HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire an air conditioning engineer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies, but refrigerant repairs need an F gas qualified engineer from a certified business. The checks, and what to agree first.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an air conditioning engineer in five steps

  1. Ask for F gas qualificationsThe engineer's certificate and the company's certification, before the call-out.
  2. Describe the faultMake, model, age, what it is doing and any error code, in one message.
  3. Agree the call-outDiagnosis fee, whether it is deducted from the repair, and the hourly rate.
  4. Price parts before orderingA written price for any part or regas before work goes ahead.
  5. Weigh repair against replaceFor an old system with a failed compressor, ask for both prices.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No trade register covers air conditioning repairers in the UK nations. The refrigerant is what the law controls, through the F gas rules on gov.uk.

Ask for the F gas paperwork and the business's insurance before the visit.

F gas qualification

gov.uk says anyone who services, maintains, leak-checks or recovers refrigerant from stationary air conditioning must hold a personal F gas qualification certificate. It is against the law to do the work without one.

Ask the engineer for their F gas certificate and its category. gov.uk →

Company certification

A business repairing or maintaining air conditioning operated by others must hold an F gas company certificate from an approved body, renewed every 3 years.

Ask for the company certificate number and who issued it. gov.uk →

Trader status and the Consumer Rights Act

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must repair with reasonable care and skill, and if the repair fails you can ask for it to be done again at their cost.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and get an invoice describing the repair.

VAT

Repairing or regassing an air conditioning system is standard-rated at 20%, on the call-out, the refrigerant and the parts alike. Once a business's taxable turnover goes over £90,000 it must be registered, and the VAT then goes on the quote as its own line.

Ask the air conditioning firm for its VAT number and whether the call-out figure already includes VAT. gov.uk →

“Do you hold an F gas qualification for air conditioning?”

A good answer: Yes, with a certificate you can see. Regassing without one is illegal.

“Is the call-out deducted if you do the air conditioning repair?”

A good answer: A plain yes or no, written down before the visit.

“What is the fault, and what will it cost to fix?”

A good answer: A diagnosis in plain words and a written price before parts are ordered.

“If refrigerant is low, will you find the leak or just regas?”

A good answer: They find and seal the leak first. Topping up a leaking system just loses the gas again.

“Is the system still under warranty?”

A good answer: They check the age and installer's terms; a warranty repair may cost you nothing.

“Is a repair worth it on a unit this old?”

A good answer: An honest comparison with replacement for an old system with a failed compressor.

Getting the quote right

  • Call-out or diagnosis fee, and whether it is credited
  • The fault named and the part priced
  • Leak finding and regassing listed separately
  • Labour time or hourly rate
  • Who actually attends — the F gas qualified engineer by name, and whether employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% shown on its own line

Walk away if

  • No F gas certificate
  • Regasses without looking for a leak
  • Orders parts before giving a price
  • Recommends a new system without diagnosing the old one
LOW
£90
TYPICAL
£180
HIGH
£450

What an air conditioning engineer costs: £90–£450 per job

Air conditioning repairs are priced as a call-out and diagnosis, then the part and the time to fit it; regassing is its own line. Air Conditioning Repair 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

Air conditioning engineers 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.

  1. Check credentialsF gas certificate seen before the panels come off.
  2. DiagnoseThe system run and tested and the fault explained.
  3. Price and agreeA written price before any part or regas.
  4. RepairThe part fitted; leaks found and sealed before any recharge.
  5. Test runCooling, airflow and drainage checked before the engineer leaves.

Regas
Recharging the system with refrigerant after a leak is fixed.
Leak test
Checking the refrigerant circuit for escaping gas.
Compressor
The pump at the heart of the outdoor unit; the dearest part.
Condensate pump
Pumps water away from the indoor unit where it cannot drain by gravity.
F gas certificate
The personal qualification needed to work on refrigerant.
Fault code
An error number on the display that points to the problem.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the repair invoiceFault, part, refrigerant added and the engineer's details.
Run the systemCooling, airflow and the drain checked over the next few days.
Note the guaranteeHow long the part and labour are covered, on the invoice.
Rate the jobTell the next person how the air conditioning repair went — time kept, mess left, price held. Under four stars, the air conditioning engineer is offered the chance to fix it first through make-it-right.

STEP 1Complain to the air conditioning engineer firstRaise it with the air conditioning engineer in writing while it is fresh. The air conditioning repair came with a legal promise of reasonable care and skill under the 2015 Act; ask for the shortfall to be fixed at no cost, and if it cannot be, for an appropriate refund.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepGive the air conditioning repair fewer than four stars and you can send the issue to the air conditioning engineer first; we stay on it until there is an answer, and then your review is posted.
STEP 3F gas breaches and complaintsReport someone working with refrigerant without the right F gas qualification as gov.uk's guidance directs. Disputes over the repair go through Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the air conditioning repair, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring an air conditioning engineer: questions people ask

Yes. gov.uk says anyone repairing or regassing stationary air conditioning needs an F gas qualification, and a business doing it for others needs company certification.

No trade register applies. Check the F gas certificates instead.

Finding and sealing the leak should come first; a leaking system simply loses the new charge.

£90–£450 per job, about £180 typical. The detail sits in the air conditioning repair price guide, and the search above lists engineers working near your town.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the repair must be done with reasonable care and skill; you can ask for it to be redone at the engineer's cost.

One to two hours for most repairs, longer when a leak has to be traced.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Air Conditioning InstallationHow to hire: Air Source Heat PumpHow to hire: Heat Pump InstallationHow to hire: Boiler Service & RepairHow to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Radiator InstallationHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingAll 701 hiring guides →

Air conditioning engineers near you

Air conditioning engineers in LondonAir conditioning engineers in ManchesterAir conditioning engineers in BirminghamAir conditioning engineers in GlasgowAir conditioning engineers in BelfastAll air conditioning engineers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — qualifications to work with F gas
  2. gov.uk — company certification to work with F gas
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  7. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  8. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register