Budgeting for an LPG catering unit

How much should you allow for the whole unit?

The cost of a mobile catering gas safety inspection depends on the installation and the equipment to be checked. For an LPG catering vehicle or trailer requiring a CP44 inspection, Upkeepone’s confirmed fees start at £155 + VAT (£186 including VAT) for one appliance, with each additional appliance from £45 + VAT (£54 including VAT) at the same agreed visit. The examples below show how that starting budget changes with appliance count; other setups need their own quotation.

Reviewed 13 October 2026 · CP44 starting fees confirmed by Upkeepone on this date · Other installation prices checked individually

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Start with the declared equipment

A starting budget for a CP44 vehicle or trailer inspection

Where the starting fees apply

These figures apply to Upkeepone’s CP44 inspection starting fees for an LPG catering vehicle or trailer: £155 + VAT (£186 including VAT) for one declared appliance, accessible pipework and the appropriate record or report. The engineer must be suitable for the installation and equipment before attendance is agreed.

An extra declared appliance adds a starting charge of £45 + VAT (£54 including VAT) when included at that visit. A separate visit, different installation or additional work needs to be priced on its own terms.

CP44: one LPG applianceFrom £155 + VAT (£186 incl. VAT)
CP44: additional applianceFrom £45 + VAT (£54 incl. VAT)
Travel and final scopeConfirmed separately

A stall, gazebo, temporary kitchen or another fuel arrangement is not priced by these examples. Ask Upkeepone to check the setup and confirm the work it can support. The quoted inspection fee also does not buy a guaranteed satisfactory result, repairs or permission to trade.

Appliance-count examples for the CP44 scope above

One, two or four appliances: compare the starting budgets

From £155 + VAT (£186 incl. VAT)

One appliance

Start with one declared LPG appliance in a vehicle or trailer accepted for the CP44 inspection scope. Travel and any further work are still checked before booking.

From £200 + VAT (£240 incl. VAT)

Two appliances

The arithmetic is £155 plus £45, giving £200 before VAT and £240 including VAT. This assumes both declared appliances can be included in one agreed inspection visit.

From £290 + VAT (£348 incl. VAT)

Four appliances

The arithmetic is £155 plus three charges of £45: £290 before VAT and £348 including VAT. Four appliances do not establish the final scope or travel cost.

The calculations use 20% VAT and the CP44 starting fees confirmed on 13 October 2026. They are budgeting examples, not separate fixed-price packages. If your unit falls outside that inspection scope, request its price rather than multiplying these figures. For detailed record-specific quotation questions, read the CP44 cost guide.

Mobile units create different inspection scopes

Six details that can change the mobile catering price

Unit

Truck, trailer, van or temporary setup

Tell us whether the LPG installation is inside a catering vehicle or trailer, on a freestanding stall or in a temporary kitchen. The setting affects the work and suitable engineer; the vehicle/trailer budget is not transferable to every setup.

LPG supply

Cylinders, storage and regulator

Describe the cylinders and supply arrangement, including storage, regulator, hoses and pipework. Any changes since the last inspection should be disclosed so the quotation reflects the installation now in use.

Appliances

Number, type and data plates

Give a complete equipment list and identify any connected appliances you no longer use. Make, model and data-plate information help establish the work, time and qualifications needed; support for a particular appliance must be confirmed.

Ventilation

Air, flues and extraction

Explain the ventilation, flues, extraction and safety controls fitted. Required safety checks must be accounted for, while extraction cleaning, maintenance or a separate specialist assessment may be additional work.

Requester

CP44 or other evidence wording

Forward the site or organiser’s document request. The quotation should name the proposed report and inspected equipment so that you can check it against the evidence needed for that trading location.

Location

Travel, parking and deadline

Use the postcode where inspection will happen, not just a future event address. List parking, entry restrictions and the date the equipment can be made available. A trading deadline does not guarantee an appointment.

Separate inspection from additional work

Check the inspection scope and the extra-cost terms

Have the required checks identified

  • The unit and LPG supply arrangement being assessed
  • All declared appliances and the required installation safety checks
  • Necessary testing and checks of relevant ventilation, flues, safety devices and interlocks
  • The access, documents or operating conditions needed for completion
  • The report or record of findings, with any incomplete checks or limitations explained

Confirm separately

  • VAT, travel, parking and access charges in the overall total
  • Servicing, commissioning, fault investigation, parts or repairs
  • Separate tightness testing or purging work beyond the agreed inspection scope
  • Extraction maintenance, cleaning or specialist assessment
  • Charges for incomplete attendance, further work and return visits

Confirm the work before paying a deposit or booking. A necessary safety check must not be left out simply to reach a lower headline fee. Separate work and costs should be explained before they are authorised; a general certificate price does not establish that every maintenance task is included.

