How to hire
Start with the job in front of you. A rooftop or loft aerial brings Freeview, a dish brings Freesat or Sky, and several Telford firms also cover TV wall mounting, extra points, CCTV, networking, home cinema and Starlink installation. Most Telford homes take their Freeview signal from The Wrekin transmitter, which serves Telford and the surrounding towns [4]. When you first enquire, give your postcode, say which rooms need a signal, and say whether you want an aerial, a dish or both.
The job follows a familiar course from first contact to sign-off. The installer replies with questions or offers a survey, and some firms survey free of charge; the survey covers the signal at your street, how the roof will be reached and where the cables will run, and it ends with the itemised written quote. Once you accept, the installer confirms a date, does the roof work, then walks you through the finished channels on every point before asking for the balance.
Ask which transmitter and aerial group the installer plans to use, and why. The Wrekin broadcasts on Group K with horizontal polarisation, and most modern wideband aerials receive it, though fringe or black-spot streets may need a high-gain aerial with careful alignment [4]. A loft aerial costs less because nobody climbs the roof, but it only suits strong-signal streets — a good installer says so before quoting. If your picture breaks up in wind or heavy rain, say so in your enquiry.
Check trade membership before you book. Search the CAI installer finder by postcode for the business name and confirm what comes back matches the firm you are hiring [1]. Badges claimed on a profile or van prove nothing on their own: if a firm claims RDI registration, ask for the membership details in writing. Membership is voluntary in this trade, with no mandatory register to fall back on, which is why the written quote and the insurance note matter so much.
Most dishes and aerials need no planning permission, sitting within permitted development rights subject to size limits [3]. The exceptions matter more than the rule. Flats share the building's allowance, so check with the other residents or landlord before adding yours, and consider a shared system [3]. Listed buildings need separate consent for anything affecting their character, and rules tighten in conservation areas and other designated areas [3]. If you rent, get the landlord's permission in writing first.
Telford and Wrekin adds its own wrinkles, so name your street and house type in the first message. The borough holds eight conservation areas, including Wellington and the Severn Gorge, where works that are normally permitted can need permission [7]. Inside the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site the position is tighter: an Article 4 direction covers every dwelling, so even a satellite dish can need planning permission, and the council publishes a residents guide explaining what needs what [8]. Lawley Village sits at the other end of the borough's history as a large new-build community under long-term stewardship, where external alterations go through the steward's own application process alongside any planning rules [9]. A terrace near Wellington, an estate house in Dawley or Madeley, a new-build in Lawley and a cottage in the Gorge each change how an installer reaches the roof and what permission questions arise, so say which one you are calling from.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, so you compare like with like [6]. Each quote should separate labour, materials and VAT, and name the aerial or dish type, the pole and bracket, cable runs and TV points, how roof access will be handled, the start date, the guarantee length and payment stages. A deposit for materials is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain.
Roof work is where aerial jobs differ from most indoor trades. Ask how the installer will reach the chimney or gable safely, and confirm the price covers the access equipment rather than discovering an extra charge later. Height, chimney condition, long cable runs, cable chased into walls and extra TV points all move the price. Agree what changes the price if the installer finds rotten brackets or perished cable once up the ladder.
Treat email as paper: a quote or guarantee sent by email counts as written terms when it names the firm, the price and the cover. Read the guarantee for what it actually includes — parts, labour and a return visit matter more than the headline length — and check it names who to call and what happens if the signal drops. Anything promised on the phone means little until it appears in those terms.
When the work is done, check every promised channel tunes in on every point before you pay the balance. Take the itemised invoice and the guarantee terms in writing, with the firm's name, address and phone number on the paper, and file them with your house papers [6]. Agree a return visit in writing if the signal drops in bad weather within the guarantee period. If anything feels rushed or unfinished, pause the job and settle it before the balance leaves your account.
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough national ranges run like this: a full outdoor aerial system £200–£300, a loft system £90–£150, an extra TV socket £70–£150, a straight aerial replacement around £125, and a satellite dish installation £150–£200 before VAT, with a Freesat receiver around £145 on top [2]. Repairs typically land between £85 and £165 [2]. Against those guides, CRT Aerials publishes a short Telford menu — fitted digital aerials, Freesat dish installations and extra TV points at fixed prices, with free local surveys — which sits below the national averages.
Access moves the price most: chimney and high-gable work costs more than a simple fascia mount, and hard-to-reach roofs take longer [2]. The aerial type comes next — a standard wideband for a strong-signal street costs less than a high-gain fringe-area install with careful alignment — alongside cable length, the number of points, whether cable is chased into walls, and travel and parking [2]. Ask the price of adding a future point while the ladders are already up.
Two smaller jobs work differently. An extra TV point guides at £70–£150 on its own [2], and costs less as an add-on while the ladders are already up; long cable runs, cable chased into walls and extra rooms push it back up. A repair visit guides at £85–£165 [2]: a dish realignment or a swapped bracket sits at the lower end, a perished mast and full rebuild at the upper. Get the call-out fee and the parts split named before anyone climbs.
Ask whether every figure includes VAT. Checkatrade's ranges are quoted plus VAT [2], and the standard rate is 20% [5] — enough to turn a £300 quote into £360. Firms in this round mostly quote on application rather than publishing menus, so treat any single fixed price for a large job with no breakdown as a question, not an answer.
Get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which aerial or dish, which points and cable runs, how the cable enters the house, what the guarantee covers and for how long, and what changes the price if the roof throws up worse than expected. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice and guarantee together [6].
Red flags
Quotes a rooftop aerial or dish job without visiting, asking for photos, or checking which transmitter serves your street. [4]
Cannot name the aerial group or transmitter they plan to align to when you ask. [4]
Gives one fixed price for a multi-point or whole-house job with no breakdown of labour, materials and VAT. [2]
Will not put the scope, price, start date and guarantee length in writing before lifting a ladder. [6]
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms. [6]
Dismisses a weak-signal or awkward-access problem instead of explaining the fix and what it adds to the price.
Leaves the old aerial, brackets or a dead dish on the roof without agreeing it with you first.
Cannot show any insurance detail when asked, or brushes the question aside.
Presses you to decide on the doorstep with a discount that expires the moment they leave.
Cannot describe what the guarantee covers when you ask, beyond its length in years.