HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

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

No register licenses general contractors; CDM duties and building control do apply. The checks, the questions about programme and payments, and the paperwork.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a general contractor in five steps

  1. Fix the scope on paperDrawings and a specification the contractor prices against, item by item.
  2. Confirm who is principal contractorOn a multi-trade job, they hold your CDM 2015 client duties.
  3. Agree the programmeStart date, stages and completion, with what happens if it slips.
  4. Tie payments to stagesValuations against finished work, with a retention held to the end.
  5. Collect every certificateBuilding control completion plus each specialist trade's certificate.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

For the contract works there is no register to search: general contractors need no licence anywhere in the UK, and the law bites through building regulations approval, or Scotland's building warrant, when the work calls for it. Expect public liability cover for the contract works, and ask for the insurer's name and the limit. Because you are buying from a trader, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the contract works; agreed in your home or at a distance, it usually carries a 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, although work you asked to begin early is paid for and made-to-measure goods are excluded (regulation 28).

Find out early whether the contract works needs approval or a warrant, and whose name is on the application. Ask for proof of insurance for the contract works; the trader and ID-checked badges are on the Locufy profile. gov.uk →

Who holds the client duties (CDM 2015)

For the contract works on your own home, CDM 2015 does not leave the client duties with you: HSE says they pass to the contractor, or the principal contractor where there are several.

Get the principal contractor for the contract works named in writing. hse.gov.uk →

Building regulations approval

The contract works will usually include items that need building regulations approval; the general contractor should say which and who applies. In England, a full plans application for the contract works normally ends with a completion certificate from building control within 8 weeks of completion, provided the work complies.

Before the contract works begins, ask to see the building control approval or reference. gov.uk →

Building warrant (Scotland)

A building warrant, where the contract works requires one in Scotland, is the owner's responsibility rather than the builder's; going without risks a fine and an order to remove the work. In Northern Ireland, council building control must hear about the contract works before it starts.

Check the warrant (Scotland) or the building control reference (Northern Ireland) is in place before the contract works. mygov.scot →

VAT

Contract works to an existing house carry the standard 20% — a new-build dwelling is zero-rated, and a qualifying conversion or renovation of a home empty for two years or more is 5% — and a contractor above the £90,000 threshold must charge VAT and list it apart from the contract sum.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the contract sum and each valuation. gov.uk →

“Will you act as principal contractor for the contract works?”

A good answer: Yes, in writing; HSE says your client duties under CDM 2015 then pass to them.

“Which trades are yours and which are subcontracted?”

A good answer: A list, with the general contractor responsible for all of them and their certificates.

“What is the programme, and how will you report progress?”

A good answer: A written programme by stage and a regular update, with changes agreed in writing.

“How will the general contractor be paid?”

A good answer: Stage payments or valuations against completed work, with a small retention until snagging is done.

“How are variations priced?”

A good answer: Changes priced and agreed in writing before the extra work starts.

“Who deals with building control and the neighbours?”

A good answer: The contractor books inspections and serves any party wall notices, or tells you clearly that you must.

“What insurance covers the contract works?”

A good answer: Public liability and contract works insurance, with the insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Itemised price against drawings and specification
  • Provisional sums and prime cost items listed separately
  • Preliminaries — site set-up, skips, scaffold, welfare
  • Payment schedule and any retention
  • Who actually attends — the contractor's site manager and each subcontracted trade, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • The programme dates

Walk away if

  • Won't name the subcontractors or take responsibility for them
  • Asks for most of the money up front
  • No written programme
  • Variations done first and priced afterwards
  • Unclear who holds the CDM duties
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£350
HIGH
£500

What a general contractor costs: £250–£500 per day

General contractors price larger jobs as a fixed contract sum from drawings, with preliminaries and provisional sums shown, or charge a day rate for management on smaller work. General Contractor 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

General contractors 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. PricingThe contractor prices the drawings and specification and proposes a programme.
  2. ContractScope, price, programme, payments and principal contractor role agreed in writing.
  3. Site set-upWelfare, skips, protection, party wall notices and building control booked.
  4. BuildTrades sequenced, inspections passed, valuations against completed stages.
  5. CompletionSnagging, final account, completion certificate and handover file.

Principal contractor
The contractor who manages health and safety when several trades work.
Preliminaries
The site costs of running the job — welfare, skips, scaffold.
Valuation
A measure of work done that a stage payment is based on.
Retention
A small sum held back until defects are fixed.
Variation
A change to the agreed work, with its own price.
Final account
The agreed total once all variations are in.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the completion paperworkBuilding control completion certificate, every trade's certificates and the guarantees.
Close out the snag listRelease the retention only when the agreed snags are done.
Keep the final accountThe agreed final price with every variation listed.
Write the reviewOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the contract works falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Contact the contractor in writingExplain clearly what has gone wrong with the contract works, what the quote or contract said, and when you need it put right. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats reasonable care and skill as part of the deal, and lets you claim a redo or a reduction when it is not met.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the contract works 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 3Unapproved or dangerous workIf the contract works needed approval and did not get it, the council deals with it: building control in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the building standards service in Scotland, where the owner answers for a missing warrant. For a dispute about the contract works with the trader, 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 contract works 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 general contractor: questions people ask

No; no law licenses them anywhere in the UK. Building regulations approval, a Scottish building warrant and licensed asbestos removal are the legal controls.

For work on your own home, HSE says your CDM 2015 client duties pass to the principal contractor where more than one contractor is involved.

£250–£500 a day, typically around £350. You pay for management as well as labour, so rates sit above a single tradesman's. How the figure is built up is in the General Contractor price guide; search by postcode above to see what general contractors near you quote.

A small retention until snagging is complete is common on larger jobs; agree it in the contract.

The building control completion certificate, plus certificates from specialists such as electricians, gas engineers and window installers.

The contract should say how delays are handled; agree it before work starts.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: BuilderHow to hire: House ExtensionHow to hire: Loft ConversionHow to hire: Basement ConversionHow to hire: ArchitectHow to hire: Structural EngineerHow to hire: GroundworksHow to hire: Kitchen FitterAll 701 hiring guides →

General contractors near you

General contractors in LondonGeneral contractors in ManchesterGeneral contractors in BirminghamGeneral contractors in GlasgowGeneral contractors in BelfastAll general contractors on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  2. gov.uk — building regulations: how to apply
  3. TrustMark — the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme
  4. mygov.scot — if a builder is doing the work for you
  5. nidirect — how to apply for Building Regulations approval
  6. gov.uk — party walls and building work
  7. Party Wall etc. Act 1996
  8. HSE — CDM 2015: domestic clients
  9. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  14. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  15. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  16. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  17. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  18. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  19. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  20. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register