HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a leak detection specialist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to leak detection. The checks are the method, the written report for your insurer and who reinstates afterwards.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a leak detection specialist in five steps

  1. Call your insurer firstMany buildings policies include trace and access cover; ask which firms they accept.
  2. Note the symptomsPressure dropping, a wet patch, a rising water bill — and when it started.
  3. Ask about the methodThermal imaging, acoustic or tracer gas — and why for your home.
  4. Agree the reportWritten, with photos and the leak's position marked.
  5. Separate the repairDetection, opening up, the repair and making good are separate lines.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to leak detection specialists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer a leak detection survey. For a leak detection survey, two legal lines remain: gas work belongs to a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new fittings must meet your nation's water fittings rules.

Ask whether any part of the leak detection survey touches gas, and if it does, who on the team is on the Gas Safe Register.

Public liability insurance, including water damage

No law requires a plumber to be insured for the leak detection survey, but one leaking joint can ruin a ceiling. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to the leak detection survey done with reasonable care and skill — insurance is what makes a claim against the specialist worth something.

Ask the specialist for the insurer's name and whether the policy covers water damage.

The written report

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 include a survey done with reasonable care and skill; a written report with photos and the marked position is what lets you hold the specialist to it and what an insurer asks for.

Agree before booking that the leak detection survey ends in a written report.

Water fittings rules

In England and Wales the 1999 Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations govern the pipes and fittings used for the repair after the leak detection survey; an approved contractor must give the person who commissioned the work a certificate saying whether the fittings comply. For the repair after the leak detection survey in Scotland the rules are Scottish Water's byelaws, and in Northern Ireland the 2009 Regulations.

Ask whether the plumber is an approved contractor and will give you the certificate for the the repair after the leak detection survey. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Leak detection is standard-rated at 20%, for the survey, the report and any opening up. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask the leak detection firm whether its survey price includes VAT, and for the VAT number on the report. gov.uk →

“Which leak detection method will you use, and why?”

A good answer: Thermal imaging, acoustic listening or tracer gas, chosen for the pipework and floor in your home.

“Will the survey include a written report?”

A good answer: Yes: photos, readings and the leak's position, suitable for an insurer.

“Will you open up to confirm the leak, or just mark it?”

A good answer: A clear answer, with any opening up priced.

“Does my insurer accept your reports?”

A good answer: They say yes for named insurers, or suggest you check with yours first.

“Do you test the heating and the water supply separately?”

A good answer: Yes, circuit by circuit, so the leak is narrowed down.

“What if the leak detection finds nothing?”

A good answer: A stated position: what you pay, and what they will try next.

Getting the quote right

  • The survey price and the methods included
  • Written report with photos
  • Opening up and reinstatement as separate lines
  • The repair itself priced separately
  • Who actually attends with the equipment — an employed technician or a subcontracted surveyor
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% listed separately from the survey fee

Walk away if

  • Wants to lift floors before trying non-invasive methods
  • No written report offered
  • Insists on doing the repair before you have spoken to your insurer
  • A price that rises once they are on site
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£600
HIGH
£1,200

What a leak detection specialist costs: £200–£1,200 per survey

Leak detection is priced per survey; opening up, the repair and reinstatement are separate. Leak Detection 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

Leak detection 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. Pressure testWater and heating circuits isolated and tested to confirm and narrow the leak.
  2. Non-invasive searchThermal, acoustic or moisture equipment used to pinpoint it.
  3. Mark the spotThe exact position marked so only a small area is opened.
  4. ConfirmOpened up and confirmed where agreed.
  5. ReportWritten report with photos and readings.

Thermal imaging
A camera that shows heat, used to find hot-water leaks.
Acoustic detection
Listening equipment that picks up the sound of escaping water.
Tracer gas
A harmless gas pushed into the pipe and detected where it escapes.
Trace and access
Insurance cover for finding a leak and opening up to reach it.
Pressure test
Checking whether a pipe circuit holds pressure.
Reinstatement
Putting floors and walls back after opening up.

AFTER

When the job is done

Send the report to your insurerWith photos and the invoice.
Book the repairA plumber repairs the pipe at the marked spot.
Keep the readingsPressure test results show the system holds after the repair.
Review it honestlyYour review of the leak detection survey is tied to a real booking. Under four stars, you can send the problem with the leak detection survey to the leak detection specialist first and we follow it up; then the review goes live.

STEP 1Go back to the leak detection specialistGive the leak detection specialist a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the leak detection survey as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the leak detection specialist gets the chance to put the leak detection survey right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the leak detection specialist and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the leak detection survey, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a leak detection specialist: questions people ask

No. No register applies; check the method, the report and the insurance instead.

Many buildings policies include trace and access cover. Check with your insurer before booking.

A written report with photos, readings and the marked leak position.

£200–£1,200 per survey, about £600 typical. There is more in the leak detection price guide; enter a town above to see specialists who work there.

No; the repair and making good are separate.

Usually half a day for a home.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Leak RepairHow to hire: Burst Pipe RepairHow to hire: CCTV Drain SurveyHow to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingHow to hire: Pipework InstallationHow to hire: Power FlushingAll 701 hiring guides →

Leak detection specialists near you

Leak detection specialists in LondonLeak detection specialists in ManchesterLeak detection specialists in BirminghamLeak detection specialists in GlasgowLeak detection specialists in BelfastAll leak detection specialists on Locufy →Do it yourself: finding a hidden water leak →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5 — notice to the water undertaker
  2. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 6 — contractor's certificate
  3. Water Supply (Water Fittings) (Scotland) Byelaws Extension Order 2024
  4. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
  5. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register