For groomers
Starting a Mobile Dog Grooming Business: 8 Steps
No licence is needed to groom dogs from a van, but training, a properly converted van, insurance, tax registration and a plan for waste water are. Eight steps, with the figures that matter.
What do you need to start a mobile dog grooming business?
No licence: grooming is not licensable anywhere in the UK. You need training (a Level 3 diploma is the recognised standard), a converted van with water, heating, power and a bath, insurance (business vehicle, public liability, care, custody and control), registration with HMRC, and a way to dispose of waste water legally. The van is usually the largest cost.
What are the eight steps?
1. Train. A Level 3 course commonly costs £3,500 to £7,000. Experience in a salon first is common.
2. Choose a van. A long-wheelbase panel van, new or used, converted by a specialist or self-built. Check payload: water, tanks, a generator and a bath are heavy.
3. Decide on power. Generator, battery bank charged while driving, or the customer's outside socket. Self-contained vans can work anywhere; socket-dependent ones cannot.
4. Insure. Business-use van cover, public liability, care, custody and control, equipment cover.
5. Register. As self-employed with HMRC by 5 October after the end of the tax year you start, or set up a limited company.
6. Plan waste. Grey water and hair are business waste.
7. Set an area and prices. A realistic radius, travel charges beyond it, and a price list by size and coat.
8. Get found. A website, a Google Business Profile and a free listing on directories such as this one.
How should you handle waste water and hair?
Waste water carries shampoo, hair and sometimes flea treatment, and must not go into a road drain, which usually discharges to a watercourse. Empty the grey tank to a foul drain at your base, with the water company's consent if it is trade effluent. Hair and other waste from a business is business waste: you have a duty of care, must use a registered waste carrier, and keep waste transfer notes.
What about tax and VAT?
Sole traders file Self Assessment. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from April 2026 above £50,000 of qualifying income, from April 2027 above £30,000 and from April 2028 above £20,000. VAT registration is required once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling twelve months; few one-van businesses reach it.
How many dogs a day is realistic?
At 90 minutes to two hours per dog, plus travel, parking and setting up between houses, four to six dogs makes a full day for one van. A salon groomer can usually fit in more. Price for the number you can really do, not for a diary of back-to-back grooms.
Common questions
Do you need a licence for mobile dog grooming?
No. Dog grooming is not licensable in any UK nation as of October 2026.
Can I empty grooming waste water down the drain?
Not a road drain. Use a foul drain at your base, with consent where needed.
How many dogs can a mobile groomer do in a day?
Around four to six at 90 minutes to two hours each plus travel, depending on size and coat.
Do I need a qualification to start?
Not by law, but insurers and customers often ask, and a Level 3 diploma is the recognised standard.