HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a piano tuner in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A piano tuner in Ireland costs €80–€160 per tune, typically around €110. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a piano tuner in five steps
- Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers piano tuner work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — checking and correcting — checking and correcting octaves and intervals.
- How does temperature changes change the price?It changes both what is used and how long it takes. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does piano's condition change the price?The condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does complexity of the tuning change the price?It changes the risk the provider is taking on. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- What is not included?Adjustment of string — adjustment of string tension using tuning pins — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a piano tuner job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
NO REGISTER APPLIES TO PRIVATE TUTORS. Anyone may advertise as one. Where the student is under 18 the thing that matters is Garda vetting, obtained through an organisation under the National Vetting Bureau Acts 2012–2016 — and a parent cannot apply for it on a tutor's behalf, so the only practical check is to ask the tutor to show you the disclosure they hold and to read its date. A qualified teacher will also be on a teaching register, which is checkable.
Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.
What to check instead
Garda vetting, shown to you, with its date; A subject qualification, and how much of their work is this subject at this level; Whether lessons are one-to-one or shared, and where they happen; For online lessons, whether sessions are recorded and who holds the recording; Cancellation and payment terms in writing — block-paid lessons are the commonest dispute; Two references from current families.
Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.
Insurance
Expect public liability, and professional indemnity if they advise on exam strategy. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
No VAT: this service is exempt, so there is none to add and none to reclaim. A quote that adds it is wrong. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: No register covers piano tuner work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — checking and correcting — checking and correcting octaves and intervals.
A good answer: It changes both what is used and how long it takes. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: The condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: It changes the risk the provider is taking on. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Adjustment of string — adjustment of string tension using tuning pins — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a piano tuner job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect public liability, and professional indemnity if they advise on exam strategy — initial assessment of — initial assessment of the piano's condition.
A good answer: A written scope and a price before the piano tuner starts, and an itemised invoice after — what does this service include? — the service typically includes a thorough tuning of the piano, along with maintenance advice.
Getting the quote right
- Temperature changes — it changes both what is used and how long it takes.
- Piano's condition — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild.
- Complexity of the tuning — it changes the risk the provider is taking on.
- Additional services like voicing or regulation — it is the reason two providers can quote very differently.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They will not talk about it: temperature changes — it changes both what is used and how long it takes
- They will not talk about it: piano's condition — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild
- They will not talk about it: complexity of the tuning — it changes the risk the provider is taking on
- A price for the piano tuner before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
- Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
- No written quote, or one that moves once the piano tuner has begun
What a piano tuner costs: €80–€160 per tune
The figures are for the job, per tune, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Standard tuning and Pitch raise each carry their own band. Piano Tuner price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Piano tuners near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Look firstTemperature changes — it changes both what is used and how long it takes — that is what the piano tuner is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being donePiano's condition — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfComplexity of the tuning — it changes the risk the provider is taking on — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherAdditional services like voicing or regulation — it is the reason two providers can quote very differently — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the piano tuner is still there.
- What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, check if the technician has relevant qualifications or certifications.
- What does this service include?
- The service typically includes a thorough tuning of the piano, along with maintenance advice.
- Provisional sum
- A figure held in the quote for something nobody can price until it is opened up. It is honest where it is marked as provisional and a problem where it arrives as a surprise on the piano tuner invoice.
- Adjustment of string
- Adjustment of string tension using tuning pins.
- Checking and correcting
- Checking and correcting octaves and intervals.
- Pitch Raise
- A pitch raise is performed when the piano is significantly out of tune, requiring more extensive adjustments.
- Regulation
- Regulation involves fine-tuning the mechanical action of the piano for optimal playability.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a piano tuner: questions people ask
Regular tuning helps maintain the piano's sound quality and prolongs its life, making it worthwhile for frequent players. Consider the age and condition of the piano when scheduling a tuning.
While some may attempt it, tuning a piano requires skill and precision, so it’s best left to professionals. Access to the piano in a well-lit area.
In such cases, a pitch raise may be necessary before standard tuning can be performed. Information on when the piano was last tuned.
NO REGISTER APPLIES TO PRIVATE TUTORS. Anyone may advertise as one. Where the student is under 18 the thing that matters is Garda vetting, obtained through an organisation under the National Vetting Bureau Acts 2012–2016 — and a parent cannot apply for it on a tutor's behalf, so the only practical check is to ask the tutor to show you the disclosure they hold and to read its date. A qualified teacher will also be on a teaching register, which is checkable.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.
Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.
MORE GUIDES