HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a bouncy castle in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to bouncy castle hire, but HSE's advice is clear: a PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration, annual inspection, anchoring and supervision. Here is how to check.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a bouncy castle in five steps

  1. Ask for the PIPA tag or ADIPS numberBefore you book, get the tag or declaration number for the exact bouncy castle you are hiring, and look it up.
  2. Check the inspection dateHSE expects an in-service inspection at least every 12 months. An expired one means a different castle or a different firm.
  3. Measure the space and find a socketLength, width, overhead clearance and a power point within reach of the blower — or ask about a generator.
  4. Plan the supervisionAn adult watches the bouncy castle the whole time it is in use, and the user limit on the label is kept to.
  5. Agree the wind and rain planNo inflatable is used in wind above 24mph. Ask what happens to your money if the weather stops play.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to bouncy castle hire firms in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Anyone can buy an inflatable and hire it out, so the safety marks on the castle itself are what tell you it has been tested.

Ask the hire firm which bouncy castle you are getting, its size and its tag or declaration number.

PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration

HSE's guidance says most play inflatables show either a PIPA tag with its own number or an ADIPS compliance declaration, showing the bouncy castle has been tested to BS EN 14960, the British Standard for inflatable play equipment. Both schemes let you check the number online. A castle with neither is a risk to the children on it.

Look up the tag or declaration number on the PIPA or ADIPS website before the day, and check the tag is on the castle when it arrives. hse.gov.uk →

Annual inspection, operating manual and insurance

HSE expects an in-service inspection of the bouncy castle at least every 12 months, and an operator manual giving the user limit, the maximum wind speed, the blower to use and the anchoring. Health and safety law covers a commercial hire firm supplying the inflatable. No law sets an insurance level for bouncy castle hire, but halls, schools and councils usually refuse an inflatable without the hire firm's public liability cover. It is the firm's cover for injury or damage, not yours.

Ask the hire firm to send the latest inspection report and to leave the operating instructions with you. Ask the venue what it requires, then ask the bouncy castle firm for the certificate and the cover level. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Hiring a bouncy castle from a business means dealing with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the bouncy castle's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the bouncy castle's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Hiring a bouncy castle, with delivery and setting up, is standard-rated at 20%. Bouncy castle hire firms over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the hire firm for its VAT number and check the 20% is added under the hire and delivery, not hidden in them. gov.uk →

“What is the PIPA tag or ADIPS number on this bouncy castle?”

A good answer: A number given for the exact castle you are booking, which you can check online. 'They're all tested' is not an answer.

“When was the bouncy castle last inspected?”

A good answer: A date inside the last 12 months and an inspection report the firm will send you.

“How will you anchor the bouncy castle on my lawn, or on a hard surface?”

A good answer: Every anchor point used: metal stakes on grass, heavy ballast on tarmac or a patio. HSE says at least six anchor points on every inflatable.

“What is the user limit, and the height limit?”

A good answer: Numbers from the castle's label or manual, and a suggestion to keep big and small children apart.

“What happens if the wind gets up?”

A good answer: A clear rule: the bouncy castle comes down above 24mph, or lower if the manual says so — and how the firm handles your booking if it never goes up.

“Do you supply crash mats, and a blower that matches the castle?”

A good answer: Yes: impact mats at the entrance and on hard ground, and the blower the bouncy castle's manual specifies.

“Is the hire firm insured, and can I have the certificate?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named, with a copy the hall or school can keep.

“Do you need power, or do you bring a generator?”

A good answer: A distance from the socket the bouncy castle blower can reach, with no cable across a walkway, or a generator priced on the quote.

