HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

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

A skip firm must be a registered waste carrier, and checking is your legal duty. Here is how, plus the road licence and what the quote must cover.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a skip hire company in five steps

  1. Check the waste carrier numberAsk for it and look it up on your nation's public register before you book the skip.
  2. Pick the size from the job, not the priceA bathroom strip-out and a house clearance are different skips. Overfilling is not allowed on the lorry.
  3. Road or driveway?On a public road, a council skip licence is needed, with lights and markings; on your own drive, it is not.
  4. Ask what cannot go inPlasterboard, mattresses, fridges and anything hazardous are charged extra or banned. Get the list in writing.
  5. Keep the paperworkThe quote, the receipt and the carrier number are your proof you met your duty of care.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Waste carrier registration

Every nation requires a business that carries other people's waste to register: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland and DAERA in Northern Ireland. In England a skip hire company needs an upper-tier registration, renewed every three years, with a number starting CBDU.

Search the number, name or postcode on the public register before the skip arrives. environment.data.gov.uk →

Your duty of care for the waste

Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires a householder in England or Wales to take reasonable steps to hand waste only to an authorised person; Scotland has its own version. In England a council can give a fixed penalty of £150 to £600 to a householder who fails it.

Keep a note or photo of the carrier's registration and a receipt with the company's details. legislation.gov.uk →

Skip licence for a public road

In England and Wales a skip placed on a public road needs a licence from the council, and the skip has to carry the safety lights and markings the council sets. A skip entirely on private land needs no licence, and a skip may not go on the pavement.

Ask whether the skip hire company applies for the licence and whether its cost is in the quote. gov.uk →

Asbestos is hazardous waste

HSE says material containing asbestos must be disposed of as hazardous waste and never mixed with general waste, so it cannot go in an ordinary skip.

If the clear-out includes old boards, sheeting or floor tiles from a pre-2000 building, ask how the company handles suspected asbestos. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Skip hire is standard-rated, so a registered skip hire company adds 20% to the hire, the delivery and collection and any surcharge for restricted items. Registration becomes compulsory once a skip hire company has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the skip hire company for the VAT number with the carrier number and for the hire, surcharges and VAT listed separately. gov.uk →

“What is your waste carrier registration number?”

A good answer: A number you can search on the public register for your nation that matches the company name. In England, an upper-tier number starting CBDU.

“Where will the waste go?”

A good answer: A named transfer station or recycling site. Scotland's duty of care code tells householders to ask exactly this.

“Do you get the skip licence for the road, and is it in the price?”

A good answer: Yes or no, and the cost if it is extra. In most areas the skip company applies; in some you must.

“What can't go in the skip, and what costs extra?”

A good answer: A written list: plasterboard, mattresses, fridges, tyres, paint and anything hazardous usually have their own rules.

“What size do I need for this job?”

A good answer: A question back about what you are clearing. A good skip hire company talks you down a size if the job is small.

“How long can I keep it, and what is the charge for longer?”

A good answer: The hire period in days and the price per extra week, in writing.

“Can your lorry reach my drive?”

A good answer: They should ask about width, overhead wires and soft ground before booking, and say if they need to see it.

Getting the quote right

  • Skip size in cubic yards, the hire period and the delivery and collection dates
  • Who actually attends with the skip lorry: the skip hire company's employed driver, or a subcontracted haulier
  • Whether the council skip licence is included, and who applies
  • The list of banned items and the surcharge for each restricted one
  • The waste carrier registration number and the company's address
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the hire and surcharges
  • What happens if the skip is overfilled or over the weight limit

Walk away if

  • No waste carrier number, or one registered to a different name
  • A price far below every other quote — Scotland's code warns about unrealistically cheap offers
  • They cannot say where the waste goes
  • "Don't worry about the licence" for a skip on the road
  • Cash only and no receipt
  • They will take asbestos in a general skip
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£280
HIGH
£500

What a skip hire company costs: £150–£500 per skip

Skip hire is priced by the skip: its size, the hire period and the type of waste set the figure, with a road licence and restricted items often added on top. Skip 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.

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  1. Booking and checksSize agreed, banned items listed, carrier number checked, and the road licence applied for if the skip goes on the street.
  2. DeliveryThe skip is set down where agreed — on boards if the drive needs protecting — with lights and markings if it is on the road.
  3. FillingWaste loaded level with the sides, heavy items at the bottom, nothing hazardous added.
  4. CollectionThe lorry lifts the skip within the hire period, sheeted for the journey, and the space is left clear.
  5. Sorting and paperworkThe waste is taken to a transfer station for sorting and recycling; you keep the receipt with the carrier's details.

Waste carrier number
The registration a business needs to carry waste; in England, upper-tier numbers start CBDU.
Upper tier
The registration for carrying other people's waste, renewed every three years.
Skip licence (permit)
Council permission for a skip that sits on a public road (England and Wales).
Duty of care
The legal duty to hand your waste only to someone authorised to take it.
Transfer station
A permitted site where skip waste is sorted for recycling or disposal.
Yard
A cubic yard, the unit skips are sized in.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receipt and carrier numberIf your waste is later fly-tipped, the registration number and receipt show you met your duty of care.
Check the road is left clearAfter collection, the road or drive should be clean and undamaged, and any boards under the skip removed.
Settle any surcharge in writingExtra items or weight charges should be itemised against the list you were given.
Leave the reviewSkip hire reviews on Locufy come from booked jobs only. If the company got something wrong, the make-it-right step is first.

STEP 1Write to them firstSend the skip hire company a message naming the problem with the hire and the fix you want. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015), you may ask for it to be done again or for a price cut.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for the skip hire company goes to them first if you say so, and we chase the reply. Then you review.
STEP 3Fly-tipping or an unregistered carrierReport it to the council, and to the regulator for your nation: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or DAERA. The consumer helplines pass complaints to Trading Standards: Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) for England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) for Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The court, if it comes to thatAn unpaid refund from the skip hire company can be claimed for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no lawyer needed.

Hiring a skip hire company: questions people ask

It needs to be a registered waste carrier: with the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland. Ask for the number and check it on the public register.

In England and Wales, yes — a skip licence from the council, which the skip company usually gets for you. A skip entirely on your own drive needs no licence.

Between £150 and £500 a skip; about £280 is typical. Read the skip hire price guide for the detail, and search your area above for local prices.

You have a duty of care to give waste only to an authorised person. In England a council can fine a householder £150 to £600 for failing it, so keep the carrier number and receipt.

Anything hazardous — asbestos, chemicals, gas bottles — and usually fridges, mattresses, tyres and plasterboard without a surcharge. Ask for the list.

In England and Wales a householder does not need one for household waste; the receipt and carrier number are your record. A business clearing its own waste does need one.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Grab HireHow to hire: Builders Waste RemovalHow to hire: House ClearanceHow to hire: Junk & Rubbish RemovalHow to hire: Garage ClearanceHow to hire: Garden Waste RemovalHow to hire: Furniture DisposalHow to hire: Mattress DisposalAll 701 hiring guides →

Skip hire companies near you

Skip hire companies in LondonSkip hire companies in ManchesterSkip hire companies in BirminghamSkip hire companies in GlasgowSkip hire companies in BelfastAll skip hire companies on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  2. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  3. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  4. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34ZA — householder fixed penalties (England)
  5. gov.scot — Duty of Care code of practice for managing controlled waste (2026): householders
  6. DAERA — registration of carriers and brokers
  7. gov.uk — skip licence (England and Wales)
  8. gov.uk — dispose of business or commercial waste
  9. HSE — asbestos: frequently asked questions
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  11. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  12. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  13. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register