HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

Marquee hire needs no licence in the UK. Here is what to check about the build and site, what to ask and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a marquee in five steps

  1. Get a site visitA marquee company should see the ground, slopes, access and anything underground before quoting.
  2. Ask about anchoring and windStakes or ballast for your surface, and the wind speed at which the marquee must be cleared.
  3. Check permission for the siteThe land owner's agreement; ask the council if the marquee will stay up a long time.
  4. List everything separatelyFlooring, linings, lighting, heating, power, toilets, catering tent.
  5. Fix build and take-down datesAnd any damage deposit, in writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no statutory register for marquee hire companies anywhere in the UK, and no exam to pass before taking bookings. The company's experience on ground like yours, its anchoring and its wind limits matter more than the brochure.

Speak to someone who booked the marquee recently, and get the terms on paper first.

Building the marquee safely

HSE's event safety guidance treats stages, marquees and similar kit as temporary demountable structures, with its own good practice for putting them up and taking them down. A marquee firm should plan the build for your ground and the wind, anchor or ballast it properly and give you a written limit for when it must be cleared.

Ask the marquee firm for its risk assessment, its wind limit and how it will anchor on your surface. hse.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance for the marquee

Nothing in statute fixes the cover; venues set their own public liability figure and ask to see proof of it. Venues and land owners routinely want the marquee company's public liability certificate before the build.

Find out what the venue requires, then get a copy of the marquee's certificate showing the amount and dates.

Trader status and cancellation terms

Hiring a marquee from a business means dealing with a trader, which brings in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and its promise of reasonable care and skill. A booking for a specific date is usually outside the 14-day cancellation right, as regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes date-bound leisure and catering services, so the deposit terms in the marquee's contract matter.

Read the marquee's cancellation, deposit and postponement terms before you pay anything. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Marquee hire, with the build, flooring, lighting and heating, is standard-rated at 20%. Among marquee hire companies, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask the marquee company for its VAT number and for each priced item shown before VAT, with the 20% below. gov.uk →

“Will you visit the site before quoting?”

A good answer: Yes — a marquee company that looks at slopes, access, drains and buried cables.

“How will you anchor the marquee on this ground?”

A good answer: Stakes on grass, ballast on hard standing, with the method explained.

“What is the wind limit, and what happens if it is exceeded?”

A good answer: A figure, and a plan to clear the marquee if the wind rises.

“What size marquee do we need for our guests and layout?”

A good answer: A size worked out from seated guests, dance floor, bar and catering space.

“What does the price include — flooring, linings, lighting, heating?”

A good answer: Each item listed on the marquee quote, priced separately.

“Who supplies power, and where does the generator go?”

A good answer: A plan for power, with the generator away from the marquee entrance.

“Is the marquee company insured?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named, copy for the land owner.

“When do you build and take down?”

A good answer: Dates and times in writing, with access needs.

Getting the quote right

  • Marquee size and type, and the guest layout it is designed for
  • Flooring, linings, lighting, heating — each priced
  • Power, generator, toilets and catering tent if supplied
  • Build and take-down dates, and access needed
  • The marquee company's VAT number, with VAT under the itemised hire
  • Deposit, damage deposit and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends to build and take down the marquee, and whether the crew are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • A marquee priced without a site visit
  • No answer on anchoring or wind limits
  • No insurance certificate for the land owner
  • Essentials like flooring or power left off the quote
LOW
£550
TYPICAL
£1,800
HIGH
£4,500

What a marquee costs: £550–£4,500 per event

Marquee hire is priced per event by size and type, with flooring, linings, lighting, heating and power each adding a line. Marquee Hire 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

Marquee hire companies 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. Site visitThe marquee company checks ground, slopes, access and services and plans the layout.
  2. BuildFrame or poles up, anchored with stakes or ballast, sides and linings fitted.
  3. Fit-outFlooring, lighting, heating and power installed and tested.
  4. The eventThe marquee monitored for wind; cleared if the limit is reached.
  5. Take-downMarquee dismantled, pegs removed, site left as found.

Frame marquee
A marquee with a rigid aluminium frame, no internal poles.
Pole marquee
A traditional marquee held up by poles and guy ropes.
Linings
Fabric inside the roof and walls for a finished look.
Ballast
Heavy weights used where stakes cannot be driven in.
Temporary demountable structure
HSE's term for event structures built and taken down for one use.
Damage deposit
Money held against damage to the marquee or kit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contractIt records the marquee, extras and dates the company agreed.
Walk the site after take-downHoles, ruts and damage photographed and raised in writing.
Chase the damage depositAsk in writing if it is not returned when agreed.
Leave the reviewTell the next host how the marquee company did; Locufy reviews come only from real bookings. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the marquee company is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the marquee in writingSay what went wrong — a late build, missing flooring or heating, poor anchoring — and what you want, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a marquee must work with reasonable care and skill; where the day cannot be rerun, you can ask for a fair reduction, up to the whole price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the marquee below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3When the trader stops replyingThere is no ombudsman or regulator for marquee hire companies. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about marquee hire companies to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the marquee will not returnThe last step against the marquee is a small claim: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a marquee: questions people ask

None applies anywhere in the UK. The protection is the written hire agreement for the marquee, backed by the firm's public liability cover.

Not by law. Venues usually insist on it, so get their figure and then a copy of the certificate for the marquee.

£550 to £4,500 per event, typically around £1,800. What drives the price is in the marquee hire price guide; put your town in the search above to compare local marquee hire companies.

Ask the council if the marquee is large or will stand for a long time; this guide does not set out the planning rules. The land owner's permission is always needed.

It depends on seating style, dance floor, bar and catering space. Ask the marquee company to plan from your layout.

The marquee company should give you a wind limit and clear the marquee above it.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Tipi HireHow to hire: Stage HireHow to hire: Furniture Hire for EventsHow to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: Wedding CatererHow to hire: Wedding PlannerHow to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Backdrop & Drapery HireAll 701 hiring guides →

Marquee hire companies near you

Marquee hire companies in LondonMarquee hire companies in ManchesterMarquee hire companies in BirminghamMarquee hire companies in GlasgowMarquee hire companies in BelfastAll marquee hire companies on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — event safety: temporary demountable structures
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  5. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  6. nidirect — small claims process
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  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