HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire a water damage restorer in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A water damage restoration in Ireland costs €800–€6,000 per job, typically around €2,500. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a water damage restorer in five steps

  1. Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — what does this service include? — water damage restoration typically includes assessment, extraction, drying, and repairs.
  2. Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — repair and Reconstruction — fixing or replacing damaged structures like drywall, flooring, and cabinetry.
  3. How does severity of the damage change the price?A job left too long costs more than one done on time. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does complexity of the repairs required change the price?The condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. How does type of materials affected change the price?The spec sheet is where most of the cost difference sits. — ask before the quote rather than after.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI)

CIRI is a VOLUNTARY register today. The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was signed on 5 July 2022 and S.I. 429/2022 commenced parts of it on 29 August 2022; the Construction Industry Federation was appointed registration body on 16 January 2023. Registration is NOT yet mandatory: the divisions regulations had not been drafted as of a May 2025 Dáil answer, and CIRI itself projects mandatory registration from 2027. So being absent from CIRI breaks no law in 2026 — and being on it is still the only independent check of a builder that exists here.

Search the Construction Industry Register Ireland for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. ciri.ie →

a Certificate of Compliance on Completion

Issued by the assigned certifier and the builder, where the work needed a commencement notice on completion, before the building is occupied. It matters because it is lodged on the statutory register and is what a buyer's solicitor looks for; work done without one surfaces on sale.

Agree before the work starts that you will be handed a certificate of compliance on completion, and keep it with the house papers.

Insurance

Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

Trader or private seller

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.

VAT

VAT at 13.5%, the reduced rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?”

A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — what does this service include? — water damage restoration typically includes assessment, extraction, drying, and repairs.

“Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?”

A good answer: On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — repair and Reconstruction — fixing or replacing damaged structures like drywall, flooring, and cabinetry.

“How does severity of the damage change the price?”

A good answer: A job left too long costs more than one done on time. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does complexity of the repairs required change the price?”

A good answer: The condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does type of materials affected change the price?”

A good answer: The spec sheet is where most of the cost difference sits. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: Content Restoration — cleaning and restoring furniture and personal belongings affected by water — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a water damage restorer job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it — mould Remediation — identifying and safely removing mould growth resulting from water damage.

Getting the quote right

  • Severity of the damage — a job left too long costs more than one done on time.
  • Complexity of the repairs required — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild.
  • Type of materials affected — the spec sheet is where most of the cost difference sits.
  • What does this service include? — it affects the finish as much as it affects the price.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They are not on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
  • No a Certificate of Compliance on Completion is offered, or you are told you do not need one for work of this kind
  • They will not talk about it: severity of the damage — a job left too long costs more than one done on time
  • They will not talk about it: complexity of the repairs required — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild
  • They will not talk about it: type of materials affected — the spec sheet is where most of the cost difference sits
  • A price for the water damage restorer before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
LOW
€800
TYPICAL
€2,500
HIGH
€6,000

What a water damage restorer costs: €800–€6,000 per job

The figures are for the job, per job, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Emergency water extraction and Structural drying each carry their own band. Water Damage Restoration price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Water damage restorers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Look firstSeverity of the damage — a job left too long costs more than one done on time — that is what the water damage restorer is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneComplexity of the repairs required — the condition decides whether this is a touch-up or a rebuild — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfType of materials affected — the spec sheet is where most of the cost difference sits — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherWhat does this service include? — it affects the finish as much as it affects the price — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the water damage restorer is still there.
  5. What you are handedA Certificate of Compliance on Completion, the invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, check if the provider has relevant certifications and insurance.

What does this service include?
Water damage restoration typically includes assessment, extraction, drying, and repairs.
Check if the
Check if the provider has relevant certifications and insurance.
Consider the urgency
Consider the urgency of the situation; faster response can mitigate damage.
Emergency Water Extraction
Immediate removal of standing water to prevent further damage.
Structural Drying
Utilising specialised equipment to dry out walls, floors, and ceilings.
Mould Remediation
Identifying and safely removing mould growth resulting from water damage.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep a Certificate of Compliance on CompletionA Certificate of Compliance on Completion is issued by the trader, not asked for later — what does this service include? — water damage restoration typically includes assessment, extraction, drying, and repairs, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the water damage restorer has gone.
Test what was doneRepair and Reconstruction — fixing or replacing damaged structures like drywall, flooring, and cabinetry — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. content Restoration — cleaning and restoring furniture and personal belongings affected by water — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a water damage restorer's card means something — mould Remediation — identifying and safely removing mould growth resulting from water damage.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itReport it to Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI).
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring a water damage restorer: questions people ask

Investing in restoration can save you from more extensive damage and costs in the future, as well as protect your health. Consider the urgency of the situation; faster response can mitigate damage.

Restoration can address damage from various sources, including leaks, floods, and appliance malfunctions. Understand the potential for hidden damage that may require additional work.

Shut off the water source if possible, and contact a professional restoration service as soon as you can. Water damage restoration involves repairing and restoring properties that have suffered from water-related incidents, such as leaks, flooding, or burst pipes.

Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.

Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: BuilderHow to hire: General ContractorHow to hire: BricklayerHow to hire: StonemasonHow to hire: PlastererHow to hire: RenderingHow to hire: Dry LiningHow to hire: TilerAll 701 hiring guides →

Water damage restorers near you

Water damage restorers in DublinWater damage restorers in CorkWater damage restorers in GalwayWater damage restorers in LimerickAll water damage restorers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022
  2. S.I. 429/2022 — Commencement Order
  3. Construction Industry Register Ireland
  4. Department of Housing — Building Control
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2022
  6. Revenue — BUILDING and CONSTRUCTION SERVICES (Private dwellings and Non-residential immovable goods) — Reduced rate
  7. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  8. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only