HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

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

Shoe repairers need no licence in the UK. Here is what to ask, what the ticket should say, and your rights if a repair fails.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a shoe repairer in five steps

  1. Ask what the shoe is built likeStitched (Goodyear-welted or Blake) or glued — it decides which repairs are possible.
  2. Get the price before work startsOn a ticket, with the repair described.
  3. Ask about materialsLeather or rubber soles, heel tips, colour matching.
  4. Ask if it is worth doingA good shoe repairer tells you when a cheap shoe is not worth resoling.
  5. Check the shoes at collectionWalk in them before you leave.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Shoe repair is an open trade across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — no register, no licence. The checks are the ticket, the price before the work, and repairs you can see.

Ask to see a finished resole or heel on a similar shoe.

Reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

A shoe repairer trading as a business must carry out the work on your shoes with reasonable care and skill (section 49). If it falls short, section 55 lets you require the work to be done again at their cost within a reasonable time; if that cannot fix it, you can ask for a price reduction.

Keep the ticket or order confirmation and raise problems as soon as you see them. legislation.gov.uk →

Trader status

Your Consumer Rights Act 2015 rights apply when the shoe repairer is trading as a business. A ticket and a receipt are the proof.

Keep the ticket until the repair has been worn for a while.

Your items in their care — insurance

No register sets insurance for a shoe repairer. Ask whether their cover includes customers' shoes and bags, including anything sent by post while they hold them or carry them, and what they pay out if something is lost or ruined.

Ask for the policy terms or the compensation limit in writing before handing over anything valuable.

VAT

Resoling, heels and stitching are standard-rated at 20% from a VAT-registered shoe repairer. A repair shop over £90,000 of taxable turnover must charge VAT on the work and materials and show it on the ticket or receipt.

Ask whether the shoe repairer is VAT-registered and whether the price on the ticket includes VAT. gov.uk →

“Is this shoe stitched or glued, and what repair does that allow?”

A good answer: A clear answer: a stitched shoe can take a full resole; a glued one may only take a stick-on sole.

“What will the shoe repair cost, and is it worth it?”

A good answer: A price before work, and an honest view if the repair costs more than the shoes are worth.

“Leather or rubber sole — which suits how I wear them?”

A good answer: Advice tied to your use: rain, driving, long walking.

“Can you match the colour and finish?”

A good answer: Yes or no, before the work is done.

“When will the shoes be ready?”

A good answer: A date on the shoe repair ticket, and a call if it slips.

“What if the sole or heel comes away early?”

A good answer: The shoe repairer redoes it free if it fails from their workmanship.

“If I post them, how are they insured in transit?”

A good answer: Tracked postage and a stated compensation limit.

Getting the quote right

  • The repair described on the ticket — sole, heel, stitching, upper
  • Materials: leather or rubber, the type of heel tip
  • The price agreed before work
  • Postage and packing, if by post
  • The collection date
  • Who actually attends to the repair: the shoe repairer at the counter, or a workshop elsewhere, and whether that workshop is employed or subcontracted
  • The shop's VAT number on the receipt, with VAT apart from the repair and the materials

Walk away if

  • No price until after the work
  • A full resole on a glued shoe with no explanation
  • No ticket
  • Postal service with no tracking or compensation limit
  • No offer to redo a repair that fails early
  • Pressure to add cleaning or extras
LOW
£16
TYPICAL
£27
HIGH
£90

What a shoe repairer costs: £16–£90 per pair

Shoe repairs are priced per pair and per repair, with full stitched resoles on good shoes costing far more than heels or stick-on soles. Shoe Repair 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

Shoe repairers 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. AssessmentThe shoe's construction and condition checked; options explained.
  2. Ticket and priceRepair and price written down before work.
  3. RemovalThe worn sole or heel taken off.
  4. RepairNew sole or heel attached or stitched; edges trimmed.
  5. FinishEdges dressed, uppers cleaned if agreed, shoes returned.

Goodyear welt
A stitched construction that allows a full resole.
Blake stitch
A sole stitched directly through to the inside.
Stick-on sole
A thin rubber sole glued over the original.
Heel tip
The replaceable top layer of a heel.
Full resole
Replacing the whole sole.
Edge dressing
Finishing the sole edge with colour and wax.

AFTER

When the job is done

Walk in them before you leaveCheck the heel height, the grip and any rubbing.
Look at the edges and stitchingClean edges, even stitching, no glue showing.
Keep the ticketEvidence of the repair and the date.
Write the reviewYour account of the repaired shoes helps the next person choose. If they fell short, use the make-it-right step before the review is published.

STEP 1Raise the repair with them in writingSay what was agreed and what happened. If the repair missed the standard of reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49), the remedy is a repeat at no cost or a price reduction.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for a shoe repairer starts with a choice: send it to them first to fix, with us following it through, then publish the review.
STEP 3No regulator — use the consumer helplineA complaint about the repair has no register or ombudsman behind it. Ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland; they can pass a case to Trading Standards.
STEP 4If money is still owedYou can take the shoe repairer to the small claims route — the county court small claims track up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure in the sheriff court up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a shoe repairer: questions people ask

Repairing shoes needs no licence in any UK nation.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must use reasonable care and skill. You can require the repair to be redone at their cost, or a price reduction.

Not always. Stitched shoes take full resoles; many glued shoes only take stick-on soles.

£16 to £90 a pair, typically around £27. Construction and materials make the difference. Heel, sole and full resole prices are in the shoe repair price guide; add your town above for cobblers near you.

Only if the repairer's insurance or the postage covers them. Ask for the compensation limit.

The shoes, the repair, the materials, the price and the collection date.

MORE GUIDES

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Shoe repairers near you

Shoe repairers in LondonShoe repairers in ManchesterShoe repairers in BirminghamShoe repairers in GlasgowShoe repairers in BelfastAll shoe repairers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  3. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  4. mygov.scot — consumer rights (Advice Direct Scotland)
  5. nidirect — about Consumerline
  6. gov.uk — VAT registration threshold
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  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