HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire an alterations specialist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Clothing alterations are unregulated in every UK nation. Here is how to brief the job, what the ticket should say, and your rights if it goes wrong.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an alterations specialist in five steps

  1. Bring the shoes and underwear you will wearHems and fit depend on them. An alterations specialist should pin you in them.
  2. Get a pinned fittingThe changes marked on you, not guessed from measurements.
  3. Take a written ticketThe garment, the work, the price and the collection date.
  4. Ask about fabric and liningSilk, leather, stretch and lined garments cost more and need more skill.
  5. Try it on before you payCheck the fit at collection, while the alterations specialist is there to adjust it.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Altering clothes is open to anyone in the UK: no register lists alterations specialists and no licence is needed to shorten a hem or take in a seam. The checks are a pinned fitting, a written ticket and a look at work they have done on similar garments.

Ask to see a finished alteration on a similar fabric.

Reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

An alterations specialist trading as a business must use reasonable care and skill under section 49. If the alteration falls short, section 55 lets you require it to be put right at their cost and within a reasonable time; where that is impossible, you can ask for a price reduction.

Keep the ticket, and raise any problem at collection or as soon as you notice it. legislation.gov.uk →

Trader status and the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — work done with reasonable care and skill, and a repeat or a price cut when it is not — apply when the alterations specialist is trading as a business. A business name, a written price and an invoice show you are dealing with a trader.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask for a written quote and an invoice.

Your garment in their care

No register sets insurance for alterations. Ask whether the alterations specialist's cover includes customers' garments, especially for wedding dresses, suits and leather.

Ask before you hand over anything valuable, and get the garment on the ticket.

VAT

Alterations are a standard-rated service, so a VAT-registered alterations specialist adds 20% to each job on the ticket. Once taxable turnover passes £90,000 a business must charge VAT and show it separately; many one-person workrooms stay below that and add none.

Ask whether a VAT number goes on the ticket, and if it does, look for VAT apart from each alteration. gov.uk →

“Can you pin the alterations on me before you cut?”

A good answer: Yes — a fitting with the changes pinned and chalked, and a second fitting for anything complex.

“Is this fabric or lining going to make the alteration harder?”

A good answer: An honest answer about silk, leather, stretch or a lined garment, and the price difference.

“Is the hem done by hand or by machine?”

A good answer: Both are fine; an alterations specialist tells you which and why for this garment.

“Will there be a seam allowance left if I need it let out later?”

A good answer: A plain answer on whether the change can be reversed.

“When will the alteration be ready, and what if I need it sooner?”

A good answer: A collection date on the ticket, and any rush charge stated up front.

“What happens if the fit is not right at collection?”

A good answer: A free adjustment to the agreed fit, on the spot or by a set date.

“Do you insure customers' garments while they are with you?”

A good answer: A yes and the insurer's name, or a clear answer that they do not.

Getting the quote right

  • Each alteration on the garment listed and priced separately
  • The garment described on the ticket, with any existing damage noted
  • Hand or machine finish where it changes the price
  • Rush charge, if any, and the collection date
  • A free adjustment if the fit is not as agreed
  • Who actually attends to your garment: the alterations specialist who pinned it, or an outworker, and whether that outworker is employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number on the ticket, with VAT shown apart from the alteration prices

Walk away if

  • Cutting without a fitting on anything that matters
  • No ticket, or a ticket without the price
  • Unwilling to say whether the change can be reversed
  • A wedding or event garment taken with no collection date
  • No adjustment offered if the fit is wrong
  • Cash only with no receipt
LOW
£7
TYPICAL
£20
HIGH
£100

What an alterations specialist costs: £7–£100 per item

Alterations are priced per item and per alteration, with lined garments, delicate fabrics, hand finishing and rush jobs costing more. Clothing Alterations 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

Alterations specialists 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. AssessmentThe garment and fabric looked at; what can and cannot be done explained.
  2. Pinned fittingThe alterations marked on you in the right shoes and underwear.
  3. TicketWork, price and collection date written down.
  4. The alterationUnpicking, cutting, sewing, and pressing.
  5. Final fittingTried on at collection, adjusted if needed, then paid.

Take in
Making a garment smaller at the seams.
Let out
Making a garment larger, using the seam allowance.
Seam allowance
The spare fabric inside a seam; decides if a change can be reversed.
Blind hem
A hem stitched so it does not show on the outside.
Lining
The inner layer of a garment, altered along with the outer.
Bustle
Hooks or ties that lift a wedding dress train for dancing.

AFTER

When the job is done

Try it on at collectionSit, walk and lift your arms; check hems with the shoes you will wear.
Check the finishStitching, pressing, lining and buttons — inside as well as out.
Keep the ticketIt is your record of the work and the price if you need an adjustment.
Review the bookingSay how the altered garment went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the alterations specialist firstDescribe the problem with the alteration, the date, and the fix you want. Because every service contract carries a term of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can require a free repeat or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you score a booked alterations specialist below four stars, you choose whether the alterations specialist sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no ombudsman for alterations specialists, advice on the alteration and a referral to Trading Standards come through Citizens Advice 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 4Small claims, as a last stepIf the alterations specialist still will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 for simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an alterations specialist: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to clothing alterations in any UK nation; a fitting, a ticket and a look at their work are the checks.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must use reasonable care and skill. You can require the alteration to be put right at their cost, or a price reduction if that is impossible.

Only if the alterations specialist's insurance covers customers' goods. Ask before leaving anything valuable.

£7 to £100 an item, typically around £20. Lined garments, delicate fabric and urgent turnaround cost more. Hem, zip and relining prices are broken down in the clothing alterations price guide; your town above brings up local alteration rates.

Only if there is enough seam allowance left. Ask before the cut is made.

The garment, each alteration and its price, any existing damage, and the collection date.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Tailor / SeamstressHow to hire: DressmakerHow to hire: Shoe RepairHow to hire: Dry Cleaning Pickup & DeliveryHow to hire: Personal StylistHow to hire: Wardrobe ConsultantHow to hire: Image ConsultantHow to hire: Laundry ServiceAll 701 hiring guides →

Alterations specialists near you

Alterations specialists in LondonAlterations specialists in ManchesterAlterations specialists in BirminghamAlterations specialists in GlasgowAlterations specialists in BelfastAll alterations specialists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  3. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  4. mygov.scot — consumer rights (Advice Direct Scotland)
  5. nidirect — about Consumerline
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  8. nidirect — small claims process
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register