How Long Can You Hire Tools For?

Most tool hire companies in the UK offer periods ranging from a single day to several months, and the right choice depends on the equipment type, the supplier's terms, and how your project is timed.

Typical Hire Period Options

Minimum Hire Periods: What to Watch For

Weekend and Bank Holiday Charging

Extending or Ending a Hire Early

Health and Safety Requirements When Using Hired Tools

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Most tool hire companies in the UK offer periods ranging from a single day to several months, with the right option depending on the type of equipment, the supplier's terms, and how the project is timed.

Common Hire Period Options

The majority of hire depots structure their periods around four standard options: a single day, a weekend (typically Friday to Monday), one week, and longer-term or open-ended arrangements for ongoing projects. Some suppliers offer a two-week or four-week period as well.

Not all options are available on every piece of kit. Some suppliers restrict certain equipment to week hire only, meaning a single-day booking is not possible for those items. Before planning your project around a particular hire window, check that the equipment you need is actually available on the period you want.

For long-running projects, many hire companies offer reduced rates for extended or open-ended hire. Equipment can typically be kept for as long as the project requires, subject to the supplier's stock availability and any agreed terms.

Minimum Hire Periods

Every hire has a minimum chargeable period, and this is one of the most important things to understand before booking. For larger or more specialised items such as scaffold towers, acrow props and scaffold boards, the minimum is often one week, regardless of how long you actually use the equipment.

Charges are usually calculated from the moment the item leaves the depot or is booked out, not from when you first use it. If you collect a tool late in the afternoon and finish the job by mid-morning the following day, you will still be charged for the full minimum hire period. Timing collection and return to make the most of the period you are paying for is practical forward planning.

If the equipment turns out to be unused - because the job was cancelled or conditions changed - most hire companies will still charge for the minimum period. This is standard practice across the industry, so factor it into your decision before booking.

Weekend and Bank Holiday Charging

How a supplier counts a weekend hire varies significantly. Some firms charge a Friday-to-Monday return as a single day's hire; others charge it as three separate days. Some account holders or trade customers are offered a free weekend on weekday hires; casual or one-off customers typically are not.

Bank holidays can extend the chargeable period further still, particularly if a bank holiday falls immediately before or after a weekend. If you are hiring over a long weekend, establish exactly what you will be charged for before you book, and consider returning equipment on the Friday if it is not needed over the holiday period.

Extending a Hire or Returning Equipment Early

Policies on extending a hire differ by supplier. Some will adjust the booking and billing if you contact them before the agreed return date. Others require you to return the equipment and place a new order. If you anticipate needing the kit for longer than originally planned, contact the hire company as early as possible rather than simply keeping the equipment beyond the agreed date, as unauthorised over-hire can attract additional charges.

There is generally no refund for returning equipment before the minimum hire period expires. The charge is fixed from the point of booking. If the job is likely to take only a few hours, it is worth checking whether a shorter minimum period is available on that particular item, or whether a local depot can offer more flexible terms.

Before you book: a practical checklist

• Confirm the minimum hire period for the specific item, not just the general category.
• Check whether the hire period you want is available on that equipment.
• Ask how the supplier counts weekend and bank holiday days.
• Find out whether extensions are possible without a new booking.
• Clarify whether charges run from collection, delivery, or booking confirmation.
• Check the return deadline and depot opening hours to avoid over-hire charges.

Health and Safety Duties Apply Regardless of Hire Period

Whether a tool is hired for a single day or several months, the legal obligations around its safe use do not change. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) makes clear that the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) place duties on whoever has control of equipment at work, not on whoever owns it. Hiring does not transfer the legal responsibility for safe use from the employer or self-employed person using the equipment to the hire company.

Under PUWER, the person controlling the work is responsible for ensuring the equipment is suitable for the task, that operators are competent and trained, and that the equipment is used safely. The HSE also states that those hiring out equipment have responsibilities under PUWER in so far as they exercise control over it - for example, ensuring that thorough examinations of lifting equipment have taken place at the required intervals before the item goes out on hire.

The HSE additionally notes that anyone supplying power tools for use at work in Great Britain, including tool hire firms, must comply with the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations, which oblige suppliers to design and construct products to reduce risks from vibration to a minimum and to provide safety information with the equipment.

For employers using vibrating tools such as breakers, grinders and disc cutters, the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set legal limits on daily exposure. The HSE identifies employees who regularly operate hammer action tools for more than about one hour per day, or rotary and other action tools for more than about four hours per day, as likely to be above the exposure limit value. This applies whether the tools are owned or hired, and the hire period determines how exposure accumulates over the course of the project.

GetBrent lists local tool hire companies across the UK, making it straightforward to compare what each depot offers - equipment range, hire periods and terms - and contact them direct. If you are based in or around the capital, you can browse tool hire in London, or find depots closer to home such as tool hire in Enfield or tool hire in Harrow. Use GetBrent to find a local firm, confirm the hire period terms that suit your project, and book with confidence.

Sources

• hse.gov.uk
• hse.gov.uk
• hse.gov.uk