Straight talk about a straightforward service
If you build houses, fit kitchens, lay foundations, or do anything that involves workers on a site for more than a day, you need a toilet. You know this. What you might not know is how easy it is to arrange, what it actually costs, and what you get for the money.
This guide skips the waffle. Here is what you need to know.
Do I legally need a portable toilet on site?
Yes. CDM 2015 — the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations — requires toilet provision on every construction site, including domestic projects where you employ subcontractors. The welfare obligation sits with the person controlling the site, and if that is you, the responsibility is yours.
The generally accepted ratio is one toilet per seven workers. If you have a team of five, one unit is sufficient. If the team grows to twelve, you need two.
There is no exemption for small projects, short projects, or projects where the client has offered their own facilities. The regulations require provision at the construction site itself.
Can my workers use the client's toilet?
The client might agree to it at the start. Many do. But the arrangement rarely survives the first fortnight.
Muddy boots on the carpet, dust tracked through the hallway, a queue outside the bathroom at break time — the goodwill erodes fast. When the client changes their mind (and they will), you need an alternative immediately. Having your own unit from day one avoids the conversation entirely and keeps the client relationship professional.
More fundamentally, relying on the client's facilities does not satisfy the CDM requirement for provision at the site. If the client withdraws access mid-project, you are instantly non-compliant.
What does it actually cost?
A standard portable toilet for a construction site costs between forty and sixty pounds per week, depending on the duration of the hire and the number of units. That weekly rate includes servicing — emptying, cleaning, restocking — at no additional charge.
Delivery and collection are typically included in our pricing. The only addition is VAT at the prevailing rate.
To put that in context: the weekly toilet hire costs less than a single day's scaffolding hire. Less than the fuel in your van for the week. Less than one hour of crane time. It is the smallest line item on any construction project.
What is included in the hire?
Everything you need for a functional, compliant welfare facility:
- Delivery to your site at the agreed time
- A clean, fully functional portable toilet with chemical flush
- Lockable door with functioning mechanism
- Toilet paper, hand sanitiser, and hand wash — fully stocked
- Weekly servicing throughout the hire — waste removal, cleaning, restocking, chemical treatment
- Documented service records for compliance purposes
- Collection at the end of the hire
There are no hidden extras. No separate delivery charge, no servicing surcharge, no fuel levy. The price we quote is the price you pay, plus VAT.
How quickly can you deliver?
For standard construction site hires, we can usually deliver within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Our stock levels are maintained to handle normal demand patterns, and most of our delivery capacity is allocated within one to two working days.
Same-day delivery is sometimes possible, depending on our schedule for the day. If you need a toilet urgently — a new site starting tomorrow, an unexpected contractor arrival, an existing unit that has been damaged — call us and we will do our best.
The earlier you book, the more flexibility we have on timing. But we understand that not everything can be planned weeks in advance. Call us and we will give you an honest answer about what is possible.
Where does the unit go?
On level, firm ground — a driveway, a section of hardstanding, compacted ground, or any surface that will support the unit without sinking. The unit is approximately 1.2 metres square and 2.3 metres tall, so it fits in most site layouts without difficulty.
Our service vehicle needs to park within approximately fifteen metres of the unit for weekly servicing. The vacuum hose and equipment have a working range, and closer access means faster, more thorough servicing.
If access conditions change during your hire — scaffolding goes up, materials are stored in the access route, a new phase of work blocks the path — let us know and we will work around it.
What if my site moves?
For linear projects — road works, pipelines, cable laying, drainage — we reposition the unit as the work front advances. This is coordinated with you and built into the service schedule at no additional charge for reasonable relocations.
For phased builds where the active work area shifts within the site, we can reposition during a scheduled service visit.
What if HSE inspects the site?
You show them the portable toilet. You show them the service log, which we provide. They check the box and move on to the next item.
Without a toilet, you receive an improvement notice. That means a formal record, a required remedial action within a stated timeframe, and a conversation with the inspector that you do not want to have. It also goes on file and may affect future inspections of your sites.
The service log we provide demonstrates not just that you have a toilet, but that it is being maintained to a documented standard. Inspectors notice the difference between a site manager who takes welfare seriously and one who treats it as an afterthought.
How do I order?
Call 07534 362 251. Tell us where the site is, when work starts, and how many people will be on site. We will give you a price and a delivery date, usually within a few minutes on the phone.
No forms, no bureaucracy, no waiting for a quote to arrive by email three days later. One call, one price, one delivery date.
One final point
The portable toilet is the cheapest welfare provision on your site and the one that has the most direct impact on your workers' daily experience. It costs less than a day's scaffold hire, less than a week's fuel, less than a single insurance claim for the consequences of not providing one.
It is not worth skipping.
Chelford Mobile Services supplies portable toilets to builders and construction sites across Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Greater Manchester. Weekly servicing is included with every hire.