HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to hire an irrigation installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers irrigation installers. In England and Wales an automatic system needs the water company's consent first. Here is how to check.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an irrigation installer in five steps

  1. Sketch the beds, lawn and potsWith the outside tap and any power point marked. Zones are priced by area and plant type.
  2. Ask who notifies the water companyIn England and Wales an automatic watering system needs notice and consent before it goes in.
  3. Get the parts listedController, valves, drip line or sprinklers, backflow protection, and the pipe runs.
  4. Check the electricsA controller near a socket is simple; a new outdoor supply is electrical work with its own rules.
  5. Agree winter careDraining down and a spring restart — included, or a visit each year.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

The law sets no licence and keeps no register for irrigation installers, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland alike. The legal rule sits with the water supply: what may be connected to it and who must be told.

Ask how many systems they have installed and for one you can see working.

Water company notice (England and Wales)

Regulation 5 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 says anyone proposing to install a garden watering system that is not designed to be operated by hand must notify the water undertaker and wait for its consent, then follow any conditions.

Ask the irrigation installer who will give notice, and keep a copy of the water company's consent. legislation.gov.uk →

Electrical work for the controller

Electrical work in a home in England and Wales has to meet the Building Regulations, and in Wales outdoor work is notifiable. An electrician on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register can certify it.

If a new outdoor socket or supply is needed, ask who wires it and which certificate you get. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Public liability insurance

Insurance is not a legal requirement for an irrigation installer. Public liability insurance matters anyway: trenching across a lawn can hit a cable or drain, and a split joint can flood a cellar or a neighbour's garden.

Ask to see the current insurance certificate, with its limit.

VAT

Installing garden irrigation is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%. An irrigation installer turning over more than £90,000 a year has to register, charge it and list the 20% separately on the written quote.

Ask the irrigation installer for the VAT number and check the 20% is a separate line under the zones and parts. gov.uk →

“Will you notify the water company before you start?”

A good answer: In England and Wales, yes — an automatic watering system needs notice and the water undertaker's consent first. If they have never heard of it, keep looking.

“How will you stop garden water getting back into the mains?”

A good answer: Backflow protection named for the system, fitted at the tap or supply.

“How many irrigation zones, and why?”

A good answer: Zones split by need: lawn sprinklers, drip line for beds, micro-sprays for pots.

“Where will the controller go, and how is it powered?”

A good answer: Battery, plug-in to an existing socket, or a new supply wired by a registered electrician.

“How deep will the irrigation pipes be buried?”

A good answer: A depth that protects them from forks and frost, with the run marked on a plan for you.

“What happens to the irrigation system in winter?”

A good answer: Draining down before frost, either shown to you or booked as a visit.

“What does the irrigation system guarantee cover?”

A good answer: Parts (from the manufacturer) and the installer's own workmanship, each with a period.

Getting the quote right

  • The zones, the area each covers and the emitter type
  • Controller, valves, filters and backflow protection named
  • Pipe runs and trenching, with reinstatement of the lawn
  • Water company notification, and who makes it
  • Any electrical work, and who certifies it
  • Who actually attends to trench and fit the system, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and 20% VAT set out apart from the parts and labour

Walk away if

  • No mention of the water company for an automatic system in England or Wales
  • No backflow protection on the parts list
  • A new outdoor supply wired by someone who cannot certify it
  • A price with no zones or parts listed
LOW
£500
TYPICAL
£1,200
HIGH
£4,000

What an irrigation installer costs: £500–£4,000 per job

Irrigation is quoted by the job: the number of zones, the length of pipe runs and the controller chosen set the price, with trenching and any electrical work on top. Garden Irrigation System 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

Irrigation 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. Survey and designWater pressure and flow measured at the tap, zones planned, the water company notified in England and Wales.
  2. TrenchNarrow trenches cut, turf lifted and kept aside.
  3. Lay and connectPipe laid and joined, valves and backflow protection fitted, the controller mounted.
  4. TestEach zone pressure-tested and run, emitters adjusted.
  5. Reinstate and hand overTurf relaid, the plan and programme handed over and explained.

Zone
A group of sprinklers or drip lines that run together from one valve.
Drip line
Pipe with built-in emitters that waters beds slowly at the roots.
Backflow protection
A device that stops garden water flowing back into the mains.
Water undertaker
Your water supply company.
Controller
The timer that switches the zones on and off.
Flow rate
How much water the tap delivers, which limits how many emitters run at once.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the plan and the consentA drawing of where the pipes run, the parts list and the water company's consent go with the house papers.
Run every zoneWatch each zone come on, check for dry patches, overspray onto paths and leaks at joints.
Learn the controllerHow to change the schedule, pause for rain and drain down for winter.
Close it with a reviewOnce you are happy with the irrigation installer's work, review it; if you are not, the make-it-right step comes before the review.

STEP 1Give them the chance to fix itMost problems with the system are put right once raised clearly. Ask the irrigation installer in writing to redo the faulty part; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that must happen within a reasonable time and at their cost.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upBelow four stars, you choose whether the irrigation installer sees the problem before your review does; we follow it through, then the review goes live.
STEP 3No regulator: Trading StandardsFor advice, or to have Trading Standards told, ring 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 4If all else failsA dispute with the irrigation installer worth up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland or £5,000 in Northern Ireland can go to the small-claims court; fees start at £35 in England and Wales.

Hiring an irrigation installer: questions people ask

In England and Wales, an automatic system needs notice to and consent from your water company under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. A hand-operated hose does not.

Neither a licence nor a register is required of irrigation installers, whether in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Any new electrical supply should be done by someone who can certify it.

Roughly £500–£4,000 a job, typically £1,200. What you pay depends on the job; the garden irrigation system price guide shows why, and the search above finds irrigation installers near you.

A good installer measures pressure and flow first and designs the zones to suit; low pressure means more, smaller zones.

Cleaning filters, checking emitters each spring and draining down before frost.

Yes, with a pump from a butt or tank; that part of the system is not connected to the mains.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: Garden DesignHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Planting & BordersHow to hire: Lawn Care & TreatmentHow to hire: TurfingHow to hire: Raised BedsHow to hire: Water Feature InstallationHow to hire: Garden MaintenanceAll 701 hiring guides →

Irrigation installers near you

Irrigation installers in LondonIrrigation installers in ManchesterIrrigation installers in BirminghamIrrigation installers in GlasgowIrrigation installers in BelfastAll irrigation installers on Locufy →Do it yourself: setting up timed garden watering →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5 — notifying the water undertaker
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  7. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  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