HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a drain repair specialist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to drain repairs. Check whose drain it is, and get camera footage before and after.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a drain repair specialist in five steps

  1. Survey firstA camera survey finds and measures the fault.
  2. Whose drain?Yours, shared or public — ask before paying.
  3. Patch, line or dig?Know which repair and why.
  4. Footage afterA camera run after the repair proves it.
  5. Guarantee in writingHow long the patch or liner is guaranteed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to drainage contractors in any UK nation, so anyone may offer drain repairs. The checks that matter are whose drain it is, the contractor's insurance and a written record of what was found.

Ask for the business name, the insurer and a written report or invoice for the drain repairs.

Whose drain it is

In England, council guidance explains that from 1 October 2011 sewer pipes outside property boundaries, and pipes shared with a neighbour, passed to the sewerage company; you remain responsible for pipes that serve only your home and sit inside your boundary. That can decide who pays for the drain repair.

Before paying for the drain repair, ask the contractor whether the fault is in a drain serving only you, or a shared or public one. hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk →

Footage as evidence

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a drain repair must be done with reasonable care and skill, and if it fails you can ask for it to be redone at the specialist's cost. Before-and-after footage is the evidence either way.

Ask for the CCTV footage from before and after the drain repair.

Waste from excavation

Spoil and broken pipe dug out of a drain is the contractor's waste. Under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 a business carrying it away must hand it only to an authorised person.

If the drain repair means digging, ask where the waste goes and whether disposal is priced. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Drain repair is standard-rated at 20%, covering relining, patching, excavation and the survey either side. Registration is compulsory above £90,000 of taxable turnover, and a registered firm has to charge it and itemise it rather than fold it into the price.

Ask the drain repair firm for its VAT number and whether the price per metre includes VAT. gov.uk →

“Is this drain mine, shared or public?”

A good answer: Their best judgement from the survey, and advice to call the sewerage company if it is not yours.

“Which drain repair method, and why?”

A good answer: A patch for one crack, a liner for several, digging for a collapse.

“Will you show me footage before and after?”

A good answer: Yes.

“What guarantee comes with the drain repair?”

A good answer: A period, in writing.

“Does my insurance cover this?”

A good answer: They suggest checking your accidental damage cover.

“Will you reinstate paving or the garden?”

A good answer: A plain answer, priced.

Getting the quote right

  • Repair method and length
  • Survey before and after
  • Excavation and reinstatement, if any
  • Guarantee period
  • Who actually attends the dig or the relining — employed crew or a subcontracted team
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on its own line

Walk away if

  • Will not show the footage
  • Pushes a full reline for a single crack
  • Does not ask whose drain it is
  • No guarantee in writing
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£900

What a drain repair specialist costs: £200–£900 per job

Drain repairs are priced per job by method and length; excavation and reinstatement cost more. Drain Repair 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

Drain repair specialists 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. SurveyFault located and measured.
  2. CleanThe drain jetted so the repair bonds.
  3. RepairPatch or liner cured in place, or the section dug and replaced.
  4. CheckCamera run after the repair.
  5. ReinstatePaving or ground put back.

Patch liner
A short resin sleeve over one defect.
Relining
A full liner cured inside the pipe.
Excavation
Digging down to replace a section.
Lateral drain
The section outside your boundary to the sewer.
CCTV survey
A camera inspection of the drain.
Reinstatement
Putting paving or ground back.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the footage and guaranteeEvidence for your insurer and any buyer.
Watch for the old symptomsSlow drains or smells returning.
File the invoiceWith the report.
Write the reviewSay what the drain repair specialist did well on the drain repair and what they did not. If it fell short, use the make-it-right step first, so the drain repair specialist can put it right before you publish.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the drain repair specialistMessage the drain repair specialist with the date, what went wrong and the fix you want. If the drain repair fell below reasonable care and skill — the test in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — sections 55 and 56 give you a free redo or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepBelow four stars, Locufy offers to pass the problem with the drain repair to the drain repair specialist before your review is published, and follows it up with both of you.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesA drain repair specialist who will not engage can be reported through the consumer helplines, which pass cases to Trading Standards — Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedAn unpaid refund or repair bill from the drain repair goes to small claims: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland using simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland — all designed to be used without a solicitor.

Hiring a drain repair specialist: questions people ask

No. No register applies; footage and a written guarantee are your protection.

In England, since 1 October 2011, shared pipes and those outside your boundary are the sewerage company's responsibility.

CCTV footage before and after, and a written guarantee.

£200–£900 per job, about £400 typical for a patch lining. Read the drain repair price guide for the factors behind it; to see specialists near you, enter your town above.

Some accidental damage cover pays for drain repairs; check your policy.

Half a day for a patch, a day or more for relining or digging.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: CCTV Drain SurveyHow to hire: Drain UnblockingHow to hire: Septic Tank Inspection & RepairHow to hire: Leak DetectionHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Sump Pump InstallationHow to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: Pipework InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Drain repair specialists near you

Drain repair specialists in LondonDrain repair specialists in ManchesterDrain repair specialists in BirminghamDrain repair specialists in GlasgowDrain repair specialists in BelfastAll drain repair specialists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council — drains: who is responsible (the 1 October 2011 transfer)
  2. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. VAT rates on different goods and services — Utilities: sewer and drain cleaning, unblocking or maintenance is standard-rated
  7. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register