HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire chair covers in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Chair cover hire needs no licence in the UK. This page covers the checks, the questions and the quote.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring chair covers in five steps

  1. Count and check the chairsNumber and shape, so the chair covers fit.
  2. Fitted or DIYThe hire firm fits and removes, or you do.
  3. Read the loss and stain termsCharges per cover and sash.
  4. Ask about VAT and minimumsAnd delivery.
  5. Agree times with the venueFitting and removal.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Working as a chair covers needs no licence, registration or qualification in any part of the UK. Fit and the loss and stain charges are where chair cover hires go wrong.

Check two recent reviews or references for the chair covers, then ask for the contract.

Public liability insurance for the chair covers

Insurance is not a legal requirement here; it is the venue that usually decides how much public liability cover a supplier must carry. Some venues ask any supplier who sets up in the room for cover.

Check the chair covers's certificate covers the event date and at least the venue's figure.

Trader status and cancellation terms

A firm that hires out chair covers for money is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill part of the deal. Do not count on a 14-day cooling-off period: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes catering and leisure services booked for a set date from the cancellation right, so the chair covers's own written terms usually decide what happens to your deposit.

Ask the chair covers for the booking terms in writing and check the refund rules for cancelling and postponing. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Chair cover and sash hire, with fitting, is standard-rated at 20%. Chair cover 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 make sure the 20% is shown as a line under the per-cover price. gov.uk →

“Will the chair covers fit our venue's chairs?”

A good answer: A chair cover firm that asks for the chair model or a photo.

“Do you fit and remove the covers?”

A good answer: Yes, priced, or a clear DIY option.

“What do lost or stained chair covers cost?”

A good answer: A figure per cover in writing.

“Is VAT included?”

A good answer: A clear answer on the chair cover quote.

“Is there a minimum order?”

A good answer: Stated up front.

“Are the covers pressed and clean?”

A good answer: Yes, laundered after every hire.

“When do you fit and collect?”

A good answer: Times agreed with the venue.

Getting the quote right

  • Number of chair covers and sashes, colours
  • Fitting and removal, or DIY
  • Delivery and collection
  • Loss and stain charges
  • Minimum order and cancellation terms
  • The chair cover firm's VAT number, and VAT shown under the per-cover price
  • Who actually attends to dress and strip the chairs, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No check on the chair model
  • Loss or stain charges not stated
  • Prices without VAT shown
  • No fitting time agreed
LOW
£2
TYPICAL
£3
HIGH
£4

What chair covers costs: £2–£4 per chair

Chair cover hire is priced per chair, with sashes, fitting, delivery and a minimum order shaping the total. Chair Cover 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

Chair cover 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. Confirm the chairsThe chair cover firm checks the model and count.
  2. DeliverCovers arrive clean and pressed.
  3. FitCovers and sashes fitted before guests arrive.
  4. EventCovers in use.
  5. Remove and collectCovers removed and counted.

Sash
A fabric band tied around a covered chair.
Spandex cover
A stretch cover that fits tightly.
Hood
A cover for the chair back only.
Fitted service
The firm fits and removes covers.
Minimum order
The least the firm will supply.
Stain charge
What the firm charges for a cover it cannot clean.

AFTER

When the job is done

Count covers backCount chair covers and sashes at collection.
Note stainsBefore collection, with photos.
Check chargesAgainst the stated loss and stain terms.
Leave the reviewYour review of the chair cover hire firm counts because only booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the chair cover hire firm is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the chair covers in writingSend the chair covers a short written account — covers that do not fit, too few delivered, late fitting — with the remedy you want. Reasonable care and skill is an implied term of the booking under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; a service that cannot be done again can be compensated by a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the chair covers 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 3Getting Trading Standards involvedNo regulator oversees chair cover hire firms. 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 chair cover hire firms to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the chair covers will not returnIf the chair covers still will not pay, you can claim yourself: 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 chair covers: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to chair cover hire firms in any UK nation. The venue's rules, the hire firm's insurance and the written hire terms are what to check.

The law is silent; the venue usually is not. Most want public liability cover from every supplier, so ask both sides.

£2 to £4 per chair, typically around £3. The chair cover hire price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists chair cover hire firms in your area.

No; send the chair model or a photo.

The hire terms decide the charge; read them first.

Usually, but it takes time on the day.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Furniture Hire for EventsHow to hire: Event DecoratorHow to hire: Backdrop & Drapery HireHow to hire: Wedding PlannerHow to hire: Marquee HireHow to hire: Wedding FloristHow to hire: Balloon DecorationHow to hire: Event PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Chair cover hire firms near you

Chair cover hire firms in LondonChair cover hire firms in ManchesterChair cover hire firms in BirminghamChair cover hire firms in GlasgowChair cover hire firms in BelfastAll chair cover hire firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  3. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  4. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  5. nidirect — small claims process
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  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