Getting the quote right

  • The exact bouncy castle: size, theme, age range and its PIPA or ADIPS number
  • Delivery, setting up, anchoring and collection times, and the delivery radius before travel is charged
  • Mats, blower and any generator, and whether an attendant is included or you supervise
  • Overnight or weekend hire, if you want it, priced separately
  • The weather rule: what happens to your money if wind or rain stops the bouncy castle going up
  • The hire firm's VAT number, with VAT as its own line under the castle and delivery
  • Who actually attends to deliver, anchor and collect the castle, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration, or a number that does not match the castle that arrives
  • No inspection report from the last 12 months
  • They want to set up in strong wind, or leave without staking every anchor point
  • No mats, or a blower that is not the one in the manual
  • No insurance certificate, when the hall has asked for one
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£185

What a bouncy castle costs: £50–£185 per day

Bouncy castle hire is priced by the day, with delivery free inside a radius and charged beyond it. Overnight hire, an attendant and a generator are usually separate lines. Bouncy Castle Hire 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

Bouncy castle hire firms 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. Site checkThe installer looks at the ground, measures, and checks overhead wires, trees and the wind before unrolling the bouncy castle.
  2. Inflate and anchorThe right blower is fitted, every anchor point is staked or ballasted, and the castle is checked for rips, sagging and an even shape.
  3. Safety briefingYou are told the user limit, the height limit, no shoes or sharp objects, and when to stop use; mats are placed at the entrance.
  4. In use, supervisedAn adult watches at all times; the bouncy castle comes down if the wind passes the limit in the manual.
  5. Deflate and collectChildren off first, the blower switched off, the castle packed and collected at the agreed time.

PIPA tag
A numbered tag from the Professional Inflatable Play Association scheme showing the inflatable has been tested.
ADIPS declaration of compliance
The certificate from the Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme, which covers inflatables and fairground rides.
BS EN 14960
The British Standard for inflatable play equipment that both schemes test against.
Anchor points
The fixings around the base where stakes or ballast hold the castle down — HSE says at least six.
Anemometer
A wind meter; HSE says operators outdoors should use one, not a phone app.
Operator manual
The maker's instructions giving the user limit, wind limit, blower and anchoring for that bouncy castle.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking and inspection reportIf a child is hurt or the castle fails, the tag number and report are what the hire firm and its insurer will be asked for.
Check the lawn and the collectionPeg holes and any damage noted at collection; the castle counted back as agreed.
Report a near missA castle that deflated suddenly or lifted in the wind should be reported to the hire firm in writing the same day.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the bouncy castle firm helps the next host. If the bouncy castle firm fell short, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the bouncy castle hire firm in writingExplain in writing what fell short — a late delivery, a castle that was not the one booked, poor anchoring — and whether you want part of the fee back or the work redone. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into the contract; for a one-off occasion, a reduction in price is the usual remedy.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the bouncy castle hire firm below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Safety concerns, or a firm that will not engageHSE's guidance applies health and safety law to commercial hire of inflatables; a castle supplied with no tag or no inspection can be reported to HSE. For refunds and service problems, no regulator oversees bouncy castle hire. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about bouncy castle hire firms to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the bouncy castle hire firm will not returnWithout a solicitor, a refund from the bouncy castle hire firm can be pursued up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a bouncy castle: questions people ask

HSE expects a hired inflatable to show a PIPA tag number or an ADIPS compliance declaration, and to have an in-service inspection at least every 12 months. Ask for both before you book.

No. No licence or register applies to bouncy castle hire in any UK nation. The tag, the inspection report and public liability insurance are the checks.

HSE says no inflatable should be used in wind above 24mph, which is Force 5 — small trees in leaf begin to sway. Some castles have a lower limit in the manual.

£50 to £185 per day, typically around £100. The bouncy castle hire price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see bouncy castle hire firms near you.

Yes, if it fits the ceiling height and the manual's indoor anchoring is followed. Tell the hire firm the room's height and floor before you book.

Unless you pay for an attendant, you do. HSE wants someone suitably trained watching the castle the whole time it is in use, so ask the hire firm to brief you.

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Bouncy castle hire firms near you

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Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — bouncy castles and other play inflatables
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  5. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  6. nidirect — small claims process
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register