HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

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

No register applies to picture hanging. Fixings for your wall, the mirror's weight and a pipe and cable check are what matter.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a picture hanger in five steps

  1. Weigh the mirrorOr give its size, so your hanger brings the right fixings.
  2. Plan the layoutLay frames on the floor or tape outlines on the wall.
  3. Point out pipes and cablesIf you know where they run.
  4. Agree the hourly termsRate and first-hour minimum.
  5. Batch the framesOne visit for every picture.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to picture hangers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer picture hanging. The law steps in only where picture hanging turns into gas work, notifiable electrical work or building work.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a written description of the picture hanging.

Public liability insurance

No law requires a picture hanger to be insured, but a drill through a pipe or cable, or a heavy item coming off a wall, is exactly what public liability covers. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to picture hanging done with reasonable care and skill; insurance is what pays if it was not.

Ask the picture hanger for the insurer's name and the cover level before the picture hanging starts.

Hidden pipes and cables

If a drill hits a cable, the repair is electrical work that must meet the Building Regulations in England and Wales; a hit gas pipe is Gas Safe work. A careful hanger detects before drilling.

Ask your picture hanger to scan the wall before each hole. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Ladders and work at height

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (and Northern Ireland's own of the same year) require work at height to be planned and done with suitable equipment; HSE's ladder guidance is a 1-in-4 angle and three points of contact. Stairwells and high ceilings make the picture hanging a work-at-height job.

For high or stairwell work, ask what access equipment the picture hanging will use. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

HMRC sets picture and mirror hanging at the standard 20%, and only a VAT-registered hanger charges it. An individual whose taxable turnover is under £90,000 does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the picture hanger whether they are VAT-registered; an individual paid by the hour usually is not, so no VAT is due. gov.uk →

“What fixings will you use for this mirror on my wall?”

A good answer: Fixings rated above the mirror's weight, matched to the wall.

“Do you scan for pipes and cables before picture hanging?”

A good answer: Yes, before every hole.

“Can you use the picture rail?”

A good answer: Yes, in a period home it saves drilling.

“What is your hourly rate and minimum?”

A good answer: A stated rate and first hour.

“Is a heavy mirror a two-person job?”

A good answer: Yes for big overmantel mirrors.

“Are you insured if a mirror falls?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and any evening or weekend rate
  • The minimum booking — usually the first hour — and what happens if every frame is up in forty minutes
  • Who brings what: the hanger's detector, level, drill and fixings sized to your wall; your frames, mirrors and any hooks you prefer
  • The list agreed before the first hour: each picture and mirror, its weight and the wall it goes on
  • ID checked, the rating read, and insurance in case a heavy mirror falls or a cable is hit

Walk away if

  • Hangs a heavy mirror on a single nail
  • No scan for cables
  • No idea what the wall is
  • No hourly terms until the invoice
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£44
HIGH
£65

What a picture hanger costs: £30–£65 per hour

Picture and mirror hanging is charged by the hour with a minimum, so it pays to batch frames. Picture & Mirror Hanging 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

Picture hangers 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, or book by the hour.

  1. PlanLayout measured and marked.
  2. ScanPipes and cables located.
  3. FixPlugs or anchors chosen and fitted.
  4. HangEach piece hung and levelled.
  5. TidyDust cleaned, fixings cleared.

Picture rail
A moulding near the ceiling for hanging frames.
D-ring
A hanging ring screwed to the back of a frame.
Mirror plate
A flat bracket that screws a mirror to the wall.
Heavy-duty anchor
A fixing for weights plasterboard alone cannot hold.
Gallery wall
A group of frames hung together.
French cleat
Two interlocking angled battens for heavy items.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check each frameLevel and firm.
Note the fixingsSo you know what each hook can take.
Keep the invoiceHours and items listed.
Review the visitA few lines on the picture hanging help the next household choose. If there is a problem, the make-it-right step sends it to the picture hanger before your review appears.

STEP 1Tell the picture hanger, in writingStart with an email to the picture hanger: the problem, photos and what would put it right. A trader's picture hanging is covered by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies — doing it again, or a price reduction — follow from sections 55 and 56.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the picture hanging below four stars and you are asked whether the picture hanger should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the picture hanger and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the picture hanger that will not settle can go to court without a lawyer — the small claims track for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure for up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court for up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a picture hanger: questions people ask

No. No register applies.

Not required by law; ask about public liability.

The repair is electrical work under the Building Regulations; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask the hanger to put right damage from careless work.

£30–£65 an hour, with £44 a common rate. What pushes it up or down is in the picture and mirror hanging price guide; search above by town for hangers in your area.

With heavy-duty fixings or into studs.

One to two hours for a few pictures and a mirror.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsHow to hire: Shelving InstallationHow to hire: TV MountingHow to hire: Curtain & Blind FittingHow to hire: Furniture AssemblyHow to hire: Flat-Pack AssemblyHow to hire: Wallpaper HangingAll 701 hiring guides →

Picture hangers near you

Picture hangers in LondonPicture hangers in ManchesterPicture hangers in BirminghamPicture hangers in GlasgowPicture hangers in BelfastAll picture hangers on Locufy →Do it yourself: hanging pictures and mirrors →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  2. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely
  3. Work at Height Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register