HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire a bathroom fitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to bathroom fitters, but new plumbing, electrics near the bath and any gas work are regulated. The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a bathroom fitter in five steps

  1. Draw the layoutWhat stays, what moves — moving the toilet or shower changes the plumbing and the price.
  2. Ask who does the electricsWork near a bath or shower is notifiable in England and Wales.
  3. Ask about gasIf the boiler or any gas pipe is touched, a Gas Safe registered engineer does it.
  4. Get a written specificationSuite, tiles, tanking, extractor fan and who supplies what.
  5. Collect the certificatesElectrical certificate, any compliance certificate and guarantees.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to bathroom fitters in any of the four nations. In England, a bathroom where new plumbing is installed or existing plumbing altered is notifiable building work, unless an installer on a competent person scheme self-certifies it; like-for-like replacement of a bath, toilet or basin is not. Public liability insurance is the norm for the bathroom refit; ask who the insurer is and the cover limit. Your Consumer Rights Act 2015 protections for the bathroom refit apply because you are dealing with a trader, and if you agree the bathroom refit at home or online the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually give you 14 days to cancel — but you pay for any work you asked to start within those days, and goods made to your own specification are outside the right.

Ask whether the bathroom refit is notifiable and who is notifying it or self-certifying it. Ask for proof of insurance for the bathroom refit; the trader and ID-checked badges are on the Locufy profile. gov.uk →

Electrics near the bath or shower

In England and Wales, new points, circuits or changes near a bath or shower are notifiable electrical work: a scheme electrician on the Registered Competent Person Electrical register self-certifies them, or building control is notified.

Ask who will do the bathroom refit's electrics, and check them on the register. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

Gas Safe Register

Any work on a gas fitting or pipework — moving a boiler or a gas pipe during the bathroom refit — may only be done for pay by a Gas Safe registered engineer, in all four nations.

If gas is involved, ask for the engineer's Gas Safe licence number and check the card. legislation.gov.uk →

Water fittings

Under the 1999 water fittings Regulations (England and Wales), some installations, such as a bath holding more than 230 litres, need notice to the water supplier first, and an approved contractor gives a certificate that new fittings comply.

Ask whether the bathroom refit needs notice to the water supplier, and for any contractor's certificate. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A bathroom refit is standard-rated at 20%, unless the bathroom, washroom or toilet is provided or adapted for a disabled person in their own home, which is zero-rated, while a built-in shower seat or walk-in bath for someone aged 60 or over is 5%; a fitter turning over more than £90,000 must charge the VAT and show it separately.

Ask for the VAT number, and look for VAT as its own line on the bathroom quote. gov.uk →

“Is the bathroom refit notifiable, and who handles it?”

A good answer: In England, yes if new plumbing goes in, through a scheme installer or building control; like-for-like swaps are not.

“Who does the electrics and the plumbing?”

A good answer: Named people: an electrician on the competent person register for work near the bath or shower, and the plumber, whether in-house or not.

“How will the bathroom's shower area be waterproofed?”

A good answer: Tanking or a waterproof board system behind the tiles in the wet areas, named on the quote.

“Who supplies the bathroom suite and tiles?”

A good answer: Agreed in writing; if you supply them, the fitter checks the list before the start date.

“What happens if you find rot or leaks under the floor?”

A good answer: Photos, a price per job or day rate agreed before any extra work.

“How long will we be without a bathroom?”

A good answer: A realistic programme and whether a toilet can stay in use.

“Will there be an extractor fan?”

A good answer: A fan sized for the room, venting outside, wired by the electrician.

