Guides
Guides for trades businesses
Sourced, plain-English answers — every number links to where it came from.
Compliance
- GDPR and Your Customer List: What Small Trade Businesses Must Know
A sourced guide to whether GDPR applies to a trade business's customer list, ICO fees, lawful basis, and marketing consent for texts and WhatsApp.
- Do Landscapers Need a Waste Carrier's Licence for Garden Waste?
A landscaper's guide to when removing a customer's garden waste needs Environment Agency waste carrier registration, and when it's free to register.
- Do I Need Gas Safe, NICEIC or Part P to Trade Legally?
A plumber, heating engineer or electrician's guide to which work is legally restricted to Gas Safe engineers, Part P notifiable work, and NICEIC's role.
- When Do I Have to Register for VAT as a Small Trade Business?
A gov.uk-sourced guide to the £90,000 VAT threshold, the rolling 12-month test, registration deadlines, penalties, and voluntary registration for trades.
- Do I Need to Register for CIS? Contractor and Subcontractor Rules
A gov.uk-sourced guide to who counts as a CIS contractor or subcontractor, whether you must register, the 20% and 30% deduction rates, and how to register.
- CIS Deductions Explained: What Gets Taken From Your Invoices
A gov.uk-sourced walkthrough of Construction Industry Scheme deduction rates, verification duties, monthly returns and late filing penalties for 2026.
Cost
- What Does Gas Safe Registration or NICEIC Certification Cost?
A 2026 breakdown of what Gas Safe registration and NICEIC certification actually cost each year, taken from the schemes' own fee pages and pricing guides.
- What Should You Charge for an Emergency or Out-of-Hours Callout?
A 2026 look at what UK plumbers, electricians and heating engineers add for emergency call-outs, and how a national firm prices the same job.
- One-Off Boiler Service Cost vs a Monthly Care Plan (UK 2026)
A 2026 comparison of one-off UK boiler service prices against monthly care plan totals over a year, including what breakdown cover and priority booking add.
- AI Receptionist or Answering Service: What's the UK Cost?
A 2026 price comparison of UK AI receptionists and telephone answering services, covering per-minute, per-call and flat-fee plans and what each includes.
- How Much Should a Small Trade Business Website Cost in the UK?
A 2026 UK pricing guide for trade businesses: real costs for DIY builders, freelancers and agencies, and whether a Facebook page is enough instead.
- How Much Does a Boiler Care Plan Cost in the UK in 2026?
A 2026 check of what UK boiler care plans cost today, comparing national providers' promo pricing with independent heating engineers' flat monthly fees.
- What Day Rate Should a UK Tradesperson Charge?
A 2026 look at what UK builders, electricians and plasterers actually charge per day by region, and how a day rate differs from a fixed quote.
- What Is a Normal Call-Out Fee for a UK Tradesperson?
A 2026 look at what UK plumbers, electricians and locksmiths actually charge for a call-out, whether the fee is waived, and how to explain it to customers.
Compare
- Simpro vs ServiceM8 vs Tradify: Which for a UK Trades Firm?
Comparing Simpro, ServiceM8 and Tradify on UK pricing, quoting, invoicing, Xero sync and mobile apps for a 2-5 van electrical, building or roofing firm.