–4 hours labour plus hardware. Don't undercut the labour just because the job looks quick on paper — accessing existing conduit runs, dealing with a perished cable, or a mismatch between old and new wiring standards (2-wire vs 4-wire) regularly turns a 2-hour job into a half-day. Quote a fixed price based on survey, not a guess from a phone call.
Pricing a new installation (no existing cabling)
Where cabling has to be run from scratch — new build, extension, or a property that never had an intercom — the pricing structure changes because first-fix labour and containment materials dominate:
- Cable route survey and agreed path (internal conduit, external SWA or twin-and-earth in conduit for a detached run to a gate, or surface trunking for a retrofit)
- First-fix cable pull — typically 1–3 hours depending on route length and access (stud wall, solid wall, loft void, underfloor)
- Containment — surface trunking (£3–£8/m), conduit (£4–£12/m), or chase-in for a flush finish (add £15–£30/m labour for chasing and making good)
- Second fix — terminate outdoor station, handset, and lock release
- Making good — plastering, redecoration allowance if chasing into finished walls
For a gate entry system with the outdoor station some distance from the house (common on driveways), budget for an external cable run — SWA armoured cable in a duct at 450mm minimum burial depth if underground, priced at £15–£35 per linear metre supply and fit depending on ground conditions. See outbuildings regs for SWA burial depth reference if the run crosses garden ground.
Pricing a small residential block
Blocks of flats introduce two extra cost drivers: the number of internal handsets (one per flat, priced individually) and the condition of the shared riser cable.
If the existing riser cable is sound: you're replacing the door entry panel, the door release hardware, and swapping/upgrading individual flat handsets. This is priced per-flat for the handset element (£60–£150 supply and fit per handset) plus a fixed cost for the panel, controller, and door hardware (£800–£1,800).
If the riser cable needs replacing: this is the expensive scenario. Running new cable up a communal stairwell, through fire-rated compartment walls (requiring fire-stopping at every penetration — factor in intumescent sleeves or mastic, £8–£25 per penetration), and to each flat entrance adds significant labour and disruption cost. This can double the job price versus a panel-only refresh.
Always survey the riser cable condition before quoting a fixed price on a block job — a phone-based estimate on a block system is high risk. If you can't get access to test the riser, quote a provisional sum with a clear caveat and a site visit before committing to a fixed price.
Regional variation — London/SE vs rest of UK
Door entry work follows the same regional cost pattern as most trade services:
- London and the South East — labour rates run 30–50% higher than the UK average; a job priced at £550 outside London commonly reaches £750–£850 within the M25. Access constraints (parking, congestion charge, controlled parking zones) and higher material delivery costs also push totals up.
- Rest of UK (Midlands, North, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) — day rates and material markup sit closer to the lower end of the ranges quoted above. Rural or island locations can see materials cost more due to delivery, offsetting some of the lower labour rate.
- Commercial/block work — regional variation is less pronounced as a percentage because materials (which don't vary regionally) make up a larger share of the total on bigger jobs.
When quoting, always confirm your local day rate against current job costs rather than relying purely on published averages — labour markets shift, and London/SE rates in particular can move faster than national averages suggest.
What to include vs what to quote separately
Standard inclusions in a fixed-price intercom quote:
- Removal and disposal of old equipment
- Supply and installation of new hardware
- Testing and commissioning
- Client handover/instruction
- 12 months parts and labour warranty
Items to quote separately (as provisional sums or day-rate extras):
- Making good to a high decorative standard (skim finish, painting) — many installers exclude full redecoration and quote "make good to a workable standard"
- Access equipment beyond a standard step ladder (scaffold tower, cherry picker for high-level gate posts)
- Structural work (e.g. through a cavity wall for a gate post feed)
- Fire-stopping certification on communal block work — this may need a specialist if extensive
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I price per flat or as a fixed job total for a block system?
Both, structured together. Quote a fixed cost for the shared infrastructure (entrance panel, controller, door hardware, any riser cable work) and a per-flat unit cost for handsets. This lets the managing agent or freeholder understand the cost if the flat count changes during the tender process, and makes it easy to price a partial upgrade (e.g. panel now, handsets phased over time).
Do I need to be F-Gas or REFCOM registered for this work?
No — door entry intercom work is low-voltage electrical/data installation, not refrigerant work. What you do need is a Part P route to notification (Competent Person Scheme membership, or Building Control notification) for any new circuit, and if you're integrating fire alarm interfaces or working near fire compartmentation, a working understanding of RR(FS)O 2005 requirements. Compare with air conditioning installation pricing guide which does require F-Gas certification — a common point of confusion for tradespeople doing both types of work.
How much should I charge for the fire-safe lock release requirement?
Don't quote it as a separate arbitrary line — price the correct lock hardware from the outset. A fail-safe electric strike or maglock typically costs £40–£180 more than a basic fail-secure unit, plus £25–£60 for a break-glass override unit on the secure side of any door serving as a fire exit. If the system needs to interface with an existing fire alarm panel via a dry contact relay, budget £40–£120 for the interface hardware and an additional hour of commissioning time to test the interface with the fire alarm engineer or under a documented cause-and-effect test.
Is video intercom always worth the upsell over audio-only?
Not automatically — it depends on the customer's actual need. Video adds real value where visual identification matters (deliveries, care/vulnerable occupants, higher footfall) and where GDPR-compliant recording/signage is manageable. For a simple flat conversion or low-risk residential swap, audio-only remains a legitimate and considerably cheaper option. Present both options with the price difference clearly shown rather than defaulting to video as the "premium" upsell — customers on a budget appreciate an honest audio quote.
Regulations & Standards
BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 — IET Wiring Regulations; governs any new circuit, cable sizing, and RCD protection for the intercom's power supply
Building Regulations Part P (Electrical Safety — Dwellings) — new circuit work in a dwelling must be notified via a Competent Person Scheme or to Building Control
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — mandates fail-safe locking release on fire exit doors linked to access-controlled or electric-locked entry systems
UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 — applies where a video intercom captures and can store identifiable images of visitors, particularly in communal block settings
BS EN 60839 series — alarm and electronic security systems, referenced for integrated access control/intercom systems
BS 7273-4 — code of practice for the actuation of release mechanisms for doors; this is the standard that specifically governs fire-alarm-interfaced electric door release on an intercom system, not BS 5839-1
BS 5839-1 — fire detection and alarm system design for buildings; relevant background where the intercom's release relay taps into an existing communal fire alarm panel, but BS 7273-4 governs the release actuation itself
HSE — Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 guidance — statutory guidance on fire exit locking requirements
NICEIC — Part P Competent Person Scheme — notification routes for domestic electrical work
Information Commissioner's Office — CCTV and video surveillance guidance — GDPR obligations for video-capable door entry systems
BSI Group — BS EN 60839 series — alarm and electronic security systems standards
door entry systems installation — technical guide to audio vs video, wiring types, and fail-safe/fail-secure locking selection
access control systems guide — standalone vs networked access control, credential technology
access control — access control classification and fire alarm integration standards
air conditioning installation pricing guide — comparable pricing-guide structure for another specialist trade