Getting the quote right

  • The layout and every item of the suite named
  • Tiling area, tanking and boarding
  • Plumbing and electrics, and who does each
  • Removal of the old bathroom and waste
  • Who actually attends — the fitter, plumber, electrician and tiler on the job, employed or subcontracted — and the business's VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown as its own line
  • The start and finish dates

Walk away if

  • Does the electrics near the shower with no certificate
  • Moves a gas pipe without a Gas Safe registered engineer
  • Tiles straight onto plasterboard in the shower with no tanking
  • Large deposit before anything is on site
  • No written specification
LOW
£4,000
TYPICAL
£7,000
HIGH
£15,000

What a bathroom fitter costs: £4,000–£15,000 per bathroom

Bathroom fitting is quoted per bathroom from a written specification; the suite and tiles, moving the layout and the electrics are the lines that move it. Bathroom Fitter 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

Bathroom fitters 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. Survey and designLayout, pipe runs and electrics planned; notifiable work identified.
  2. Strip outOld bathroom removed; floor and walls checked.
  3. First fixPipework, wiring and waterproofing done.
  4. Tile and fitTiling, suite, taps and shower fitted; electrics connected.
  5. Test and certifyWater and electrics tested; certificates and guarantees handed over.

Tanking
A waterproof layer behind tiles in wet areas.
First fix
Pipes and cables run before walls are closed up.
Second fix
Fitting the suite, taps and accessories.
Shower zones
Areas around a bath or shower where the wiring rules restrict equipment.
Thermostatic valve
A shower valve that keeps the temperature steady.
Soil pipe
The waste pipe from the toilet.

AFTER

When the job is done

Collect the certificatesElectrical certificate, any building regulations compliance certificate, and any Gas Safe paperwork.
Test everythingRun the shower and bath, flush, check under the basin for drips, and run the fan.
Keep the guaranteesWorkmanship, the shower valve and the suite.
Rate the workOnly booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy, so yours carries weight; if the bathroom refit falls short, use the make-it-right step first and the provider is asked to fix it before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with the fitter, in writingSend the fitter a short, dated account of the problem with the bathroom refit and the fix you want. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and section 54 gives you repeat performance or a price reduction when it is missing.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate the bathroom refit under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3Unsafe or non-compliant workReport gas work done during the bathroom refit by someone not on the Gas Safe Register to the Gas Safe Register itself; water fittings that break the rules are for the water supplier, and unnotified building work in England for building control. For a dispute about the bathroom refit with the trader, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeIf the bathroom refit is still not settled, you can claim without a solicitor: the small claims track takes claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a bathroom fitter: questions people ask

No register applies. In England, a bathroom with new plumbing is notifiable building work; electrics near a bath or shower are notifiable in England and Wales; gas work needs a Gas Safe registered engineer.

An electrical certificate for any electrical work, a building regulations compliance certificate where the work was notifiable, and Gas Safe paperwork if gas was touched.

£4,000–£15,000 a bathroom, typically around £7,000. Room size, the grade of suite and tiles, and moving the layout decide it. For what is usually included, read the Bathroom Fitter price guide; enter a postcode above to compare bathroom fitters locally.

Replacing a bath, toilet or basin like for like is not notifiable in England.

Only if they are competent; in England and Wales the work near a bath or shower must be self-certified by a scheme electrician or notified to building control.

Tell the fitter in writing; under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask for the work to be put right.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in trades & construction

How to hire: Wet Room InstallerHow to hire: TilerHow to hire: PlastererHow to hire: Kitchen FitterHow to hire: BuilderHow to hire: Flooring InstallerHow to hire: Carpenter & JoinerHow to hire: Water Damage RestorationAll 701 hiring guides →

Bathroom fitters near you

Bathroom fitters in LondonBathroom fitters in ManchesterBathroom fitters in BirminghamBathroom fitters in GlasgowBathroom fitters in BelfastAll bathroom fitters on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — building work, replacements and repairs to your home (England)
  2. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  3. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  4. HSE — Gas Safe Register: the scheme, its coverage and the ID card
  5. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5 — notice to the water undertaker
  6. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6 — contractor's certificate
  7. gov.uk — Approved Document G: sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency (England)
  8. gov.wales — building regulations: electrics
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  13. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started within the cancellation period
  14. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track limit (England and Wales)
  15. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — making a claim under simple procedure
  16. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  17. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  18. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  19. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register