FAQs

What does it really mean to ‘take control of my tool hire’?

We believe that hiring equipment should be frictionless and that you should feel in full control of the whole process. Everything about our website and app is designed to achieve this – from our provision of delivery times to fully customisable reports and much more…!

What are CH’s opening times?

We are available to respond to your phone calls, emails and online chat daily from Monday-Friday from 07:00-17:00hrs (excluding Bank Holidays). The CH online portal however is live day and night 365 days per year!

What areas to you cover?

We serve the North West of England, the Midlands, London and the South East of England. Sites in these areas are included in our delivery promise and we have a specialist team to help with any requirements outside of our service area.

How do the promised delivery times work?

Delivery time promises are driven by live availability statuses and transport activity data held within our network. This delivery time therefore varies throughout the day, or at peak times.

Can CH deliver even sooner than the promised time?

From time to time, CH is able to prioritise your delivery for even faster service! Please ask us about this via chat, phone or email to ensure we give it the special attention it deserves. ‘Special Priority’ deliveries come at a cost which will be quoted to you at the time of order.

What ifI need a delivery at a later date and time?

No problem. You can simply edit the chosen date and time when adding the equipment to your Van, or when reviewing the order summary.

Does CH have an emergency or ‘out-of-hours’ service?

Although no committed ‘24/7’ service is currently offered, we strive to meet your every need! Please share your challenge via chat, phone or email to give us an opportunity to support.

I need to hire something not on your website, can you help me?

Yes absolutely! We have many well-established links with trusted suppliers and are happy to coordinate a cross-hire or put you in touch direct as appropriate.

Does CH repair customer’s own equipment?

Unfortunately not. Our repairs resources are 100% focused on keeping our fleet in tip-top condition, sorry.

Can I book a visit from a CH representative to demonstrate your services?

Certainly! We’d love to meet in order to understand your business better and how CH can support. Please get in touch via chat, phone or email to set up a visit.

Can we open a Trade Credit Account? If so, how long does it take to activate?

Yes, please see our Credit Application Form here

Subject to two references’ responses and satisfactory ratings, you should be ready to trade within 1 business day.

How do CH’s transport charges work?

Transport charges are normally calculated according to site postcode location. Your representative can provide more information on this once your account is set up.

Do I need insurance to hire equipment?

Yes. You should always ensure that you are insured for loss, damage or theft of the equipment hired.

Do you offer Damage Waiver? If so, how does it work?

Yes. Damage Waiver is a % surcharge applied to your hire equipment charges to cover subsequent damage that may occur on site. Details may vary by contract so you should ask your CH representative for information.

What are CH’s terms and conditions?

Please see our Terms and Conditions

I don’t currently have an account, how can I get set up and order online with CH?

To order online with CH you will need to both complete a Credit Account Application and Register Online. Please note that we serve trade customers and your application will be subject to a qualification process. You can complete an account form here.

My company has an account with City Hire. How do I get my login?

Firstly, find out if your company administrator is registered and using the CH portal. If your administrator has access, they will be able to set you up with a login via Settings on their Dashboard. Alternatively, please chat, phone or email us and we will coordinate this for you. (Please be aware that we have a duty to always seek permission from someone with authority within your organisation before granting access to the portal)

How do I manage permissions of different users for our company account?

Permissions for users can be set by your organisation’s administrator via Settings within their Dashboard. For more information or to find out who your administrator is, please contact us.

There appears to be a problem with my account - can you help me?

Sorry about this. Please contact us via chat, phone or email to enable us to rectify.

I need help setting up my account dashboard

Great – we’d love to help you get set up! Please contact us via chat or email to arrange a walk through on the phone at a time that suits you.

Are these online prices specifically applicable to my account?

Yes, if you have a trade account and are registered online (check to see whether your company name appears under your My Account’ page), the prices shown are specific to your account.

What happens when I place an order online?

It’s just the same as when you order through our customer services team, only you are now in full control yourself! Once an order is confirmed by your organisation two things happen immediately as follows: Your equipment order instantly appears on a picking list for our hire control team to physically locate and reserve your items and move them to the right loading bay. At the same time our transport coordinators will be notified of the exact location, weight/size information and time allocation of your delivery which enables the items to be allocated to an appropriate delivery vehicle. Once done, your order status is updated internally before your items are loaded onto the correct vehicle. At the next opportunity, we will seek to inform your site contact of the scheduled ETA (estimated time of arrival) via text or email.

What happens if something is out of stock after I place my order?

Our delivery promises online already reflect the live availability statuses of our equipment. We watch these statuses carefully to ensure that we don’t let our online customers down at any time. However, on the rare occasion that your order is found to be out of stock, we will be sure to inform you at the earliest possible opportunity and provide up to date information and alternative equipment or delivery options. Although we are striving for frictionless perfection online, we remain very human and customer focused behind the scenes and will intervene wherever necessary!

How do I reset my password?

Your password can be readily reset via your ‘My Account’ portal.

How do I change my phone number or email address?

Your phone number or email address can be easily updated via your profile tab within the ‘My Account’ portal. If you cannot access this due to permissions, please contact your system administrator or contact us via chat, phone or email.

How do I manage my notifications?

Your notifications can be managed simply within your ‘My Account’ portal. If you cannot access this due to permissions, please contact your system administrator or contact us via chat, phone or email.

How do I amend the details on an order I’ve already placed?

If your order has been successfully placed and you’ve received a confirmation message, then you will not be able to amend this order online for security reasons. Should you need to amend something, please contact us via chat, phone or email and we’ll be pleased to handle this for you.

Is PAT Testing a Legal Requirement?

There is currently no strict legal requirement for PAT testing, it simply helps protecting oneself by ensuring compliance with legal regulations, such as Health & Safety at Work Act of 1974, The Electricity at Work Regulations of 1989, The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations of 1998, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999.
However the law does require that employers, including self-employed, ensure that all electrical equipment provided in their business is safe and properly maintained.

How often does PAT testing need to be done?

There is no regulation for how often PAT testing should be done, but it should be done regularly and as often as necessary to ensure the equipment is functioning properly.
Therefore a risk assessment should be done in the workplace to determine how to reduce the risk of incidents occurring depending on how often a machine is used and how prone it might be to damage or abuse.

City Hire and PAT testing

The industry standard is to deliver every equipment with a valid PAT test carried out at least within the last 12 months, but our standard at City Hire is actually 6 months.

We strongly recommend all of our clients to maintain equipment on site healthy, safe and suitable, therefore ensuring that all equipment is inspected at least every day, or better before every use by the person carrying out the work and that there is personnel on site qualified and able to PAT test equipment on demand as part of their equipment management strategy aimed at reducing risk.

What to do if a PAT test is required on site?

City Hire recommends that all equipment is managed effectively on site, therefore if you feel that your hired machine require a PAT test done and there is no system in place to fulfil this task on your site there are companies that offer onsite testing and certificates are normally issued as part of the service. City Hire does not offer this service and where an exchange is requested it is offered at a standard fee and subject to availability.