Gardening · Updated August 2026
Lawn Care Cost UK 2026: Treatments & Programmes
A standard feed-and-weed treatment costs £15–£45 per visit for a typical lawn, a full annual programme of four to five visits £120–£300, and the heavier renovation jobs — scarifying and aeration — £50–£150 each. Price scales with lawn area more than anything else.
Lawn care cost by job — 2026
Based on a typical 100–150m² suburban lawn. Very small lawns hit minimum-visit charges; large lawns are priced per square metre.
| Job | Typical cost | How often | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed & weed treatment | £15–£45 / visit | 4–5x a year | Fertiliser plus selective weedkiller |
| Mowing (contract) | £20–£40 / visit | Fortnightly in season | Cut, edge and clippings away |
| Scarification | £60–£150 | Once a year, autumn | Rips out moss and thatch |
| Hollow-tine aeration | £50–£120 | Once a year | Relieves compaction, helps drainage |
| Overseeding | £40–£120 | After scarifying | Thickens a thin or patchy lawn |
| Annual programme | £120–£300 | Contract | All treatments scheduled and bundled |
Indicative 2026 UK prices, compiled from published installer pricing (Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, MyBuilder and BookaBuilder cost guides, August 2026). BestBuilders has no quote history in this category yet, so treat these as a budgeting guide and confirm against three written quotes.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn area | priced per m² past ~200m² | Treatment firms price in size bands - measure your lawn before comparing quotes |
| Condition at the start | +£100–£300 in year one | A mossy, compacted lawn needs scarifying and seeding before a programme can hold it |
| National brand vs local firm | ±20% | Franchise programmes are consistent but rarely the cheapest; independents vary more both ways |
| Access | +10–20% | Machinery through a house or up steps slows every visit |
| Water availability | matters in 2026 | Treatments need watering-in - in hosepipe-ban regions timing shifts to rainfall windows |
Lawn treatment cost by UK region — 2026
Modelled from regional labour rates rather than measured in this category - materials cost much the same everywhere, the labour does not.
| Region | Typical installed cost | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £20–£60/visit | +25–30% |
| South East | £20–£50/visit | +15–20% |
| South West | £20–£50/visit | +5% |
| Midlands | £20–£40/visit | baseline |
| North England | £10–£40/visit | −5–10% |
| Scotland | £10–£40/visit | −10% |
| Wales | £10–£40/visit | −10% |
| Northern Ireland | £10–£40/visit | −15% |
Getting it priced properly
1. Get the lawn measured, not guessed
Every quote is a size band. A firm that measures on satellite or on foot quotes tighter than one that asks you.
2. Fix the causes before the symptoms
Moss is usually shade, compaction or drainage. Paying for moss kill every year without aeration is renting a green lawn, not owning one.
3. Compare programmes like-for-like
Four visits vs five, overseeding included or extra, moss treatment in or out - the headline price hides the difference.
What this costs at a glance
The same table, drawn.
Lawn product brands compared: Miracle-Gro, Westland, Aftercut, Johnsons and Rolawn
A professional programme buys trade chemistry and the timing to use it. If you are doing it yourself instead, these are the shelf names - the products differ mainly in feed balance and how forgiving they are of sloppy spreading.
| Brand | Known for | Ranges you will be quoted | Typical unit price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aftercut | Feed timed to mowing | All-in-One, Ultra Green | £8–£25 | Applied after a cut; simple regime for keeping colour |
| Johnsons | Lawn seed since 1820 | Quick Fix, Shady Place, Tuffgrass | £6–£35 | The named mixes match seed to shade, wear and repair jobs |
| Miracle-Gro (EverGreen) | The default shelf brand | EverGreen Complete 4-in-1, Fast Green | £8–£28 | Complete 4-in-1 feeds and hits moss and weeds in one pass |
| Rolawn | Turf grower; also bagged dressings | Medallion seed, GroRight, topdressing | £10–£40 | Their lawn topdressing is the standard finish after autumn work |
| Westland | UK garden-care group | SafeLawn, Aftercut All-in-One | £9–£30 | SafeLawn is the child-and-pet-safe line, seed included |
Prices above are for the pack or bag only — fitting is separate and is priced in the table further up this page. Brands are listed alphabetically, not ranked: BestBuilders does not sell or endorse any of them.
Lawn care cost — frequently asked questions
Around £15–£45 per visit for a typical lawn on a programme of four to five visits a year - £120–£300 annually. One-off renovation work is priced separately.
For a lawn you care about, usually yes: the chemistry is professional-grade, the timing is right, and the annual cost is close to doing it properly yourself once equipment and product are counted.
Early autumn, when the grass can recover - with overseeding straight after. Spring scarifying is possible but riskier in a dry year like this one.
Yes, but good firms time granular feeds to rainfall because treatments need watering-in. Established lawns going brown in a ban recover with rain - browning is dormancy, not death.
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Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team on 12 August 2026 · Next scheduled review: November 2026 · See our editorial standards.