HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire an errand runner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Errand running needs no licence in the UK. Here is how to check an individual, handle money safely, and what to agree on the hourly rate, the minimum booking and the errand list.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an errand runner in five steps

  1. Write the errand downWhat, where, by when, and what to do if it is not possible.
  2. Agree the moneyA float or reimbursement, with receipts for every purchase.
  3. Agree hourly minimums and travelWhat counts towards the hours.
  4. Ask about vehiclesOn foot, public transport or car — it changes the price.
  5. Confirm each errand is doneA message or photo on completion.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Running errands for people is unregulated across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — no register, no licence. The checks are references, receipts and a clear written brief.

Ring two people the errand runner has worked for.

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

No law requires an errand runner to hold one. Someone working with your keys, cards or parcels can request their own basic check — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — and show it to you.

Ask to see a recent certificate in their name. 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 an errand runner 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 an errand runner trades as a business, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill — a lost parcel or wrong purchase through carelessness is theirs to put right.

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

VAT

Errands done by the hour are standard-rated, so a VAT-registered errand runner adds 20% to the hours and the mileage. Most individual errand runners are under the £90,000 registration threshold; an individual under it does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask whether the errand runner is VAT-registered; if not, the invoice for the hours should have no VAT on it. gov.uk →

“What is the errand runner's minimum booking and hourly rate?”

A good answer: A minimum, an hourly rate, and how travel time is counted.

“How will purchases be paid for?”

A good answer: A float you give them, or reimbursement against receipts.

“Will you send receipts and a completion message for each errand?”

A good answer: Yes, every time.

“Do you use a car, and is it insured for business use?”

A good answer: A clear answer if driving is part of the errand.

“What happens if an item is out of stock or a shop is shut?”

A good answer: They message you first rather than guessing.

“Can I ring two clients you run errands for?”

A good answer: Names and numbers readily given.

“Who holds my keys, and how do they come back?”

A good answer: Keys signed for and returned in person.

Booking by the hour

  • The hourly rate, and what a same-day, evening or weekend hour costs
  • The minimum booking and whether an errand that finishes early is billed to the end of it
  • The list of errands agreed before the first hour: where, what to buy, what to collect
  • What each side brings: you the money or card limit and the shopping list; the errand runner a phone, their own transport and every receipt
  • ID checked and the errand runner's rating, with mileage and parking agreed per hour or per trip

Walk away if

  • No receipts
  • Asking for your card PIN
  • Unclear hours with no breakdown
  • No references
  • Driving you for payment without a private hire licence
  • Keys not returned or copied
LOW
£23
TYPICAL
£26
HIGH
£30

What an errand runner costs: £23–£30 per hour

Errand runners charge by the hour with a minimum booking, with travel counted in the hours and purchases paid at cost on top. Errand Runner 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

Errand runners 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. BriefThe errand, the deadline and the budget, in writing.
  2. MoneyFloat or reimbursement agreed.
  3. The errandDone as briefed; you are messaged if anything changes.
  4. CompletionA message or photo, with receipts.
  5. InvoiceHours, travel and purchases itemised.

Float
Cash or a card limit given for purchases.
Reimbursement
Paying back purchases against receipts.
Minimum booking
The fewest hours you pay for.
Mileage
A charge per mile driven.
Platform fee
A booking app's charge on top.
Completion message
Confirmation the errand is done.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check receipts and changeAgainst the float or reimbursement.
Check the hoursAgainst the times you were sent.
Get keys backAnd note any codes to change.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours about the errands and the receipts counts. If something was wrong, the make-it-right step comes first and the errand runner is asked to fix it.

STEP 1Tell the errand runner, in writingSet out what went wrong with the errand and what you want done, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires a trader to use reasonable care and skill; where the errand fell short, ask for it to be done again at their cost, or for money off.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the errand runner under four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNobody regulates errand runners, so if a dispute over the errand stalls, Trading Standards is reached 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 4Money still in disputeA claim against an errand runner for a refund or the cost of putting things right can go to small claims: up to £10,000 on the county court small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an errand runner: questions people ask

Shopping, collecting and queuing for someone needs no licence in any UK nation. Driving you as a passenger 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 float or reimbursement against receipts; never share your PIN.

£23 to £30 an hour, typically around £26. Minimum bookings, travel and urgency move the price. Hourly rates and minimum bookings are in the errand runner price guide; enter your town above to find errand runners near you.

Usually. Agree how it is counted before booking.

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

MORE GUIDES

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Errand runners near you

Errand runners in LondonErrand runners in ManchesterErrand runners in BirminghamErrand runners in GlasgowErrand runners in BelfastAll errand runners 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