HOW TO HIRE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hire a washing machine engineer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to washing machine engineers. Check for a recall, agree diagnosis and parts prices first, and know where gas and wiring rules start.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a washing machine engineer in five steps

  1. Note the modelOn the door rim.
  2. Search the recall listBefore paying.
  3. Drain trapped waterThrough the filter, into a tray.
  4. Clear a pathSo the machine can be pulled out.
  5. Guarantee?Check it first.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to washing machine engineers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland: the washing machine repair of a plug-in electrical appliance is not regulated work. The law steps in for gas appliances and for new fixed wiring.

Ask for a business name, the insurer and a written diagnosis before the washing machine repair goes ahead.

Product recall check

The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes product safety alerts, reports and recalls on gov.uk, searchable by category including electrical appliances. Some faults are fixed free under a recall, which saves paying for the washing machine repair; a paid repair is covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 instead.

Search your washing machine's make and model on the recall list before you book. gov.uk →

Water connections and backflow

Schedule 2 of the 1999 Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations requires an arrangement that stops backflow where a fitting could contaminate the supply; Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent rules. A washing machine's inlet hoses are such a connection.

If the washing machine repair disturbs the supply, ask that it is reconnected with suitable valves. legislation.gov.uk →

Insurance and your rights

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 washing machine repair must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it fails because of poor work you can ask the washing machine engineer to redo it at their cost. Public liability insurance covers damage to your kitchen or floor.

Ask the washing machine engineer who insures them and what guarantee the washing machine repair carries.

VAT

Washing machine repair is standard-rated at 20%, the diagnosis fee included. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask the washing machine engineer whether the call-out includes VAT, and for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“What has failed in the washing machine?”

A good answer: Pump, seal, brushes, bearings or board — diagnosed.

“Is the washing machine diagnosis fee taken off the repair?”

A good answer: Yes or no, before the visit.

“Are the bearings worth replacing at this age?”

A good answer: An honest comparison with a new machine.

“Will you check the hoses and valves?”

A good answer: Yes, for leaks after the repair.

“What is the total price?”

A good answer: Part and labour before work.

“What guarantee do you give on the washing machine repair?”

A good answer: A stated period.

Getting the quote right

  • Diagnosis fee
  • Part and labour
  • Integrated removal time
  • Guarantee
  • Who actually attends — the firm's engineer or a subcontractor
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on its own line

Walk away if

  • Parts ordered without a price
  • Leaves the machine leaking
  • No test wash
  • No guarantee
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£125
HIGH
£400

What a washing machine engineer costs: £70–£400 per repair

Washing machine repairs are priced as diagnosis plus part and labour; bearings and boards cost most. Washing Machine 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

Washing machine engineers 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. DiagnoseTested to find the fault.
  2. PricePart priced first.
  3. RepairPart replaced.
  4. Leak checkHoses, seals and sump checked.
  5. Test washWash and spin run.

Drum bearings
Support the drum; worn ones roar on spin.
Carbon brushes
Wear in older motors.
Door seal
The rubber gasket round the door.
Drain pump
Empties the drum.
Check valve
Stops backflow into the supply.
Integrated
Built in behind a kitchen door.

AFTER

When the job is done

Run a wash and spinFills, heats, drains and spins quietly.
Look underneathDry after a cycle.
Keep the invoicePart and guarantee.
Review the visitA few lines on the washing machine repair help the next household choose. If there is a problem, the make-it-right step sends it to the washing machine engineer before your review appears.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the washing machine engineerMessage the washing machine engineer with the date, what went wrong and the fix you want. If the washing machine repair fell below reasonable care and skill — the test in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — sections 55 and 56 give you a free redo or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepIf you rate the washing machine repair under four stars, Locufy asks whether to send the problem to the washing machine engineer first, and we follow it through before your review goes up.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the washing machine repair, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedAn unpaid refund or repair bill from the washing machine repair goes to small claims: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland using simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland — all designed to be used without a solicitor.

Hiring a washing machine engineer: questions people ask

No. No register applies to washing machine repairs.

Yes: the water fittings rules require protection against backflow on such connections.

Search the make and model on gov.uk's product recalls.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for it to be redone at the engineer's cost.

One to three hours; a bearing change can take longer.

£70–£400 per repair, with £125 about average. Read the washing machine repair price guide for the factors behind it; to see engineers near you, enter your town above.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in home repairs & handyman

How to hire: Dishwasher RepairHow to hire: Tumble Dryer RepairHow to hire: Appliance RepairHow to hire: Fridge & Freezer RepairHow to hire: Oven & Cooker RepairHow to hire: Microwave RepairHow to hire: HandymanHow to hire: Odd JobsAll 701 hiring guides →

Washing machine engineers near you

Washing machine engineers in LondonWashing machine engineers in ManchesterWashing machine engineers in BirminghamWashing machine engineers in GlasgowWashing machine engineers in BelfastAll washing machine engineers on Locufy →Do it yourself: fixing a washing machine that will not drain, spin or fill →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — product safety alerts, reports and recalls (Office for Product Safety and Standards)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  4. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 — requirements for water fittings
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register