HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

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

No register applies on houses; work on higher-risk buildings in England needs Building Safety Regulator approval. The checks, questions and paperwork.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a cladding installer in five steps

  1. Choose the materialTimber, composite, fibre cement or metal, and its upkeep.
  2. Ask about the cavity and battensA ventilated gap behind the cladding, and breathable membrane.
  3. Ask about insulationExternal wall insulation is notifiable in England unless self-certified.
  4. Flat or tall building?Higher-risk buildings in England need Building Safety Regulator approval.
  5. Get the guaranteeProduct and workmanship, in writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to cladding installers anywhere in the UK; for the cladding on a house, approval matters only if the work includes insulation or structural changes. For the cladding, a trader should hold public liability insurance; check the insurer and the cover. Trader status matters: it brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 into play, and under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 an off-premises or online booking usually has 14 days' cancellation, with any work you asked to start early charged for and personalised goods outside the right.

Find out early whether the cladding needs approval or a warrant, and whose name is on the application. Ask for the insurance certificate before the cladding is booked, and look for the trader and ID-checked badges on the Locufy profile. gov.uk →

Higher-risk buildings (England)

For buildings of 18 metres or 7 storeys and more that hold two or more homes, a hospital or a care home, gov.uk explains that work generally cannot start until the Building Safety Regulator has given building control approval, with some exceptions.

If the cladding is on a block of flats, ask the building's owner who holds the approval. gov.uk →

External wall insulation (England)

Insulation fitted behind the cladding is wall insulation; in England an installer on a competent person scheme self-certifies it, as gov.uk's list of scheme work shows.

Ask which scheme self-certifies any insulation in the cladding job. gov.uk →

Ladders for short jobs only

Under HSE's guidance a ladder is for short, low-risk tasks of up to half an hour at a time, angled one out for four up; a longer spell on the cladding calls for other access under the Work at Height Regulations.

For a day or more on the cladding, check the quote includes proper access. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Cladding is standard-rated at 20%, while insulation fitted behind it on a home is zero-rated (0%) until 31 March 2027, and an installer turning over more than £90,000 must charge the VAT and show each rate on its own line.

Ask for the VAT number and check the cladding quote splits the covering from any insulation and that VAT sits on its own line. gov.uk →

“Which cladding material suits my house?”

A good answer: A choice with its maintenance and life, and the maker named.

“How will the cladding be fixed?”

A good answer: Battens, a ventilated cavity and a breathable membrane behind it.

“Is insulation included?”

A good answer: If so, how it is self-certified in England and its VAT rate.

“How will windows and edges be detailed?”

A good answer: Trims, cavity closers and drips around openings.

“What access will the cladding installer use?”

A good answer: Scaffold for upper floors, priced.

“What guarantee covers the cladding?”

A good answer: Product and workmanship guarantees with conditions.

Getting the quote right

  • Area and material named
  • Battens, membrane and fixings
  • Insulation and its approval route if included
  • Trims and edge details
  • Who actually attends — the cladding team and any insulation installer, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the work and 0% on any installed insulation, each shown as its own line
  • Scaffold

Walk away if

  • No ventilated cavity behind timber cladding
  • Unnamed products
  • Insulation with no certification route
  • Ladder work across a two-storey wall
  • No written guarantee
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£100
HIGH
£250

What a cladding installer costs: £50–£250 per m²

Cladding is priced per square metre by material; scaffold and insulation add to it. Cladding 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

Cladding installers 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. SurveyWalls, openings and access assessed.
  2. ScaffoldAccess erected.
  3. Membrane and battensBreathable membrane and battens fixed.
  4. CladBoards fixed with the right gaps and fixings.
  5. Trim and finishEdges and openings finished, scaffold struck.

Batten
A timber strip the cladding is fixed to.
Ventilated cavity
The air gap behind the cladding.
Breather membrane
A membrane that keeps water out but lets vapour escape.
Cavity closer
A barrier closing the cavity at openings.
Featheredge
Tapered timber boards overlapping each other.
Higher-risk building
A building at least 18 metres or 7 storeys with two or more homes, a hospital or a care home.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkProduct details, guarantees and any scheme certificate.
Check the edgesTrims tight, no gaps at windows.
Plan the upkeepTimber needs treatment or weathering; ask what the maker recommends.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the cladding falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Raise it with the installer in writingKeep it factual: what was agreed for the cladding, what is wrong, and a reasonable date to fix it. Reasonable care and skill is a term of every trader's service under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies are a redo or money off.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the cladding 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 workAn approval that was needed for the cladding and never obtained is taken up by the council: building control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or in Scotland the building standards service, which holds the owner responsible for the warrant. For a dispute about the cladding 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 cladding 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 cladding installer: questions people ask

No licence or register applies; higher-risk buildings in England need Building Safety Regulator approval.

Usually not on its own; insulation behind it is notifiable in England.

£50–£250 per square metre, typically around £100. The material is the main driver; scaffold and insulation add to it. The Cladding price guide goes through it line by line; type your postcode above for cladding installers in your area.

In England, at least 7 storeys or 18 metres with two or more homes, a hospital or a care home.

Installed insulation in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027.

Most does; ask the maker's recommendations.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: RenderingHow to hire: Insulation InstallerHow to hire: Carpenter & JoinerHow to hire: Fascias & SoffitsHow to hire: BuilderHow to hire: ScaffoldingHow to hire: Window & Double Glazing InstallerHow to hire: House ExtensionAll 701 hiring guides →

Cladding installers near you

Cladding installers in LondonCladding installers in ManchesterCladding installers in BirminghamCladding installers in GlasgowCladding installers in BelfastAll cladding installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  2. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and the work they cover
  3. gov.uk — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6)
  4. HSE — work at height myths (ladders and the 30-minute guide)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  10. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  11. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  12. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  13. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  14. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register