HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a computer setup technician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to computer setup. Here is how to protect your accounts and data and what the price should include.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a computer setup technician in five steps

  1. Back up the old computerCopy files and photos somewhere safe before the visit.
  2. List what needs doingDevices, accounts, email, printers, Wi-Fi and data to move.
  3. Agree a price for the jobFixed, or hourly with a cap, including travel.
  4. Have logins readySo the computer setup technician can sign you in while you watch, not keep your passwords.
  5. Decide what happens to the old machineWiped securely, kept, or recycled.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses computer setup technicians in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Reviews from booked jobs, a fixed price and careful handling of your accounts are what to look for.

Agree the price and the task list in writing before the visit.

Reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

A trader setting up your equipment must work with reasonable care and skill. If files are lost through carelessness or the setup does not work, you can ask for it to be redone free, then a price cut.

Keep the agreed task list and the invoice. legislation.gov.uk →

Your personal data and accounts

A technician moving your files and email handles personal data. Data protection rules require a business to keep it secure, and most must pay the ICO data protection fee.

Type passwords yourself where you can, and ask the technician not to keep copies of your data. gov.uk →

Cancelling a booking made at home or online

If you book the setup online, by phone or in your home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually give 14 days to cancel a service; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what was done.

Check the booking terms explain cancellation. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Setup and installation work is standard-rated, so a registered computer setup technician adds 20% to the fixed price or hourly rate and to the call-out charge. Registration becomes compulsory once a computer setup technician has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the computer setup technician for the VAT number when you book and for the call-out, labour and VAT listed one by one. gov.uk →

“What will the computer setup include?”

A good answer: A task list: updates, accounts, email, security, printer, Wi-Fi and data transfer.

“Is the price fixed, and does it include travel?”

A good answer: A fixed price or hourly rate with a cap, travel stated.

“How will you move my files and email?”

A good answer: A method that keeps the old copy until you have checked the new one.

“Will you need my passwords?”

A good answer: Only to sign in while you are there; a good technician lets you type them.

“How will you wipe my old computer?”

A good answer: A secure wipe, or advice on removing the drive before recycling.

“Will you show me how everything works?”

A good answer: A short handover at the end of the setup.

“What if something stops working after the visit?”

A good answer: A follow-up window to fix problems caused by the setup.

Getting the quote right

  • Devices and tasks listed
  • Who actually attends your home or office: the computer setup technician you booked, an employee, or a subcontracted engineer
  • Fixed price, or hourly rate with a cap
  • Travel or call-out charge
  • Data transfer: how much, and how it is checked
  • Old device wiping or disposal
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on labour and the call-out charge shown separately

Walk away if

  • Wants to take your old computer away without wiping it
  • Keeps a written list of your passwords
  • Installs extra software you did not ask for
  • No price agreed before starting
  • Deletes the old data before you have checked the copy
  • Cold-calls offering setup or repairs
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£75
HIGH
£120

What a computer setup technician costs: £40–£120 per job

Computer setup is usually priced per job, fixed for a defined list of tasks, with travel and extra devices added. Computer Setup & Installation 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

Computer setup technicians 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. PlanDevices, accounts and data to move agreed.
  2. Unbox and updateThe new computer set up and updated.
  3. Accounts and securityUsers, email, cloud storage and security set up.
  4. Data transfer and devicesFiles moved, printer and Wi-Fi connected.
  5. HandoverA run-through, and the old machine wiped if agreed.

Data transfer
Copying files, photos and settings to the new computer.
Secure wipe
Erasing a drive so the data cannot be recovered.
Cloud storage
Online storage for files, synced across devices.
Operating system updates
Fixes and security patches for the computer's system software.
Router
The box that connects your home or office to the internet.
Two-step verification
A second check, such as a code, when signing in.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check your files and emailOpen photos, documents and email folders on the new machine.
Change any shared passwordsIf you told the technician a password, change it now.
Keep the old drive until you are sureWipe or recycle it once everything is confirmed.
Review it on LocufyRate the computer setup technician on the things that mattered to you: the result, the communication, the price. Anything wrong goes through make-it-right before the review is published.

STEP 1Write to the computer setup technician firstExplain to the computer setup technician, in writing, which part of the job fell short and what you want done. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for it to be put right at no extra cost, or for money back.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upBelow four stars, Locufy asks if the computer setup technician should be told first and given a chance. We follow it up; your review goes live once it has run its course.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no regulator for computer setup technicians, the computer setup technician can be referred to Trading Standards by the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The small claims routeIf the computer setup technician still will not refund or fix it, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a computer setup technician: questions people ask

No. Setup work is unlicensed in every UK nation and nobody keeps a register of technicians.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill; ask for the problem to be put right free, then for money off.

Back up first, type passwords yourself, and make sure the old drive is wiped before it leaves the house.

The range is £40–£120 per job, and £75 is a typical figure. The number of devices, data transfer and networking set the price. The computer setup technician price guide covers what changes it; enter your town above to compare local computer setup technicians.

Usually within 14 days if booked online, by phone or at home, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, paying for work you asked to start sooner.

A single computer usually takes one to two hours; a small office takes longer.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: IT SupportHow to hire: Computer & Laptop RepairHow to hire: Network EngineerHow to hire: Managed IT ServicesHow to hire: Data RecoveryHow to hire: Phone & Screen RepairHow to hire: Virtual AssistantHow to hire: Cybersecurity ConsultantAll 701 hiring guides →

Computer setup technicians near you

Computer setup technicians in LondonComputer setup technicians in ManchesterComputer setup technicians in BirminghamComputer setup technicians in GlasgowComputer setup technicians in BelfastAll computer setup technicians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  3. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  4. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  5. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  6. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register