Prices
How much does a garage door service cost in the UK?
An annual garage door service in the UK typically costs £80–£150 inc. VAT, covering lubrication, a check of cables, springs, photocells and operator settings. This is separate from a repair call-out (£40–£80) and from operator repair (£180–£500), and reduces the likelihood of an unplanned failure between visits.
Servicing is preventative, not diagnostic — it is the cheapest way to avoid the more expensive repair jobs listed on this site's repair cost page.
What a UK garage door service actually checks
A proper service visit typically covers: lubrication of rollers, hinges and tracks; a visual and tension check of springs and cables (without adjusting them unless a fault is found, which becomes a separate repair); cleaning and alignment check of safety photocells; a check of the operator's force and travel limit settings against BS EN 12453:2017+A1:2021; and a general check of fixings, seals and the panel or slats for damage. It is a health check, not a repair — parts and labour for anything found faulty are normally quoted separately.
How PUWER 1998 applies
PUWER 1998 (the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) places a duty on employers and the self-employed to maintain work equipment in efficient working order, and this duty applies to power-operated garage doors used in a commercial or workplace setting. PUWER does not set a fixed service interval — the duty-holder determines the schedule through a documented risk assessment, but an annual service is a widely used, reasonable baseline for a door in regular commercial use. Note this is distinct from LOLER 1998, which covers lifting equipment and does not apply to garage doors.
Domestic doors — is a service worth it?
PUWER's legal duty applies to workplace equipment, so a domestic garage door has no statutory service requirement, but the same £80–£150 preventative logic still applies: catching a worn cable or a drifting limit setting at a scheduled service is cheaper than the equivalent unplanned repair, and safer than continuing to use a door with a developing fault. Households with older doors, or an operator used daily, benefit most.
What is NOT included in a standard service
A standard service does not include replacing worn parts — a spring pair (£150–£350), a cable (£120–£250) or an operator (£180–£500) found to be worn or failing during the service is quoted and billed as a separate repair. It also does not usually include a documented log book entry unless you specifically ask for one — for power-operated doors, BS EN 12635 requires a log book to be kept, so commercial duty-holders should confirm their servicing firm provides this.
| Visit type | Typical cost | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Annual service | £80–£150 | Scheduled, preventative |
| Call-out fee | £40–£80 | Reactive, fault already occurred |
| Operator repair or replacement | £180–£500 | Where a fault is found |
| Emergency / out-of-hours surcharge | £50–£150 | On top of any of the above, outside normal hours |
Figures inc. VAT. Labour is typically £40–£60/hr, £60–£90/hr in London and the South East.
Questions people ask
- How often should a UK garage door be serviced?
- There is no single fixed legal interval for a domestic garage door. An annual service, typically £80–£150 inc. VAT, is a widely used and reasonable baseline. For commercial power-operated doors, PUWER 1998 requires the duty-holder to set the interval by documented risk assessment rather than a fixed statutory figure.
- Is a garage door service legally required in the UK?
- For domestic doors, no statutory service interval exists. For power-operated doors used as work equipment, PUWER 1998 requires the duty-holder to maintain the equipment in efficient working order via a documented schedule, and BS EN 12635 requires a log book to be kept for power-operated doors.
- What is the difference between a service and a repair call-out?
- A service, typically £80–£150 inc. VAT, is a scheduled preventative check before anything has failed. A repair call-out, typically £40–£80 for the visit plus parts and labour, is reactive — booked because a specific fault has already occurred, such as the door not closing or an operator failure.
- Does LOLER 1998 apply to garage door servicing?
- No. LOLER 1998 covers lifting equipment such as cranes and hoists, not garage doors or shutters. The correct UK regulation for maintaining power-operated garage doors as work equipment is PUWER 1998, alongside the safety-in-use standard BS EN 12453:2017+A1:2021.
UK standards and regulations referenced
- BS EN 12453:2017+A1:2021
- BS EN 12635
- PUWER 1998
Related
Last reviewed: . Next review due: .