HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a pipework plumber in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to new pipework, but water fittings rules apply and gas pipes are Gas Safe work. The route, the testing and the quote.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a pipework plumber in five steps

  1. Agree the routeWhere the pipes run, which boards lift and which walls are chased.
  2. Gas pipe? Gas SafeWater and waste are plumbing; gas pipework is for a Gas Safe engineer.
  3. Name the materialCopper, plastic push-fit or multilayer — and why.
  4. Pressure-test before closingTest the new pipework before floors and walls go back.
  5. Lead pipe found?Ask the plumber to point out and price replacing any lead supply pipe.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to plumbers running pipework in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so anyone may offer new pipework. For new pipework, 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 new pipework touches gas, and if it does, who on the team is on the Gas Safe Register.

Water fittings rules

In England and Wales the 1999 Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations govern the pipes and fittings used for new pipework; an approved contractor must give the person who commissioned the work a certificate saying whether the fittings comply. For new pipework 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 new pipework. legislation.gov.uk →

Gas Safe Register for anything on gas

Plumbers need no register, but gas does: under the 1998 Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, and Northern Ireland's 2004 Regulations, only a Gas Safe registered engineer may be paid to work on a gas appliance or pipework. If the pipework reaches a gas boiler, hob or supply, that part is theirs.

Check the engineer's licence by text to 85080, or on 0800 408 5500, before the gas part of the pipework starts. gassaferegister.co.uk →

Public liability insurance, including water damage

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

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

VAT

New pipework is standard-rated at 20%, chasing, lifting floors and making good included. Over the £90,000 registration threshold a trader must charge it and show it separately; under it there is no VAT and no VAT number.

Ask the plumber for the VAT number and whether the pipework price is before VAT. gov.uk →

“What route will the pipework take, and what has to come up?”

A good answer: A route agreed in advance, avoiding joists, cables and finished floors where possible.

“Which pipe material will you use for the pipework, and why?”

A good answer: A reason — copper for exposed runs, plastic or multilayer where it is quicker and hidden.

“Will the waste pipes have enough fall?”

A good answer: Yes, with the route planned for it.

“How will the pipes be clipped and insulated?”

A good answer: Clipped at the right spacing and lagged in cold spaces.

“When will you pressure-test the new pipework?”

A good answer: Before any floor or wall is closed.

“Is making good included?”

A good answer: A plain answer: lifting and relaying boards, patching plaster.

Getting the quote right

  • Route and length of pipework
  • Material and fittings named
  • Lifting floors and chasing walls, and making good
  • Pressure testing included
  • Who actually attends to run the pipework — the plumber, employed fitters or subcontractors
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% as its own line

Walk away if

  • Closes floors before testing
  • Runs gas pipe without a Gas Safe card
  • Notches joists without a word about it
  • No idea where the cables run
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£1,200

What a pipework plumber costs: £120–£1,200 per job

Pipework is quoted per job by length, route and material; lifting floors and making good are often separate. Pipework Installation 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

Pipework plumbers 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. PlanRoute agreed, cables and joists located.
  2. Open upBoards lifted or walls chased.
  3. Run and joinPipes cut, bent and jointed, clipped and insulated.
  4. Pressure-testThe new run tested before closing up.
  5. Close and make goodBoards and plaster put back as agreed.

Push-fit
A joint that pushes onto the pipe.
Soldered joint
Copper pipe joined with heat and solder.
Multilayer pipe
Plastic and aluminium pipe that bends and holds shape.
Fall
The slope a waste pipe needs.
Lagging
Pipe insulation against freezing.
Chasing
Cutting a channel in a wall for a pipe.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep a sketch of the routeWhere the new pipes run — useful the next time a floor comes up.
Check for dripsUnder joints you can reach, over the first days.
Get the invoice and any certificateIncluding an approved contractor's certificate if offered.
Review the visitA few lines on the pipework help the next household choose. If there is a problem, the make-it-right step sends it to the pipework plumber before your review appears.

STEP 1Tell the pipework plumber, in writingSay what is wrong with the pipework and what you want done about it. Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the pipework had to be carried out with reasonable care and skill; if it was not, you can ask the pipework plumber to put it right at their own cost (section 55) or for money off (section 56).
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the pipework below four stars and you are asked whether the pipework plumber should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
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 pipework plumber and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedAn unpaid refund or repair bill from the pipework 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 pipework plumber: questions people ask

No register applies to plumbers; gas pipework must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

The water fittings rules for your nation: the 1999 Regulations in England and Wales, Scottish Water's byelaws in Scotland and the 2009 Regulations in Northern Ireland.

An approved contractor gives a certificate that new fittings comply; otherwise, an invoice.

£120–£1,200 per job, around £400 typical for moving supply and waste pipes. The pipework installation price guide explains the range; your town in the search box above shows plumbers who cover it.

Ask the plumber to point out any lead supply pipe they find and price replacing it.

A few hours for short runs, several days for a whole-house repipe.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Bathroom PlumbingHow to hire: Kitchen PlumbingHow to hire: Radiator InstallationHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationHow to hire: Leak RepairHow to hire: Burst Pipe RepairHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingAll 701 hiring guides →

Pipework plumbers near you

Pipework plumbers in LondonPipework plumbers in ManchesterPipework plumbers in BirminghamPipework plumbers in GlasgowPipework plumbers in BelfastAll pipework plumbers on Locufy →

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. Gas Safe Register
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  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