HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

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

No register licenses builders; the law controls the work. The checks that matter, the questions to ask, and the paperwork to hold at the end.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a builder in five steps

  1. Find out what approval the job needsBuilding regulations approval in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or a building warrant in Scotland — and who is applying for it.
  2. Write the scope downDrawings, specification and who does what: a builder can only price what is written.
  3. Get three written quotesSame scope for each, with materials, VAT, skip and making good spelled out.
  4. Agree stage paymentsMoney tied to finished stages, never a large cash deposit before anything is on site.
  5. Collect the certificatesCompletion certificate, any competent person scheme certificates, and the guarantees, filed with the deeds.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses builders in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so being 'registered' proves little on its own. What the law regulates is the building work, through building regulations approval from building control. TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme; it is voluntary and registration is trade by trade. Public liability insurance is the norm, with professional indemnity from whoever designed the building work.

Ask who is applying for building regulations approval for the building work, and get the reference before anyone starts. Search the business on TrustMark for the right trade, and ask to see the insurance certificate. gov.uk →

Building warrant (Scotland)

In Scotland the owner, not the builder, is responsible for having a building warrant where one is needed; without it the council can fine you and order the new work removed. In Northern Ireland you tell the council's building control before work begins.

In Scotland, ask to see the warrant before any work starts; in Northern Ireland, ask for the building control reference. mygov.scot →

Party wall notice

Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 you must tell your neighbours in England and Wales before building work on or near a shared wall or boundary; a party wall agreement is separate from building regulations approval.

Ask who will serve the party wall notices for the building work, and when. gov.uk →

Asbestos and who holds the client duties (CDM 2015)

HSE says sprayed coatings, lagging and most asbestos insulating board may only be removed by an HSE-licensed contractor. For work on your own home, your client duties under CDM 2015 pass to the builder, or to the principal contractor where several trades are involved.

For a home built or refurbished before 2000, ask how they will identify asbestos before cutting into anything. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Building work on an existing home is standard-rated at 20%, while building a brand-new dwelling is zero-rated and renovating or converting a home empty for two years or more can qualify for 5%; a builder turning over more than £90,000 must charge VAT and show it separately.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the scope-by-scope price. gov.uk →

“Who is getting building regulations approval for this?”

A good answer: A clear answer: the builder, the designer or you, with the building control body named and a reference before work starts. In Scotland, the warrant is your responsibility as owner even if the builder handles the paperwork.

“Can I see two jobs like mine, and speak to those clients?”

A good answer: Addresses or photos of finished work of the same kind, and a client happy to take a call. A builder who has done extensions may not be the one for a basement.

“What is in the price, and what is a provisional sum?”

A good answer: A quote that separates fixed prices from provisional sums — allowances for things not yet chosen, such as kitchen units or tiles — so you can see where the price could move.

“How do you want to be paid?”

A good answer: Stage payments tied to finished stages: foundations, wall plate, roof on, first fix, completion. A small deposit for materials is normal; a large cash payment up front is not.

“Who will be on site, and who runs it?”

A good answer: A named site lead, which trades are subcontracted, and who acts as principal contractor if several trades are involved — that is who holds your CDM 2015 client duties.

“How will you deal with the neighbours and the party wall?”

A good answer: In England and Wales, a plan for party wall notices before work near a shared wall, and for skips, deliveries and parking.

“What happens if the job changes?”

A good answer: Changes agreed in writing, with the price and time effect, before the extra work is done — not added to the final bill.

“What guarantee do you give, and is it insurance-backed?”

A good answer: A written workmanship guarantee with its length, and whether it survives if the builder stops trading.

