HOW TO HIRE · ELECTRICAL

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

In England, mechanical ventilation can be self-certified by a scheme installer. The checks, the condensation questions, and the paperwork to keep.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a ventilation installer in five steps

  1. Describe the problemCondensation on windows, mould in a corner, a steamy bathroom — and when it happens.
  2. Look them up firstThe Registered Competent Person Electrical register covers England and Wales; check the name there before agreeing the ventilation system.
  3. Ask about scheme self-certificationIn England, mechanical ventilation is on gov.uk's list of self-certifiable work.
  4. Agree the system and controlsPIV, inline fan or whole-house unit, with its running mode and controls.
  5. Get the paperworkElectrical certificate, any compliance certificate and the servicing schedule.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Registered Competent Person Electrical

In England and Wales, wiring the ventilation system from an existing circuit is not notifiable unless near a bath or shower, and in Wales in a kitchen; a new circuit is notifiable in both. If the ventilation system does turn out to be notifiable, a scheme electrician — NICEIC and NAPIT run two of the authorised schemes — certifies it under the Building Regulations; otherwise building control has to be told first, at your cost.

Type the business name into the register's search before the ventilation system is booked. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Mechanical ventilation self-certification

gov.uk lists mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning in homes among the work a competent person scheme installer can self-certify in England; the schemes covering it include NAPIT and Certsure (NICEIC).

Ask which scheme the ventilation system will be self-certified through, if it is notifiable. gov.uk →

Electrical Installation Certificate

When the ventilation system is wired in it is tested to BS 7671 and recorded on a Minor Works Certificate, or an Electrical Installation Certificate for a new circuit. When the ventilation system is notifiable, expect the scheme's Building Regulations compliance certificate too: 8 weeks is gov.uk's figure for England, 30 days the Welsh Government's.

Before you pay for the ventilation system, ask for the certificate with its test results. gov.wales →

Insurance and trader status

For the ventilation system, a trader should hold public liability insurance; check the insurer and the cover. Trader status matters: it brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 into play, and under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 an off-premises or online booking usually has 14 days' cancellation, with any work you asked to start early charged for and personalised goods outside the right.

For the ventilation system, see the insurance document and confirm the profile carries the trader and ID-checked badges.

VAT

Installing ventilation is standard-rated, so VAT is 20%; a firm with taxable turnover over £90,000 must be VAT-registered, charge that 20% and show it as a separate line on the quote and invoice.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the ventilation quote. gov.uk →

“What is causing the condensation the ventilation should fix?”

A good answer: A look at the home first: drying washing indoors, blocked vents or no extraction in a bathroom can matter as much as a new unit.

“Which ventilation system suits this home?”

A good answer: A reason for the choice — PIV in the loft, an inline fan, or whole-house heat recovery — and the running cost.

“Is the ventilation system notifiable, and who certifies it?”

A good answer: A clear answer naming the scheme for mechanical ventilation in England, and the electrical certificate either way.

“Where will the ducts and vents go?”

A good answer: Short, insulated duct runs and outlets clear of windows and neighbours.

“What servicing does it need?”

A good answer: Filter changes and cleaning, how often and what they cost.

“How noisy will the ventilation unit be?”

A good answer: An honest answer with the running speeds and where the unit sits.

Getting the quote right

  • System type and model named
  • Duct runs, outlets and any coring
  • Electrical supply and certification
  • Commissioning and controls set-up
  • Who actually attends — the installer and the electrician for its supply, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • Sells a whole-house unit without asking how the home is used
  • Ducts left uninsulated through a cold loft
  • No electrical certificate for the supply
  • Can't say whether the system is notifiable
  • Promises it will cure damp caused by a leak
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£1,200

What a ventilation installer costs: £120–£1,200 per job

Ventilation work is priced per job: a wall fan is cheapest, while positive input ventilation units and ducted systems cost more. Ventilation Installation 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

Ventilation installers 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. SurveyThe installer looks at where moisture forms and how the home is heated and used.
  2. DesignUnit, duct routes and outlets chosen and agreed.
  3. InstallUnit mounted, ducts run and insulated, outlets fitted.
  4. Wire and commissionSupply connected and tested; airflow and controls set.
  5. Certify and hand overElectrical certificate, any compliance certificate and the servicing schedule handed over.

PIV
Positive input ventilation: a loft unit that pushes filtered air into the home.
MVHR
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery: a whole-house supply-and-extract system.
Inline fan
A fan mounted in a duct rather than on the wall.
Trickle vent
A small vent in a window frame for background ventilation.
Commissioning
Setting and checking the airflow once the system is installed.
Minor Works Certificate
The certificate for wiring the unit into an existing circuit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkThe electrical certificate, any compliance certificate and the servicing schedule.
Watch the windows for a fortnightCondensation should fall; if not, ask the installer back.
Diary the filter changesA ventilation unit with clogged filters stops doing its job.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the ventilation system falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Complain to the electrician firstEmail or message so there is a record, setting out the defect in the ventilation system and what you expect. A trader owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; the remedies it sets are a second attempt, then a price reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the ventilation system under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or uncertified workIf the ventilation system was notifiable in England or Wales but was never self-certified or notified, tell the council's building control; if the compliance certificate has not come, the electrician's scheme can chase it. For a dispute about the ventilation system with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the ventilation system is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a ventilation installer: questions people ask

In England, mechanical ventilation in a home is on gov.uk's list of work a competent person scheme installer can self-certify; the wiring follows the usual rules, notifiable near a bath or shower or on a new circuit.

An electrical certificate for the supply, and a compliance certificate if the ventilation work is notified through a scheme.

£120–£1,200 a job, typically around £400. A wall fan is cheapest; PIV units and ducted systems cost more. For the breakdown, see the Ventilation Installation price guide; put in your postcode above to see ventilation installers near you and what they charge.

It often reduces it; the installer should look at the causes first and say honestly what to expect.

In Scotland, damp and ventilation fall under the repairing standard the landlord must meet; elsewhere, raise it with the landlord in writing first.

Ask for the unit's running power and speeds; a good installer gives you the figure for your model.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in electrical

How to hire: Extractor Fan InstallationHow to hire: ElectricianHow to hire: Electric Shower InstallationHow to hire: Smoke & Heat Alarm InstallationHow to hire: Lighting InstallationHow to hire: Socket & Switch InstallationHow to hire: Carbon Monoxide AlarmHow to hire: Partial RewiringAll 701 hiring guides →

Ventilation installers near you

Ventilation installers in LondonVentilation installers in ManchesterVentilation installers in BirminghamVentilation installers in GlasgowVentilation installers in BelfastAll ventilation installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  4. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  5. gov.scot — Building Standards Technical Handbook 2022 (domestic), standard 4.5 electrical safety
  6. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and the work they cover
  7. mygov.scot — repairs and maintenance as a private landlord
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  13. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  14. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  15. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  16. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  17. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  18. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register