Most London homes pay between £245 and £750 to have outdoor Christmas lights supplied, fitted and taken down again in January. Larger townhouses and detached houses with trees and rooflines start from about £1,250, and shops and offices usually start around £900 plus VAT.
The price comes down to four things: how high the work is, how many metres of lights you want, whether the installer supplies the lights, and whether take-down is included. Below is what each type of house typically costs, what a fair quote should include, and when to book before the good dates go.
Christmas light installation prices in London (2026)
| What you get | Typical property | Simpled price (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Lit door garland and wreath, timer | Any house or ground-floor flat | £245 |
| Gutter-line lights (up to 10m) and door garland | Terraced or semi | £445 |
| Gutter, window outlines and a tree or two bay trees | Larger terraced, semi or detached | £745 |
| Rooflines, trees, railings and garden | Detached or 3–4 storey townhouse | from £1,250 |
| Fitting your own lights | Any | from £195 |
| Shop, restaurant, office or communal entrance | Commercial | from £895 + VAT |
These prices include the lights, fitting, a timer, a free call-out if anything fails before 6 January, and taking everything down in early January. Across the UK, installers' published prices run from about £250 for a small roofline to £3,000 or more for large homes and commercial displays.
What pushes the price up or down
- Height. A two-storey gutter can be done from a ladder. Three and four storey townhouses need longer ladders, a second person and more time.
- Length. Most of the cost is labour, but a roofline that wraps round a corner house can double the metres.
- Trees. Wrapping a tree trunk to branches takes far longer than throwing a net over it, and it looks far better.
- Power. An outdoor socket makes the job simple. Without one, the installer has to run a weatherproof cable safely to an indoor socket.
- Your lights or theirs. Fitting your own is cheaper on the day, but shop-bought sets often give up in London rain. Commercial-grade sets last the season.
- Take-down. Some installers charge for it separately. Always ask.
What a proper quote should include
Before you pay a deposit, check the quote covers:
- Outdoor-rated lights (IP44 as a minimum, IP65 for anything in direct rain)
- Clip fixings on gutters and brick, with no nails, screws or glue
- A timer, so the lights come on at dusk and go off at bedtime
- Public liability insurance, because this is work at height on your property
- A free call-out if a set fails during the season
- A take-down date in writing
If a quote is a single number with none of that written down, ask before you pay anything.
Is it worth paying someone to put up Christmas lights?
Hanging lights along a gutter means hours on a ladder in the cold, and in late November it is dark by four. That is exactly the kind of job that ends in a fall.
A professional install also looks different: straight lines, even spacing, no cables trailing across the doorstep, and lights that still work on Christmas Eve.
If you only want a lit door and a wreath, you can do that yourself in an afternoon. If you want the gutter, the windows or a tree done properly, paying for it usually makes sense.
When to book Christmas light installers in London
London installers are busiest from mid-November to mid-December. Weekend slots in the last two weeks of November go first, because most people want their lights on by the first weekend of December.
Book by early November for a weekend slot. Most installers take a small deposit to hold a date. Ours is £100 and comes off the final bill.
| When you book | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Late October to early November | Pick of dates, including weekends |
| Mid-November | Weekday slots, a few weekends |
| December | Whatever is left, usually weekdays |
Rent the lights or buy them?
Most professional installers in London supply the lights as part of the service and take them away in January. You store nothing, and the lights are commercial-grade rather than shop-bought. If you would rather buy your own, we will fit them from £195, but check they are outdoor-rated and connectable before you book.
Christmas lights for landlords, letting agents and businesses
A lit shopfront or a decorated communal entrance makes a building feel looked after, and for shops and restaurants it pulls people in during the busiest weeks of the year. For commercial jobs we do a free site visit, quote in writing, and can fit out of hours. Prices start from £895 plus VAT.