Getting the quote right

  • A written scope or drawing reference, room by room or stage by stage
  • Fixed prices separated from provisional sums and prime cost items
  • Who actually attends — the builder's own team and each trade brought in, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • Skip, scaffolding, waste removal and making good listed
  • Building control fees and who pays them
  • Stage payments and the start and finish dates

Walk away if

  • Says the job needs no approval without explaining why, or asks you to apply and take the risk
  • Wants a large cash deposit before any work starts
  • No written quote, or a single figure with no breakdown
  • Cannot name an insurer or show a single finished job
  • Turned up unannounced to say your roof or wall needs urgent work
  • Pushes you to sign on the day to get a 'discount'
LOW
£180
TYPICAL
£250
HIGH
£400

What a builder costs: £180–£400 per day

Builders price most work as a fixed quote from a written scope, broken into stages; day rates appear on small or open-ended jobs. Materials, skips and building control fees are often separate lines. Builder 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

Builders near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Survey and scopeThe builder visits, measures and prices from drawings and a written specification; building control is engaged before anything starts.
  2. Site set-upSkip, welfare, protection for floors and neighbours, and any party wall notices served in time.
  3. StructureFoundations, walls and roof, each inspected by building control at the stages it asks to see.
  4. First and second fixElectrics, plumbing and joinery go in, then plaster, then the finishing fit-out; each specialist certifies their part.
  5. Completion and snaggingA walk-round, the snag list closed out, building control's final inspection and the completion certificate.

Building notice
A short-form application to building control in England, for simpler work, without full plans.
Full plans
A detailed application approved before work starts; it usually ends with a completion certificate.
Building warrant
Scotland's permission to start building work, which the owner must hold.
Provisional sum
An allowance in the quote for something not yet designed or chosen.
Party wall award
The surveyor's document setting out how work on a shared wall will be done.
Principal contractor
The contractor who manages health and safety when several trades work on a job.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the completion certificateFrom building control in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the accepted completion certificate in Scotland; keep it with the deeds for when you sell.
Walk round with a snagging listDoors, windows, finishes, drainage and anything unfinished, agreed in writing before the final payment.
Keep the guaranteesThe builder's workmanship guarantee and every certificate from specialist trades — windows, electrics, gas.
Review the jobOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the building work falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Tell the builder, in writingSay what is wrong with the building work and what you want done about it. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must carry out the building work with reasonable care and skill, and if they did not you can ask for it to be redone or for a price reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the building work under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unapproved or dangerous workIf the building work needed approval and did not get it, the council deals with it: building control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the building standards service in Scotland, where the owner answers for a missing warrant. For a dispute about the building work with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the building work is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a builder: questions people ask

No. No law licenses builders anywhere in the UK, and TrustMark is voluntary. The legal checks are on the work: building regulations approval, a building warrant in Scotland, and licensed contractors for most asbestos removal.

In England, a full plans application usually ends with a completion certificate from building control within 8 weeks of the work finishing, if it complies. In Scotland, the completion certificate must be accepted before the building is used.

£180–£400 a day, typically around £250. Most building work is quoted per job from a written scope; day rates are used for small or open-ended work. See the Builder price guide for the detail, then search your postcode above to compare builders nearby.

In England and Wales, if the work is on or near a shared wall or boundary you must tell your neighbours first. Scotland has different rules.

HSE says that for work on your own home your client duties under CDM 2015 pass to the contractor, or to the principal contractor where there is more than one.

In England the council can make you pay to put faulty work right, and the builder can be prosecuted; in Scotland the council can fine the owner and order unwarranted work removed.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: General ContractorHow to hire: House ExtensionHow to hire: Loft ConversionHow to hire: Garage ConversionHow to hire: BricklayerHow to hire: GroundworksHow to hire: Structural EngineerHow to hire: ArchitectAll 701 hiring guides →

Builders near you

Builders in LondonBuilders in ManchesterBuilders in BirminghamBuilders in GlasgowBuilders in BelfastAll builders on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  2. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  3. mygov.scot — if a builder is doing the work for you
  4. nidirect — how to apply for Building Regulations approval
  5. gov.uk — building regulations: how to apply
  6. gov.uk — party walls and building work
  7. Party Wall etc. Act 1996
  8. HSE — CDM 2015: domestic clients
  9. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  10. gov.uk — VAT rates
  11. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  12. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  14. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  15. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  16. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  17. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  18. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  19. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  20. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register