HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

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

No register covers gate installers. Check the height limit by a road, the posts, and who wires an electric gate.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a gate installer in five steps

  1. Measure the opening and heightNext to a road, 1 metre is the permitted limit in England.
  2. Choose manual or electricElectric needs power, a safe controller and safety features.
  3. Ask about the postsSize and setting for the gate's weight.
  4. Check the swingInwards over your land, clear of the pavement.
  5. Get it in writingGate, posts, hardware, any motor and wiring, VAT.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses gate installers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme — is voluntary. What the law does regulate is the work: the gate's height under the planning rules and, for an electric gate, the wiring.

Ask for addresses of finished jobs and, if they claim TrustMark, search the business on trustmark.org.uk. trustmark.org.uk →

Height limits (England)

In England, permitted development allows a new fence, wall or gate of up to 2 metres, or 1 metre beside a road used by vehicles (Class A, Part 2, General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015). Anything at a listed building needs permission.

Ask the gate installer to confirm the finished height on the quote, and check with the council if it is close. legislation.gov.uk →

Electrics for an electric gate

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

Ask who wires the motor and which certificate you will get. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Public liability insurance

No law makes a gate installer carry insurance, but a heavy gate or post hole can damage a car, a wall or a buried pipe. Public liability insurance is what pays for damage to your property or a neighbour's.

Ask for the insurer's name and the cover limit.

VAT

Supplying and hanging a gate is standard-rated at 20%. A gate installer above the £90,000 threshold must be registered, charge it and show the 20% on its own line.

Ask the gate installer for the VAT number and check the 20% is printed apart from the gate and hardware prices. gov.uk →

“How high will the gate be, and is it next to the road?”

A good answer: A height; over 1 metre beside a road needs planning permission in England.

“What gate posts will you use?”

A good answer: Size and setting suited to the gate's weight.

“Which way will the gate open?”

A good answer: Inwards, clear of the pavement.

“For an electric gate: who wires it and what safety features does it have?”

A good answer: A registered electrician, with obstacle detection and a manual release.

“What hardware comes with the gate?”

A good answer: Hinges, latch, stops and a lock named.

“What gate guarantee do you give?”

A good answer: Workmanship plus the maker's guarantee on the gate and motor.

“Is the old gate taken away?”

A good answer: Yes, by a registered carrier, priced.

Getting the quote right

  • Gate size, material and style
  • Posts and their setting
  • Hardware listed
  • Motor, controls and wiring for an electric gate, with the certificate
  • Who actually attends to hang the gate and fit any motor, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% listed separately from the gate, posts and hardware

Walk away if

  • A tall gate by a road with no planning question
  • Electric gate wired by someone who cannot certify it
  • No safety features on an electric gate
  • Gate opening over the pavement
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£450
HIGH
£2,000

What a gate installer costs: £250–£2,000 per gate

Gates are priced per gate installed; size, material, posts and any motor and wiring set the price. Gate 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

Gate 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. MeasureOpening, height and ground levels checked.
  2. PostsPosts set in concrete and left to cure.
  3. HangGate hung, hinges and latch adjusted.
  4. PowerFor an electric gate, the motor fitted and the supply wired by an electrician.
  5. Test and hand overGate tested, remotes and manual release explained.

Gate post
The post the gate hangs from.
Drop bolt
A bolt that holds a gate leaf in place.
Manual release
A way to open an electric gate in a power cut.
Obstacle detection
A safety feature that stops an electric gate.
Swing gate
A gate that opens on hinges.
Sliding gate
A gate that runs sideways on a track.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkInvoice, guarantees and the electrical certificate.
Swing and latch itOpens and closes without catching, latches firmly.
Test the safety stopAn electric gate should stop and reverse at an obstruction.
Your reviewOnly booked jobs get reviews on Locufy. Raise anything unfinished with the gate installer through the make-it-right step, then review.

STEP 1Raise it with themKeep it in writing: what was agreed for the gate, what was done, and what you now want from the gate installer. Work done without reasonable care and skill breaks the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
STEP 2Make it right through LocufyGive fewer than four stars and you are asked whether the gate installer should get the chance to fix it first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3Planning or building control problemsIf the gate installer's work breaks planning or building rules, the council's planning or building control team is the authority, and an enforcement notice can require the work to be undone. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262) advise and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Claim the money backFor a gate installer who ignores a fair request, the small-claims limits are £10,000 (England and Wales), £5,000 (Scotland, simple procedure) and £5,000 (Northern Ireland).

Hiring a gate installer: questions people ask

In England, for a gate over 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles, over 2 metres elsewhere, or at a listed building.

Gate installers trade without any licence or registration requirement. An electric gate's wiring should be done by someone who can certify it.

£250–£2,000 a gate is the usual range and £450 the typical figure. The gate installation price guide has the factors behind it.

It should not open over the pavement or road; inwards is the norm.

Usually a day, plus time for post concrete to cure.

Oiling hinges and, for an electric gate, a periodic check of the safety features.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: Fencing InstallerHow to hire: Garden Wall BuildingHow to hire: Driveway PavingHow to hire: Block PavingHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Resin DrivewayHow to hire: Tarmac & Asphalt DrivewayHow to hire: Patio LayingAll 701 hiring guides →

Gate installers near you

Gate installers in LondonGate installers in ManchesterGate installers in BirminghamGate installers in GlasgowGate installers in BelfastAll gate installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2 — gates, fences and walls
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  4. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  6. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  7. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  8. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register