HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

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

No licence applies to web developers. Here is how to agree hours, keep access and own the code, and what to ask before work starts.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a web developer in five steps

  1. Describe the change preciselyWhat should happen, on which pages, on which devices, with screenshots or examples.
  2. Get an estimate of hoursAnd an agreement that the web developer checks with you before going over it.
  3. Give access safelyA separate user account for the developer, not your own password, and a password manager for sharing.
  4. Agree who owns the codeCustom code assigned to your business on payment, with third-party code licensed.
  5. Test on a copy firstChanges made on a staging copy, checked by you, then put live.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses web developers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is needed. Look at features they have built, speak to a client, and agree hours and access in writing.

Ask for examples of similar work and the name of a client you can contact.

Copyright in custom code

Software code is protected by copyright as a literary work. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 a freelance web developer owns the code they write, and section 90 makes an assignment effective only when it is written and signed.

Put an assignment of custom code to your business into the terms, and ask for any open-source or paid components to be listed. legislation.gov.uk →

Cookies and tracking (PECR)

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations require you to tell visitors about cookies and similar technologies and get their consent, apart from those strictly needed for the service they asked for. New tracking scripts a developer adds come under the same rule.

Ask the web developer to load analytics and advertising scripts only after consent. ico.org.uk →

Personal data in forms and databases

Data protection rules require personal information to be kept secure, accurate and up to date, and people told how it will be used; most businesses doing this must also pay the ICO data protection fee. A web developer working on forms, logins or databases is handling that data for you.

Agree in writing how the developer accesses live data, and keep test copies free of real customer details where possible. gov.uk →

VAT

Web development is standard-rated, so a registered web developer adds 20% to the hours for each task, and plugin or hosting charges are billed separately. Registration becomes compulsory once a web developer 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 web developer for the VAT number before extra hours are approved and for hours and VAT shown on each invoice. gov.uk →

“How many hours will this web development job take?”

A good answer: An estimate broken into tasks, and a promise to stop and ask before exceeding it.

“Will you work on a staging copy before changing the live website?”

A good answer: Yes, for anything beyond a small fix, so you can test before visitors see it.

“Who owns the code you write for me?”

A good answer: Your business, by a written assignment on payment. The web developer lists any third-party code and its licence.

“What access to the website do you need, and how should I share it?”

A good answer: A user account of their own with only the access needed, shared through a password manager, removed when the job ends.

“Will the web development change affect cookies, tracking or personal data?”

A good answer: A clear answer, and if it does, how consent and data protection are handled.

“How do you test web development work across devices?”

A good answer: Named browsers and phones, and a list of what was tested.

“What is your minimum charge and rate for urgent work?”

A good answer: A stated minimum, and any premium for same-day work, before the job starts.

Getting the quote right

  • The hourly rate and estimated hours for each task
  • Who actually attends to the code: the web developer named, an employee, or a subcontracted developer
  • How extra hours are approved before they are worked
  • Testing and a staging copy included
  • Third-party costs: plugins, licences, hosting changes
  • Code ownership: custom code assigned to you
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the hours for each task

Walk away if

  • Asks for your own admin password rather than a separate account
  • No estimate before the hours start
  • Makes changes straight on the live site for a large job
  • Will not hand over the code or explain where it is
  • Adds tracking scripts without consent controls
  • Invoices with hours but no description of the work
LOW
£25
TYPICAL
£55
HIGH
£150

What a web developer costs: £25–£150 per hour

Web developers usually charge by the hour against an estimate, often with a minimum charge; larger builds may be quoted as a fixed project. Web Developer 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

Web developers 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, or book by the hour.

  1. Brief and estimateThe change described in writing and the hours estimated.
  2. AccessA separate account set up, with a backup taken before anything changes.
  3. DevelopmentThe code written on a staging copy.
  4. TestingChecked across browsers and devices, then shown to you.
  5. DeploymentPut live, checked again, with notes on what changed.

Staging site
A private copy of your site for testing changes before they go live.
Front end
The parts of a site visitors see and use in the browser.
Back end
The server, database and code behind the site.
Deployment
Putting finished changes onto the live site.
Repository
Where the code and its history are stored; ask for access to it.
Plugin
Add-on software that adds features, licensed by its maker.

AFTER

When the job is done

Remove or downgrade accessDelete the web developer's accounts or reduce their rights once the work is signed off.
Test the change on the live siteOn a phone and a computer, as a visitor would; check forms still deliver.
Keep a note of what changedThe developer's notes, files changed and any new plugin, saved with the invoice.
Share how it wentYour review of the web developer can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Put it to the web developer in writingSay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the web developer fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyWhen you rate the web developer under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3Report it through the consumer helplineIf the web developer ignores you, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Each can pass a complaint to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Go to small claimsUnresolved money disputes with the web developer fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a web developer: questions people ask

No. No licence, register or required qualification applies to web developers in any UK nation.

The developer, unless they assign the copyright to you in a signed document. Ask for the assignment in the terms, and a list of third-party code and its licences.

Under PECR, yes for anything not strictly necessary: visitors must be told and must agree before analytics or advertising cookies run.

£25–£150 per hour, typically around £55. Back-end and integration work costs more per hour than page tweaks; urgent work and agencies sit at the top. The web developer price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare web developers near you.

No. Create a separate account with the access needed, share it through a password manager, and remove it at the end.

Small fixes take an hour or two; new features or builds take days to weeks.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Web DesignerHow to hire: WordPress DeveloperHow to hire: E-commerce DeveloperHow to hire: Shopify ExpertHow to hire: Software DeveloperHow to hire: UX / UI DesignerHow to hire: SEO SpecialistHow to hire: IT SupportAll 701 hiring guides →

Web developers near you

Web developers in LondonWeb developers in ManchesterWeb developers in BirminghamWeb developers in GlasgowWeb developers in BelfastAll web developers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  3. ICO — cookies and similar technologies (PECR)
  4. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  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