HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

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

No register applies to data cabling. The checks that matter, the questions about routes and testing, and what you should be handed.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a data cabling installer in five steps

  1. Plan where the points goDesk, TV, access points, router and garden office, on a sketch.
  2. Agree the cable and the routesCat6 or better, hidden in walls or in trunking, and outdoor-rated where it leaves the house.
  3. Ask for testingEvery run tested, with the results written down.
  4. Agree the terminationFaceplates at each end and a patch panel where the runs meet.
  5. Get power from an electricianAny new socket for network kit is electrical work.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to data cabling installers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland; the Welsh Government lists extra-low voltage cabling for communication, such as telephone and data, as minor work that need not be notified.

Check insurance, a written specification and tested results for the network cabling instead. gov.wales →

New sockets for network kit

Adding a mains socket for a router or cabinet is electrical work: in England it is not notifiable on an existing circuit away from a bath or shower, but a new circuit is notifiable in England and Wales, and needs a scheme electrician or building control.

If the network cabling needs new power, ask who will do it and for a Minor Works Certificate. gov.uk →

Outdoor runs

Cable to a garden office or outdoor access point should be outdoor-rated and protected; if it shares a trench with a power cable, the power side is notifiable under the Building Regulations in England and Wales as a new circuit.

Ask for the outdoor route and whether it runs in its own duct. gov.uk →

Insurance and trader status

Public liability cover protects you if the network cabling damages your home or someone is hurt; ask for the insurer and limit. Dealing with a trader gives you the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and booking the network cabling at home or online normally gives 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — minus the value of anything you asked to be done in that time, and excluding goods made to order for you.

Request the current insurance schedule before the network cabling, and look at the profile badges for trader status and ID.

VAT

Installing data and network cabling is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%; a firm with taxable turnover over £90,000 must be VAT-registered, charge that 20% and show it as a separate line on the quote and invoice.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the cabling quote per data point. gov.uk →

“Which data cable will you use, and why?”

A good answer: Cat6 for most homes, Cat6a for longer or faster runs, named on the quote with the reason.

“How will the network cabling be routed?”

A good answer: Hidden in walls and floors, or in neat trunking, with the route agreed before drilling.

“Will every run be tested?”

A good answer: Yes, with the results written down for each point.

“Where will the runs terminate?”

A good answer: Faceplates at the rooms and a patch panel or small cabinet by the router.

“How will you keep data cable away from power cables?”

A good answer: Separate routes or crossings at right angles, kept apart where they run together.

“Do I need new power for the network kit?”

A good answer: If so, an electrician fits it and certifies it; the data cabling installer should say so up front.

Getting the quote right

  • Number of data points and the cable category
  • Routes: concealed or trunking
  • Faceplates, patch panel or cabinet
  • Testing of every run
  • Who actually attends — the installer pulling and testing the cable, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • No testing offered
  • Data cable tied to power cable along the same route
  • Indoor cable run outdoors
  • Unlabelled runs at the patch panel
  • Offers to add mains sockets without testing or certification
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£900

What a data cabling installer costs: £60–£900 per job

Data cabling is priced per job, by the number of points, the cable category, the length and difficulty of the routes and whether a patch panel or cabinet is fitted. Data & Network Cabling 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

Data cabling 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. PlanPoints, routes and the patch location agreed on a sketch.
  2. Run cableCable pulled through walls, floors or trunking, away from power cables.
  3. TerminateFaceplates and the patch panel connected and labelled.
  4. TestEvery run tested and the results recorded.
  5. Hand overResults, labels and a route plan handed over.

Cat6 / Cat6a
Categories of network cable; Cat6a supports higher speeds over longer runs.
Patch panel
The panel where all the runs end, next to the router.
Faceplate
The wall socket where a data run ends in a room.
Trunking
Surface channel that hides cable along walls.
Access point
A device that gives Wi-Fi from a wired connection.
Extra-low voltage
Low-voltage cabling such as data and telephone lines.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the test results and labelsThe result for each run and a label at both ends.
Test the speedsPlug in at each point and check the connection speed.
Keep a plan of the routesWhere cables run, so nobody drills through them.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the network cabling falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Give the installer a written chance to fix itMost problems with the network cabling are settled at this stage: say what is wrong, attach photos and set a fair deadline. If the network cabling fell below reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to have it redone or to pay less.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the network cabling 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 3Unsafe power work or a trading disputeIf new mains work for the network cabling was a notifiable circuit and never certified, tell the council's building control in England or Wales. For a trading dispute over the network cabling, 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 network cabling 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 data cabling installer: questions people ask

No register applies. The Welsh Government lists extra-low voltage communication cabling as minor work that need not be notified; any new mains power is electrical work.

There is no statutory certificate; ask for the test results for every run. A new mains socket should come with a Minor Works Certificate.

£60–£900 a job, typically around £300. The number of points, cable type and long runs set the price. There is a line-by-line breakdown in the Data & Network Cabling price guide, and the postcode box above brings up data cabling installers in your area.

In its own duct, kept apart; the power side is a new circuit and notifiable in England and Wales.

For most homes, yes; Cat6a suits longer runs or faster equipment.

Usually, in walls and under floors, though solid walls and listed features make it slower.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Garden Office ElectricsHow to hire: CCTV InstallationHow to hire: TV Aerial & Satellite InstallationHow to hire: Extra SocketsHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Socket & Switch InstallationHow to hire: Burglar Alarm InstallationHow to hire: Outbuilding Power SupplyAll 701 hiring guides →

Data cabling installers near you

Data cabling installers in LondonData cabling installers in ManchesterData cabling installers in BirminghamData cabling installers in GlasgowData cabling installers in BelfastAll data cabling installers on Locufy →Do it yourself: running an ethernet cable and fitting a data socket →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  2. gov.uk — building regulations: when you do not need approval
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  9. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  10. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  13. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register