Want to be first to launch your lawn cutting business?
Drop your email and you'll be first in line when setup opens. Early members keep founding-member pricing for as long as they stay subscribed.
Start a painting and decorating business
Painting and decorating is one of the simplest trades to start legally. There is no licence to apply for and no register to join before you can take your first job, so the real work is setting the business up properly so it is taxed correctly, insured and ready to win repeat work.
The two areas that catch people out are old lead-based paint in older properties and how you get rid of trade waste. Get those right and you are on solid ground. We walk through each step with you so nothing is missed.
What you need to start a painting and decorating business.
The steps, in the right order. We do every one of them with you.
- 01
Register with HMRC as a sole trader
Tell HMRC you are self-employed so you are set up for Self Assessment. Most decorators start this way. Register by 5 October in your second tax year of trading. You can switch to a limited company later if it suits you.
- 02
Arrange public liability insurance
Put public liability cover in place before your first job. It protects you if you damage a client's property or someone is hurt while you work, and most customers and contractors will ask to see it. Add employers' liability cover if you take anyone on.
- 03
Sort lead paint and waste compliance
Plan how you will handle old paintwork under the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002, and register as an upper tier waste carrier with the Environment Agency if you take away job waste such as old paint tins, since that counts as construction waste and oil-based paint is hazardous waste.
- 04
Set up bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital
Keep records of income and expenses from day one, including materials, fuel and tools. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is being phased in for sole traders by turnover, so simple digital bookkeeping now saves work later.
- 05
Build a website and Google Business Profile
A clear website with photos of finished work and a free Google Business Profile help local customers find and trust you. Reviews matter a lot in this trade, so make it easy for happy clients to leave one.
- 06
Set up bookings and a local number
Make it easy to get quotes and book you in, with an online enquiry or booking form and a local phone number. Quick, professional responses win more of the domestic and letting-agent work that keeps a decorator busy.
What you do and don't need a licence for.
- ✓
Licence to trade · No
There is no licence or registration you must hold to work as a painter and decorator in the UK. Anyone can start trading. Qualifications such as a Level 2 or 3 NVQ are useful for credibility but are not a legal requirement.
- ?
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 · Sometimes
Older paint can contain lead. Lead paint was banned from general sale in 1992, and paint from before the 1970s is the highest risk. If you sand, scrape, burn off or strip old paintwork in an older property, you have a legal duty to control the lead dust and fumes, which usually means containment, RPE such as an FFP3 mask, and safe clean-up. This is the single biggest compliance point in this trade.
- ✓
Waste carrier registration (Environment Agency) · Usually
If you carry away the waste you generate on a job, such as old paint tins and strippings, this counts as construction waste, so you must register as an upper tier waste carrier. That registration has a fee and runs for three years. Oil-based paint is hazardous waste and trade paint cannot go to a household tip. Registration in England is an online process with the Environment Agency. Rules differ slightly in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- ✓
VAT registration · Only above the threshold
You must register for VAT once your turnover passes the VAT threshold (currently £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period). Below that it is optional, though some decorators register voluntarily to reclaim VAT on materials.
Insurance. Public liability cover is not a legal requirement for a sole trader, but almost every customer, letting agent and main contractor will expect it before they let you on site, and it covers damage to a client's property or injury to someone while you work. Most decorators carry it as standard. If you take on even one employee, employers' liability insurance becomes a legal requirement under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, with a minimum of £5 million cover. Tools and stock cover is worth considering separately.
Starting a painting and decorating business: FAQs.
Do I need a licence to be a painter and decorator in the UK?
No. There is no licence or registration you must hold to work as a painter and decorator. Anyone can start trading. You do need to register with HMRC for tax, and you should register as a waste carrier if you take away the waste from your jobs.
Do I need insurance to be a decorator?
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement for a sole trader, but it is strongly expected and most customers and contractors will ask for it. If you employ anyone, employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement with a minimum of £5 million cover.
How much does it cost to start a painting and decorating business?
Often around £500 to £3,000 to get going, though it varies. The basic tools, sheeting, ladders, consumables and insurance are inexpensive. Costs rise mainly if you add a sprayer, a van and stock.
How fast can I start?
Very quickly. Because there is no licence to wait for, you can register with HMRC, arrange insurance and take your first paid job within days. Setting up the waste and lead paint side and your bookings properly is what we help you complete.
A small setup, then a companion for as long as you are trading.
You pay once to get the whole business set up properly. Then a simple monthly fee keeps your AI working alongside you for as long as you're trading.
We set the whole business up with you, properly, from day one. Registration, insurance, website, bookings, the lot.
- Registered and legally trading
- Insurance sorted for your trade
- A real website that ranks locally
- Google Business Profile, live on the map
- Online bookings and card payments
- A local phone number that rings your mobile
Stays with you for as long as you are trading. Logs your jobs, chases your money, reminds your customers, and tells you when to raise prices or hire.
Cancel any time. Your data is always yours to export.
Be among the first and keep founding-member pricing for as long as you stay subscribed.
Most services drop you the moment you're registered. Ours never does.
Your AI knows your business from its very first day, because it was there when you started it. It never asks you to explain yourself twice. As you grow, it's the one place you go: today's jobs, what's been paid, customer replies, your next move.
And it's yours. Everything we hold, you can see and export any time. We earn your stay by being useful, not by locking the door. For anything that needs a qualified accountant or adviser, we flag it and connect you to a trusted partner.