How to book accommodation for a work crew in the UK
Booking a crew into a whole house is a different job to booking hotel rooms. You are matching bed count to head count, parking to vehicles, and check-in times to shift patterns ā usually at short notice, and usually with a company purchase order attached.
This guide is the process we use with site managers and project coordinators every week, from first enquiry to keys in hand.
Step 1: work out beds, not rooms
Count actual people, then decide how many are willing to share a twin room. A four-bed house typically sleeps four in single occupancy or six to seven if two rooms are twins. Being honest about sharing at enquiry stage is the single biggest lever on cost per person per night.
Tell us the split you want (all singles, some twins) and the trade will usually shape the answer ā a supervisor sharing rarely works, a two-man install crew almost always does.
Step 2: send the five details that produce a firm quote
ā¢ Town or postcode of the site, not the office address. ā¢ Arrival and departure dates, plus whether the crew goes home at weekends. ā¢ Head count and how many are happy to share. ā¢ Number and type of vehicles ā vans, tippers and pickups need off-street space. ā¢ Whether the booking is invoiced to a company and whether a PO number is required.
With those five lines we can normally come back the same working day with available houses, a total price and the deposit amount.
Step 3: check parking, storage and shift access
Off-street driveway parking matters more than almost anything else on a crew booking. Confirm how many vehicles fit, whether tools stay in the van overnight, and whether the street has permit restrictions.
Self check-in with a keysafe means night shifts and 3am starts are not a problem, and nobody waits for a reception desk. Ask for it explicitly if your crew rotates.
Step 4: agree bills, cleaning and mid-stay servicing
Bills, council tax and broadband should be inside the quoted price so there is one line on the invoice and nothing in an individual's name. For stays over a month, agree how often the house is cleaned and linen changed ā fortnightly is the usual pattern for crews.
Kitchens are the difference between a crew that cooks for Ā£40 a week and one that spends Ā£25 a head each night on takeaways. A full kitchen, washing machine and drying space are practical cost savings, not luxuries.
Step 5: set up invoicing before mobilisation
We invoice companies directly with VAT invoices, PO references and named cost codes where needed, so the crew never pays out of pocket and expenses do not have to be reclaimed.
Every booking, including company bookings, takes a refundable security deposit. It is returned after checkout once the house is inspected. Build it into the mobilisation budget so it does not delay sign-off.
Step 6: extend early rather than late
Programmes slip. If the job is running long, tell us as soon as you suspect it rather than in the last week ā extending an existing house is nearly always cheaper and less disruptive than moving a crew mid-project.
Where a house genuinely is not available, we move the crew to another property in the same town and keep the rate and invoicing arrangement the same.
Frequently asked
How far in advance should I book contractor accommodation?
Two to four weeks is comfortable for a whole house in most towns. We regularly place crews within 48 hours, but choice of property and parking narrows sharply at short notice.
Can we book a whole house rather than separate rooms?
Yes ā whole-house bookings are the standard for crews. The team gets the kitchen, living space, driveway and utility room to itself with no other guests in the property.
Do you invoice the company instead of the individual?
Yes. We raise VAT invoices to the company with PO numbers and cost references, on agreed payment terms.
Is a deposit required on a company booking?
Yes. Every booking takes a refundable security deposit, returned after checkout once the property has been checked.
Get a free valuation for your property
See exactly what your home could earn on full-service Airbnb management or as a 5-year Guaranteed Rent contract. Free, no obligation, 48-hour turnaround.