Send the complete setup once

An accurate quote needs more than the number of appliances

For a unit that trades at several pitches, give the inspection address separately from future event locations. Explain whether all equipment will be present and accessible there. Comparing quotes for the same unit, appliance list and attendance address makes differences in travel and exclusions easier to spot.

Tell us who can unlock the unit, whether equipment is available to test and which hours would interrupt trading least. Some checks require appliances to be stopped or the supply isolated; agree access and expected disruption for your setup in advance. Existing photographs can help explain it, but do not disturb equipment or approach a suspected leak to take them.

The setting determines the inspection and record

A vehicle, a stall and a fixed kitchen need different enquiries

LPG vehicle or trailer

CORGI’s CP44 form is for safety checks on a mobile catering vehicle or trailer. Ask whether your installation fits the proposed inspection and tell us what the site requires.

CP44 inspection enquiries

Stall, gazebo or temporary kitchen

Describe the complete setup and fuel supply. Its engineer categories, assessment and paperwork need checking separately; neither a CP44 record nor the example prices are assumed.

Describe a temporary LPG setup

Fixed commercial kitchen

A restaurant or other permanent kitchen belongs with commercial catering enquiries. State the fuel and equipment so availability for that work can be checked.

Commercial catering enquiries

Budget from the equipment and requester’s interval

Allow for inspection and maintenance in the trading budget

HSE advises setting catering gas inspection intervals from the equipment, use, industry practice and manufacturer recommendations; annual inspection is a reasonable general minimum. Keep maintenance in the budget as well. A site or insurer may want newer evidence, and alterations or safety concerns can call for earlier attention. This guidance is not one statutory expiry date for every certificate.

Do not budget only for satisfactory paperwork

The inspection can identify defects or incomplete evidence

Scope completed

Record issued

Confirm what document will be supplied and how delivery will be arranged. It should describe the equipment checked and findings, including any restrictions or limitations; completion is not a promised satisfactory result.

Information missing

Scope incomplete

Missing access, equipment information or records of alterations can prevent completion. Find out what remains to be checked and whether a further visit is needed. Ask how those charges are handled under the booking terms.

Defects found

Repair or restriction

A defect may require equipment to be isolated or its use restricted. Ask for the findings and proposed next work to be explained, then agree the price for repairs, testing or reattendance before authorising it.

Postcode-qualified mobile catering enquiries

Where Upkeepone can consider mobile catering LPG work

Priority areas: London, Essex and Kent.
Other covered locations: Hertfordshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Sussex.
Other UK locations: considered by request.
For these LPG enquiries, attendance depends on postcode, installation, access, travel and the availability of an engineer with the qualifications required for the job.

Give the actual inspection address when requesting a quote. The coverage above does not guarantee acceptance of every appliance or temporary installation, or establish the same availability for natural gas work.

London LPG enquiriesEssex LPG enquiriesKent LPG enquiriesHertfordshire LPG enquiriesSurrey LPG enquiriesBuckinghamshire LPG enquiriesBerkshire LPG enquiriesSussex LPG enquiries

If LPG may be escaping

A suspected LPG escape needs emergency help

Keep people away and do not create an ignition source

Keep clear of a suspected leak, flames and electrical switches. Contact your LPG supplier immediately from a safe place. If there is fire or immediate danger, leave the area and call 999. Do not approach unsafe equipment to investigate or obtain quote details. See what to do if you smell LPG.

Do not use the installation until a competent person says it is safe. Upkeepone’s routine contact routes are not an emergency-reporting service.

Continue with the closest unit or paperwork route

Mobile catering inspection and pricing guides

Book a mobile catering LPG inspectionCP44 gas-safety certificate serviceCP44 inspection cost guidePrepare a catering trailer inspectionCatering trailer LPG certificate serviceOther mobile catering certificates to consider

Primary UK safety sources

Check catering maintenance and engineer competence at source

HSE: gas safety in catering and hospitalityOfficial guidance for the safe use and maintenance of gas-fired catering equipment, including mobile LPG units.HSE: catering equipment maintenance FAQsHow inspection intervals should reflect equipment, use, industry practice and manufacturer recommendations.Gas Safe Register: commercial catering factsheetHow to match LPG, commercial mobile catering and appliance categories to the engineer attending.HSE: Gas Safe Register and ID cardsWhat to check on the individual’s registration card before gas work starts.GOV.UK: VAT ratesThe 20% standard rate used for the budget examples.CORGI: CP44 vehicle/trailer formThe form’s setting, distinct from the cost of an inspection.

