HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

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

No register applies to uPVC repairs; a full replacement is building work needing a FENSA or CERTASS certificate in England.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a double glazing repairer in five steps

  1. Describe the faultDropped door, stiff handle, misted unit or broken hinge.
  2. Photograph the hardwareThe maker's name on the lock or hinge.
  3. Guarantee still live?Check the installer's guarantee first.
  4. Repair, not replaceA repair needs no certificate; a replacement does.
  5. Total price firstBefore parts are ordered.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to double glazing repairers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer uPVC repairs. The law steps in only where uPVC repairs turns into gas work, notifiable electrical work or building work.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a written description of the uPVC repairs.

FENSA or CERTASS for replacements

Repairing a window or door is not the same as replacing it. A replacement window or door is building work: in England a FENSA or CERTASS installer self-certifies it and you get a certificate, otherwise building control approves it. If the double glazing repair turns into a replacement, that certificate is what a buyer's solicitor will ask for.

If the double glazing repair becomes a full replacement, check the installer on the FENSA or CERTASS search. fensa.org.uk →

Insurance-backed guarantees

If the windows came with a guarantee, a repair by someone else may affect it. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the original installer had to do the work with reasonable care and skill — a fault in the first years may be theirs to fix.

Check the original guarantee before paying for the double glazing repair.

Public liability insurance

No law requires a repairer 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 double glazing repair done with reasonable care and skill; insurance is what pays if it was not.

Ask the repairer for the insurer's name and the cover level before the double glazing repair starts.

VAT

Double glazing repair is standard-rated at 20%, new sealed units and mechanisms included. Registration is compulsory above £90,000 of taxable turnover, and a registered firm has to charge it and itemise it rather than fold it into the price.

Ask the double glazing repairer for its VAT number and whether the price includes VAT. gov.uk →

“Is this double glazing repair or replacement territory?”

A good answer: An honest answer; most faults are repairable.

“Can you get parts for this uPVC profile?”

A good answer: Yes, or a plan if discontinued.

“Will a new glass unit need a second visit?”

A good answer: Yes — measured, then made and fitted.

“Will your repair affect my window guarantee?”

A good answer: They ask to see it.

“Can you fit an anti-snap cylinder while the door is apart?”

A good answer: Yes, priced.

“What is the total price for the double glazing repair?”

A good answer: Before parts are ordered.

Getting the quote right

  • Fault and part named
  • Glass unit size and type, if replaced
  • Second visit included
  • Who actually attends to the window — the repairer, or a subcontracted glazier
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% listed separately

Walk away if

  • Pushes full replacement for a dropped door
  • Replaces whole windows with no certificate
  • No total price
  • Ignores your installer's guarantee
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£120
HIGH
£280

What a double glazing repairer costs: £60–£280 per job

uPVC repairs are priced per job by the part; glass units are measured and fitted on a second visit. uPVC 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

Double glazing 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. DiagnoseHinges, gearbox, gaskets or glass checked.
  2. MeasureParts or glass unit measured.
  3. RepairHinge, lock or gasket replaced; door realigned.
  4. Fit glassNew sealed unit fitted on the second visit.
  5. TestEvery opening checked.

Sealed unit
The double-glazed pane, two sheets with a gap.
Misting
Condensation inside a failed sealed unit.
Friction hinge
The hinge that holds a uPVC window open.
Gasket
The rubber seal round the glass or sash.
Multi-point lock
A door lock that bolts at several points.
Glazing bead
The strip holding the glass in the frame.

AFTER

When the job is done

Open, close and lockEvery repaired window and door.
Check the new unitNo misting, beads tight.
Keep the invoiceWith any glass unit guarantee.
Say how it wentYour rating of the double glazing repair sits on the double glazing repairer's Locufy profile for others to read. Something wrong? Use make-it-right first and we follow it through.

STEP 1Go back to the double glazing repairerGive the double glazing repairer a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the double glazing repair as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the double glazing repairer gets the chance to put the double glazing repair right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesA double glazing repairer who will not engage can be reported through the consumer helplines, which pass cases to Trading Standards — Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the double glazing repair, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a double glazing repairer: questions people ask

No. No register applies to repairs; a full replacement in England needs a FENSA or CERTASS certificate or building control.

Replacing the window itself does; ask the repairer how your job is classed.

Check the original guarantee before anyone else works on the windows.

£60–£280 per job, about £120 typical. There is more in the uPVC repair price guide; enter a town above to see repairers who work there.

Usually by replacing the sealed unit without changing the frame.

One to two hours for most repairs; glass units on a second visit.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Window RepairHow to hire: Door Hanging & RepairHow to hire: Lock RepairHow to hire: LocksmithHow to hire: Sash Window RestorationHow to hire: Spray PaintingHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Curtain & Blind FittingAll 701 hiring guides →

Double glazing repairers near you

Double glazing repairers in LondonDouble glazing repairers in ManchesterDouble glazing repairers in BirminghamDouble glazing repairers in GlasgowDouble glazing repairers in BelfastAll double glazing repairers on Locufy →Do it yourself: adjusting and fixing a upvc door →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. FENSA — replacement windows and doors
  2. CERTASS — competent person scheme for windows and doors
  3. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  7. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register