HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

PA hire needs no licence in the UK. Below: what to check first, what to ask and what belongs on the quote.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a PA system in five steps

  1. Describe the eventSpeeches, a panel, a band — and the room size and guest numbers.
  2. Check the venue's limiter and powerSockets, any limiter and rules on outside kit.
  3. Ask for PAT and insuranceMost venues want both from the PA hire company.
  4. Dry hire or delivered?Collecting it yourself is cheaper; an engineer costs more but runs it.
  5. Fix delivery, sound-check and collectionTimes agreed with the venue.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nobody licenses PA hire companies in any of the four UK nations, and the law asks for no training or qualification. Matching the kit to the room and the number of speakers or performers is the skill.

Ask the PA system for references from the last few months and read the written terms before paying.

Safe electrics and insurance for the PA hire company

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the PA hire company's speakers, mixers and microphones included — to be kept safe, though HSE says they do not make yearly PAT testing a legal duty. Venues often ask for a recent PAT record on speakers, mixers and microphones and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Ask the venue what it needs, then ask the PA hire company for the PAT record and the insurance certificate. hse.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance for the PA system

Public liability cover is a venue's demand rather than the law's, and the level varies from one venue to the next. Venues commonly ask the PA hire company for it, with a PAT record.

Ask the venue for its figure, then ask the PA system for the insurer's name, the cover level and the expiry date.

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a business for PA system makes it a contract with a trader: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, including the duty of reasonable care and skill. What usually does not apply is a cooling-off period — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes services for leisure activities or catering on a fixed date outside it — so read how the PA system handles cancellation and deposits.

Get the PA system's terms on cancellation, date changes and illness on one page before you commit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

PA hire, dry or with an engineer, is standard-rated at 20%. PA hire companies whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge VAT and show it as its own line on the quote and invoice.

Ask the PA hire company for its VAT number and check the 20% under the kit and the engineer. gov.uk →

“What PA system do you recommend for our room and numbers?”

A good answer: A PA hire company that asks about the room, speakers and music before recommending.

“How many microphones, wired or radio?”

A good answer: A count matched to speakers or panel members.

“Is an engineer included?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with hours priced.

“Is the kit PAT tested?”

A good answer: A PAT record you can send the venue.

“Can it work within the venue's sound limiter?”

A good answer: Yes, with the PA set up to stay under it.

“Dry hire — will you show me how to use it?”

A good answer: A quick demo and a simple set-up sheet for the PA system.

“When do you deliver and collect?”

A good answer: Times that fit the venue.

Getting the quote right

  • The PA system kit list: speakers, mixer, microphones, stands
  • Dry hire, delivered and set up, or with an engineer
  • Delivery, set-up, sound-check and collection times
  • The PA company's VAT number, with VAT under kit, engineer and delivery
  • Deposit, damage terms and cancellation
  • Who actually attends to set up and run the sound, and whether the engineer is employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No PAT record for the PA kit
  • A kit list that does not match the room
  • No damage terms for dry hire
  • No insurance when the venue asks
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£385

What a PA system costs: £100–£385 per event

PA hire is priced per event by the size of the system, with an engineer, extra microphones and delivery added. PA & Sound System 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

PA 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. DeliveryThe PA hire company delivers at the agreed time.
  2. Set-upSpeakers placed, cables run away from walkways and taped down.
  3. Sound-checkMicrophones and levels checked within the limiter.
  4. EventEngineer runs the sound, or you follow the set-up sheet.
  5. CollectionKit packed and collected.

PA
Public address — speakers, amplifiers and mixer.
Radio mic
A wireless microphone.
Dry hire
Hiring kit without staff.
Monitor
A speaker facing performers so they hear themselves.
Sound limiter
A venue device that cuts power above a set level.
PAT record
A record of portable equipment inspection and testing.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the hire agreementKit list and terms agreed with the PA hire company.
Check kit back inCount microphones and cables on return.
Raise faults promptlyAnything that failed, in writing.
Leave the reviewRate the PA hire company once the event is over — reviews on Locufy are limited to booked jobs. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the PA hire company is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the PA system in writingExplain in writing what fell short — kit not working, missing microphones, late delivery — and whether you want part of the fee back or the work redone. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into the contract; for a one-off occasion, a reduction in price is the usual remedy.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the PA system 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 3Advice and Trading StandardsThere is no ombudsman or regulator for PA 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 PA hire companies to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the PA system will not returnWithout a solicitor, a refund from the PA system can be pursued 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 PA system: questions people ask

No licence is needed to run this kind of hire business. Check the hire terms, the insurance certificate and what your venue allows instead.

HSE says the law requires electrical equipment to be kept safe but does not set a yearly test; HSE strongly recommends hire firms formally inspect and test kit they supply. Venues often ask for the record.

£100 to £385 per event, typically around £300. See the pa & sound system hire price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above for PA hire companies nearby.

For speeches, often not; for a band or a big hall, yes.

Hiring the kit without staff; you set it up and run it.

Ask the venue's limiter level and tell the PA hire company.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: Stage HireHow to hire: Party DJHow to hire: Live BandHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterHow to hire: Corporate Event PlannerHow to hire: Mobile DiscoHow to hire: Event PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

PA hire companies near you

PA hire companies in LondonPA hire companies in ManchesterPA hire companies in BirminghamPA hire companies in GlasgowPA hire companies in BelfastAll pa hire companies on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  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