Price, unit and booking questions

Mobile catering gas-safety certificate cost FAQs

How much does a mobile catering gas safety certificate cost?
It depends on the installation and inspection required. For Upkeepone’s CP44 vehicle or trailer scope, the confirmed starting fees are £155 + VAT (£186 including VAT) for one LPG appliance and £45 + VAT (£54 including VAT) for each additional appliance at the same agreed visit. Other temporary setups need an individual quotation. Give the full unit and appliance details so travel, access and any extra work can be priced.
How much is a one-appliance food truck or catering trailer inspection?
For an LPG catering vehicle or trailer that fits Upkeepone’s CP44 inspection scope, the starting fee is £155 + VAT (£186 including VAT). This is not an automatic price for any truck, trailer, fuel or appliance. The installation, accessible pipework, equipment, required record and attending engineer’s suitability must be checked before booking.
What could a two-appliance mobile catering inspection start from?
For the CP44 vehicle or trailer example in this guide, £155 plus one additional-appliance charge of £45 totals £200 before VAT, or £240 including 20% VAT. Both declared appliances must be included at the same agreed visit. Travel, access, the complete inspection scope and other work can affect the final total; this calculation is not a quotation for a stall or another setup.
Is there one fixed mobile catering gas certificate price?
No. A vehicle or trailer, a freestanding stall and a temporary kitchen can require different assessments, engineer categories and records. The appliance count is only part of the budget. Ask for a quote that identifies the installation, work, document and overall charges, rather than assuming these starting examples apply to every unit.
Does a CP44 record cost the same as any mobile catering gas certificate?
The name alone does not establish a price. CORGI’s CP44 form concerns a mobile catering vehicle or trailer; another setup needs its inspection and report checked separately. If someone has requested a named record, pass on the original wording before agreeing the quote and check whether the proposed document meets that request.
Are repairs, servicing and parts included in the certificate price?
Ask the quotation to identify the safety inspection and any separate maintenance or remedial work. Servicing, parts, repairs, commissioning, extraction maintenance, specialist assessment, or testing and purging beyond the inspection scope are not automatically included. Necessary safety checks still have to be addressed. Additional work should be explained and authorised before it starts.
Should a second-hand mobile catering unit be inspected before trading?
If the condition or history is uncertain, arrange a suitable competent assessment before using the gas equipment. Supply previous records and details of changes. An old document may describe different appliances or a different supply arrangement; it is not proof that the equipment now fitted is safe or that a new trading site’s evidence requirement has been met.
How often should mobile catering LPG equipment be inspected?
HSE’s catering guidance treats annual inspection as a reasonable general minimum, with intervals based on equipment, use, industry practice and manufacturer recommendations. Event or insurance requirements can affect the evidence date, and alterations or safety concerns can require earlier checks. This does not mean every record has an identical statutory expiry period.
Who can inspect a mobile catering LPG unit?
The individual engineer’s current Gas Safe qualifications must cover the fuel, setting, appliances and work involved. For a catering vehicle or trailer, check LPG and commercial mobile catering categories as well as the relevant equipment. A different temporary installation requires its categories checked separately. Upkeepone needs to establish a suitable engineer is available for the declared work.
What should I send for an accurate mobile catering quote?
Give the inspection postcode and identify the vehicle, trailer, stall or other installation. List every appliance, the fuel and supply arrangement, access restrictions and when equipment can be made available. Include previous reports, changes, known defects and the site’s evidence request. Existing safe photographs can help explain the setup; do not interfere with equipment to take them.

Turn the starting figure into a written quote

Get a quotation for the installation you will actually use

Send the full setup through the existing mobile catering enquiry page. Upkeepone can establish whether the installation and equipment can be supported, check an appropriately qualified engineer’s availability and confirm the proposed work and charges.

Request a mobile catering quoteCall 0207 127 5128Call 01245 206422

An enquiry does not confirm availability, price, scope, a satisfactory inspection result or acceptance by an event, insurer, council or other requester.