HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

Tipi hire needs no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a tipi in five steps

  1. Get a site visitSlopes, access from the road and ground conditions for the tipi build.
  2. Ask about anchoring and windHow the tipis are pegged and the wind limit.
  3. Check permissionThe land owner's agreement; for a commercial or long event, ask the council.
  4. Plan power, toilets and cateringUsually separate from the tipi hire.
  5. Fix build and take-downDates, access and damage deposit in writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no statutory register for tipi hire companies anywhere in the UK, and no exam to pass before taking bookings. Experience on fields like yours, the anchoring and the wind plan matter more than photos of a sunny build.

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

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

Public liability insurance for the tipi

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

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

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a business for tipi makes it a contract 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 tipi's contract matter.

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

VAT

Tipi hire, with the build, flooring and furniture, is standard-rated at 20%. Tipi hire companies with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the tipi company for its VAT number and for each item priced before the 20%. gov.uk →

“Will you visit the field before quoting?”

A good answer: Yes — a tipi company that checks slope, access and ground.

“How are the tipis anchored?”

A good answer: Pegs and guys suited to the ground, with the method explained.

“What is the wind limit?”

A good answer: A figure and a plan to clear the tipi if exceeded.

“How many guests fit, seated and standing?”

A good answer: A layout from the tipi company with tables, bar and dance floor.

“Is the central firepit safe to use?”

A good answer: Only if the tipi company allows it, with a guard and someone watching.

“What is included — flooring, lighting, furniture?”

A good answer: Each item on the tipi quote, priced.

“Is the tipi company insured?”

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

Getting the quote right

  • Number and size of tipis and the layout
  • Flooring, lighting, firepit, furniture — each priced
  • Power, toilets and catering tent if supplied
  • Build and take-down dates and access
  • The tipi company's VAT number, with VAT under the itemised hire
  • Deposit, damage deposit and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends to pitch and strike the tipis, and whether the crew are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • A tipi quote with no site visit
  • No wind limit given
  • Open fire inside with no guard or rules
  • No insurance certificate
LOW
£1,200
TYPICAL
£3,500
HIGH
£10,000

What a tipi costs: £1,200–£10,000 per event

Tipi hire is priced per event by the number of tipis, with flooring, lighting, furniture and power added. Tipi 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

Tipi 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 tipi company checks the field and plans placement.
  2. BuildPoles raised, canvas up, pegs and guys set.
  3. Fit-outFlooring, lighting and furniture in.
  4. EventTipi watched for wind; firepit used only as agreed.
  5. Take-downTipis struck, pegs out, field left as found.

Tipi
A conical tent on a frame of long poles.
Linked tipis
Several tipis joined to make one space.
Coir matting
Natural fibre flooring often used in tipis.
Firepit
A central fire bowl; use only as the company allows.
Guy ropes
Ropes tensioned to pegs to hold the tipi steady.
Damage deposit
Money held against damage.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contractIt records the tipis, extras and dates.
Walk the fieldPeg holes and ruts photographed and raised.
Chase the depositIn writing if late.
Leave the reviewTell the next host how the tipi company did; Locufy reviews come only from real bookings. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the tipi company is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the tipi in writingSay what went wrong — a late build, missing extras, poor anchoring — and what you want, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a tipi 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 tipi 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 tipi 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 tipi hire companies to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the tipi will not returnThe last step against the tipi 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 tipi: 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.

No law requires it, but most venues ask suppliers for public liability cover. Ask your venue for its figure, then ask for the certificate covering the tipi.

£1,200 to £10,000 per event, typically around £3,500. What drives the price is in the tipi hire price guide; put your town in the search above to compare local tipi hire companies.

Always the land owner's. For a large, commercial or long-running event, ask the council.

Gentle slopes, sometimes; ask for a site visit.

Only with the company's agreement and guard.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

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

Tipi hire companies near you

Tipi hire companies in LondonTipi hire companies in ManchesterTipi hire companies in BirminghamTipi hire companies in GlasgowTipi hire companies in BelfastAll tipi 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