HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

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

A concierge in the UK needs no licence, and there is no register to search. Here is how to check an individual, set spending limits, and what the hourly rate, the minimum booking and the task list should say.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a concierge in five steps

  1. Ring two referencesPeople the concierge has worked for recently, by phone.
  2. Set a spending limitPer request and per month, agreed in writing.
  3. Never share card PINs or passwordsUse a card with a limit, or approve each payment yourself.
  4. Agree how time is billedHourly blocks, minimums, and out-of-hours rates.
  5. Ask for receipts for everythingEvery booking, ticket and purchase, sent to you.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Booking restaurants, tickets and travel for clients is not a licensed activity in any UK nation, and no register of concierges exists. The checks are references, a written agreement on spending and access, and receipts.

Ring two recent clients and agree the spending limit in writing.

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

There is no legal duty on a concierge here. Still, a person working with access to your home, diary or payment details can get a basic check on themselves — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — to show you.

Ask whether they have one from the last year, and see it. gov.uk →

Private hire licence if they drive you

Running errands in their own car takes no special licence. Carrying you or your family as paying passengers is another matter: in England and Wales a private hire driver needs a council licence, as gov.uk explains, and Scotland and Northern Ireland license drivers under their own systems. Ask before a concierge drives you anywhere.

If they will drive you, ask for the council private hire licence and the vehicle licence. gov.uk →

Trader status (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

When the concierge trades as a business, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the service to be done with reasonable care and skill — a booking made wrongly through carelessness is their problem to put right.

Ask for written confirmation of each request and an invoice for the hours.

VAT

A concierge booked by the hour is supplying a standard-rated service, so a VAT-registered one adds 20% to the hours. Most individual concierges sit under the £90,000 registration threshold, and an individual under it charges no VAT on the hours and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the concierge whether they are VAT-registered; if not, the invoice for the hours should show no VAT at all. gov.uk →

“How does the concierge bill time — by the hour, in blocks, or by membership?”

A good answer: A clear method, minimum blocks and out-of-hours rates.

“How will the concierge pay for things on my behalf?”

A good answer: Your card with a limit, or approval per payment — never your PIN or passwords.

“Will you send receipts for every booking and purchase?”

A good answer: Yes, as each is made.

“Who else would handle my concierge requests?”

A good answer: Only the concierge you hired, or a named colleague you have agreed to.

“How do you keep my details private?”

A good answer: Secure storage, nothing shared without asking, deleted when the work ends.

“Can I ring two people you work for as a concierge?”

A good answer: Names and numbers offered readily.

“Will you drive me, and if so do you hold a private hire licence?”

A good answer: A clear answer; if they drive you for payment, the council licence.

Booking by the hour

  • The hourly rate, the evening and weekend rate, and whether an urgent request costs more
  • The minimum booking — often a block of hours — and whether an early finish is billed for the full block or by the hour used
  • The list of tasks agreed before the first hour starts, and how a new request is added and priced
  • What each side brings: you the spending limit and the account details you choose to share; the concierge a phone, their own transport and receipts for every purchase
  • ID checked and the concierge's rating before you hand over any booking access

Walk away if

  • Asking for your PIN or account passwords
  • No receipts for purchases
  • Billing for time with no breakdown
  • No references
  • Passing your requests to people you have not agreed
  • Driving you for payment with no private hire licence
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£23
HIGH
£30

What a concierge costs: £15–£30 per hour

Concierges charge by the hour or by membership, with bookings, tickets and purchases paid at cost on top. Concierge Service 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

Concierges 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, or book by the hour.

  1. BriefWhat you need, spending limit, access and contact times.
  2. RequestEach request confirmed in writing.
  3. Research and bookingOptions sent to you, your choice booked.
  4. ConfirmationBooking details and receipts sent.
  5. Follow-upChanges and problems handled; hours invoiced.

Membership
A monthly fee for a set amount of concierge time.
Pay-as-you-go
Hourly billing per request.
Billable time
The hours you pay for.
Spending limit
The most the concierge may spend without asking.
Disbursements
Money spent on your behalf, charged at cost.
Out-of-hours
Evening and weekend requests, often at a higher rate.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check receipts against the billEvery booking and purchase, and the hours charged.
Remove access you no longer needCard limits, diary access, keys.
Keep confirmationsBookings and tickets in one place.
Review the bookingSay how the bookings made for you went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the concierge firstDescribe the problem with the service, 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 concierge below four stars, you choose whether the concierge sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceWith no ombudsman for concierges, advice on the service 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 concierge 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 a concierge: questions people ask

Concierge work itself needs no licence in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A concierge who drives you for payment needs a private hire licence.

No law requires one. They can request their own basic check — DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI — and show you.

A card with a limit or approval per payment; never share your PIN or passwords.

£15 to £30 an hour, typically around £23. Membership plans and out-of-hours requests change the cost. Hourly and membership rates are compared in the concierge service price guide; add your town above to see concierges working near you.

No. Tickets, gifts and bookings are paid at cost on top.

Raise it in writing. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must use reasonable care and skill.

MORE GUIDES

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Concierges near you

Concierges in LondonConcierges in ManchesterConcierges in BirminghamConcierges in GlasgowConcierges in BelfastAll concierges on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  2. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  3. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  4. gov.uk — driver licences for taxis and private hire vehicles
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register