HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire a home stager in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to home stagers. The checks — insurance, hire terms, a written scope — the questions to ask and what to agree first.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a home stager in five steps

  1. Decide what you needAdvice and a declutter, or furniture hire and full dressing for photos and viewings.
  2. Get the hire termsHow long, the weekly rate after that, and who collects.
  3. Ask about insuranceFor the stager's furniture in your home, and for damage to your property.
  4. Agree the roomsWhich rooms, which items, and when it goes in.
  5. Plan collectionWhen the furniture leaves, and what happens if the sale drags on.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to home stagers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so the home staging is governed by the contract and ordinary consumer law.

Ask for a written scope of the home staging, room by room, before anything is booked.

Insurance for the furniture

Hired furniture in your home needs insurance: ask whether the stager's policy covers its stock in your property, and what your own home insurance says about other people's goods.

Ask for the stager's insurance details and check your own policy before the home staging goes in.

Insurance and trader status

A trader quoting for the home staging should have public liability insurance and tell you who provides it. That trader status is what gives you rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and for a home or online booking a 14-day cancellation window under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — which does not cover goods made to your specification, and leaves you paying for work you asked to start early.

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

VAT

Expect 20% VAT, the standard rate, on home staging and furniture hire: a business above the £90,000 registration threshold is required to charge it and to show it separately from the labour and materials.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the staging proposal and the weekly hire rate. gov.uk →

“What does the home staging include?”

A good answer: A room-by-room list: decluttering advice, furniture, accessories, styling for photos.

“How long is the hire, and what happens after?”

A good answer: A set period and a weekly rate after, in writing.

“Who insures the furniture while it is in my home?”

A good answer: The stager's insurance named, and what you are responsible for.

“Who delivers and collects?”

A good answer: Dates agreed, with any charge for collection at short notice.

“Can I see photos of homes you have staged?”

A good answer: Before-and-after photos of homes like yours.

“What if I sell quickly, or slowly?”

A good answer: What the home staging costs either way, and how to end the hire early.

Getting the quote right

  • Rooms and items included
  • Hire period and the weekly rate after it
  • Delivery, styling and collection
  • Insurance responsibility for hired items
  • Who actually attends — the stylist and the delivery crew, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • No written hire period
  • No insurance for their stock in your home
  • Large upfront payment with no item list
  • Vague collection terms
  • Will not show previous work
LOW
£600
TYPICAL
£2,000
HIGH
£2,642

What a home stager costs: £600–£2,642 per project

Home staging is priced per project: advice and decluttering are the low end, and furniture hire for the whole home, painting and styling cost more. Home Staging 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

Home stagers 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. ConsultationA walk-round and a staging plan for the key rooms.
  2. DeclutterYou clear the rooms the stager will dress.
  3. DeliveryFurniture and accessories delivered and placed.
  4. StylingRooms dressed for photos and viewings.
  5. CollectionItems collected and checked against the inventory.

Staging
Dressing a home to show it at its best for sale.
Inventory
The list of items delivered.
Hire period
How long the furniture stays.
Styling
Arranging furniture and accessories for photos.
Declutter
Clearing personal items before staging.
Consultation
An advice visit without furniture hire.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the inventoryA list of every item delivered, signed by both sides.
Check the condition at collectionYour floors and walls after the furniture goes.
Keep the contractHire period and charges, in case the sale is delayed.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the home staging falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Tell the stager, in writingSay what is wrong with the home staging and what you want done about it. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must carry out the home staging with reasonable care and skill, and if they did not you can ask for it to be redone or for a price reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the home staging 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 3A trading disputeThere is no regulator for home staging, so a dispute over the home staging goes to Trading Standards 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 home staging 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 home stager: questions people ask

No licence or register applies anywhere in the UK; check insurance, references and a written contract.

Ask: the stager's policy should cover its stock, and you should check what your home insurance covers.

£600–£2,642 a project, typically around £2,000. Decluttering advice is the low end; furniture hire and full dressing cost more. For what is usually included, read the Home Staging price guide; enter a postcode above to compare home stagers locally.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must provide the service with reasonable care and skill; raise it in writing.

As long as the hire period agreed; check the weekly rate after it.

That is where furniture hire matters most; an occupied home may need only advice and styling.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: Interior DesignerHow to hire: PlastererHow to hire: Flooring InstallerHow to hire: Carpet FitterHow to hire: Fitted Wardrobe InstallerHow to hire: BuilderHow to hire: Floor SandingHow to hire: Carpenter & JoinerAll 701 hiring guides →

Home stagers near you

Home stagers in LondonHome stagers in ManchesterHome stagers in BirminghamHome stagers in GlasgowHome stagers in BelfastAll home stagers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  4. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  6. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  7. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  8. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. Citizens Advice — problem with building work, decorating or home improvements (England)
  10. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register