HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

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

No register applies to appliance engineers. Check for a recall, agree diagnosis and parts prices first, and know where gas and wiring rules start.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an appliance engineer in five steps

  1. Note make, model and serialFrom the appliance's data plate, so the right parts come.
  2. Search the recall listOn gov.uk, before paying for a repair.
  3. Check the guaranteeMaker's guarantee or an extended warranty may cover it.
  4. Gas? Gas Safe onlyA gas cooker or hob is a Gas Safe engineer's job.
  5. Diagnosis firstAgree the call-out and whether it is credited against the repair.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to appliance engineers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland: the appliance repair of a plug-in electrical appliance is not regulated work. The law steps in for gas appliances and for new fixed wiring.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a written diagnosis before the appliance repair goes ahead.

Product recall check

The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes product safety alerts, reports and recalls on gov.uk, searchable by category including electrical appliances. Some faults are fixed free under a recall, which saves paying for the appliance repair; a paid repair is covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 instead.

Search your appliance's make and model on the recall list before you book. gov.uk →

Gas Safe Register for gas appliances

If the appliance runs on gas, the 1998 Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations and Northern Ireland's 2004 Regulations restrict paid work on it to engineers on the Gas Safe Register, and the back of their ID card must list that appliance type. That covers the whole of a gas appliance repair.

For a gas appliance, check the engineer's licence by text to 85080 or on 0800 408 5500 before the appliance repair. gassaferegister.co.uk →

Insurance and your rights

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 appliance repair must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it fails because of poor work you can ask the appliance engineer to redo it at their cost. Public liability insurance covers damage to your kitchen or floor.

Ask the appliance engineer who insures them and what guarantee the appliance repair carries.

VAT

An appliance repair is standard-rated at 20%, and that covers the diagnosis fee, the part and the engineer's time. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask whether the appliance repair price is quoted with or without VAT, and note the VAT number on the job sheet. gov.uk →

“Is your diagnosis fee taken off the appliance repair?”

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

“Which appliance makes do you repair?”

A good answer: A list; some parts only come through approved channels.

“What is the fault and the full repair price?”

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

“Is it worth repairing at this age?”

A good answer: An honest comparison with replacement.

“For a gas cooker, are you Gas Safe registered for cookers?”

A good answer: A licence number and cookers on the back of the card.

“What guarantee comes with the appliance repair?”

A good answer: Parts and labour, for a stated period.

Getting the quote right

  • Call-out or diagnosis fee, and whether credited
  • Part named and priced
  • Labour
  • Guarantee period
  • Who actually attends — an employed engineer or a subcontractor sent on the firm's behalf
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% listed after the part and labour

Walk away if

  • Orders parts before giving a price
  • Works on a gas cooker with no Gas Safe card
  • Refuses to say what the fault is
  • No guarantee
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£125
HIGH
£300

What an appliance engineer costs: £60–£300 per repair

Appliance repairs are priced as a diagnosis or call-out, then the part and labour; the fee is often credited if you go ahead. Appliance 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

Appliance 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. DiagnoseThe appliance tested to find the fault.
  2. PriceFault and part priced before work.
  3. RepairPart fitted.
  4. Safety testLeaks and electrical safety checked.
  5. Test runA full cycle run.

Data plate
The label with make, model and serial number.
Call-out fee
The charge for attending and diagnosing.
Control board
The electronic heart of the appliance; often the dearest part.
Product recall
A maker's fix for a safety fault, usually free.
Gas Safe card
The ID of a registered gas engineer, with categories on the back.
PAT test
A safety test of a portable appliance's electrics.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoiceFault, part and guarantee — your record if it fails again.
Run a full cycleAnd watch for leaks, smells or error codes.
Register any recall fixIf the fault was a recall, keep the paperwork.
Say how it wentYour rating of the appliance repair sits on the appliance engineer's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Complain to the appliance engineer firstRaise it with the appliance engineer in writing while it is fresh. The appliance 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 stepRate the appliance repair below four stars and you are asked whether the appliance engineer should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the appliance engineer and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the appliance 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 appliance engineer: questions people ask

No. No register applies to repairing plug-in electrical appliances; gas appliances need a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Only an engineer on the Gas Safe Register whose card covers cookers.

Search the make and model on gov.uk's product safety alerts and recalls.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for it to be redone at the engineer's cost.

One to three hours for most, longer if a part must be ordered.

£60–£300 per repair, with about £125 a common bill. The detail sits in the appliance repair price guide, and the search above lists engineers working near your town.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Washing Machine RepairHow to hire: Dishwasher RepairHow to hire: Fridge & Freezer RepairHow to hire: Oven & Cooker RepairHow to hire: Tumble Dryer RepairHow to hire: Microwave RepairHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsAll 701 hiring guides →

Appliance engineers near you

Appliance engineers in LondonAppliance engineers in ManchesterAppliance engineers in BirminghamAppliance engineers in GlasgowAppliance engineers in BelfastAll appliance engineers on Locufy →Do it yourself: fault-finding an oven, hob or cooker hood →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — product safety alerts, reports and recalls (Office for Product Safety and Standards)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  4. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004, regulation 3
  9. Gas Safe Register
  10. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register