HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

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

No register applies to plumbers, but gas work is restricted and water fittings have rules. How to check your plumber and agree the hourly terms.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a plumber in five steps

  1. Describe the job with photosWhat is leaking or broken, where it is, and a photo — your plumber can tell you whether it is an hour or a day.
  2. Find out if gas is involvedA boiler, a gas hob or a gas pipe is Gas Safe work, not plumbing.
  3. Agree the hourly termsThe rate, the call-out or first-hour minimum, out-of-hours rates and how parts are charged.
  4. Know where your stopcock isSo the water can be isolated quickly — and so you can do it in an emergency.
  5. Ask about water damage coverPublic liability insurance that covers a leak afterwards is the one worth having.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

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

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 plumbing job 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 plumbing job starts. gassaferegister.co.uk →

Water fittings rules

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

Public liability insurance, including water damage

No law requires a plumber to be insured for the plumbing, but one leaking joint can ruin a ceiling. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to the plumbing 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

Plumbing labour and parts are standard-rated at 20%, the call-out and any out-of-hours time included. 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 whether the plumber's hourly rate includes VAT, and for the VAT number on the invoice. gov.uk →

“What is your hourly plumbing rate, and is the first hour a minimum?”

A good answer: A stated rate and minimum. Many plumbers charge a call-out that covers the first hour.

“Does a plumber call-out cost more in the evening or at weekends?”

A good answer: A stated uplift, agreed before your plumber sets off.

“How are plumbing parts charged?”

A good answer: Common fittings from the van at a stated price; anything bigger priced before it is bought.

“Will any of this plumbing touch gas?”

A good answer: An honest yes or no. If yes, a Gas Safe registered engineer does that part.

“Are you an approved contractor under the water fittings rules?”

A good answer: Yes, with the scheme named, or a plain no — then ask how they make sure the fittings comply.

“Will you test the plumbing for leaks before you leave?”

A good answer: Yes: water back on, every joint checked under pressure.

“Are you insured for water damage if a joint fails?”

A good answer: Public liability with the insurer named, and water damage covered.

Getting the quote right

  • The hourly rate and the minimum charge or call-out
  • Out-of-hours rates, if the visit is not in normal hours
  • Parts named and priced, not 'materials extra'
  • What is included in making good — lifting boards, panels, sealant
  • Who actually attends — the plumber you booked, or someone the business employs or subcontracts
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown on its own line

Walk away if

  • Offers to work on a gas boiler or gas pipe without a Gas Safe card
  • A rate that changes once the water is off
  • Parts added at the end with no price agreed
  • Leaves without testing the joints under pressure
  • Cash only, with no invoice
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£60
HIGH
£90

What a plumber costs: £40–£90 per hour

Plumbers charge by the hour with a minimum or call-out; parts are added, and longer jobs are often priced by the day. Plumber 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

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, or book by the hour.

  1. Look and explainYour plumber finds the problem and tells you what it is and what it will cost.
  2. IsolateThe water is turned off at the stopcock or an isolation valve.
  3. RepairThe fitting is replaced, the joint remade or the pipe cut out and rejoined.
  4. TestWater back on, the repair checked under pressure for leaks.
  5. Tidy and invoiceWater mopped, panels refitted, invoice handed over.

Stopcock
The main valve that turns off the water to the house.
Isolation valve
A small valve that turns off water to one fitting.
Compression fitting
A pipe joint made by tightening a nut onto a brass ring.
Push-fit
A plastic or metal joint that pushes onto the pipe.
Approved contractor
A plumber in a scheme recognised under the water fittings rules.
Making good
Putting back boards, panels or plaster after the work.

AFTER

When the job is done

Get an invoice that says what was doneParts, hours and the job described — your record if it leaks later.
Check for leaks over the next dayLook under the repaired fitting and on the ceiling below.
Note the guaranteeHow long your plumber guarantees parts and labour.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy are tied to a booking, so yours about the plumbing carries weight. If something is not right, the make-it-right step gives the plumber the first chance to fix it before it is published.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the plumberWrite it down: what the plumber did, what is wrong with the plumbing and what would fix it. Reasonable care and skill is the standard section 49 of the 2015 Act sets; if the plumbing missed it, ask for the work to be redone free, or for part of the price back.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepRate the plumbing below four stars and you are asked whether the plumber should see the complaint first; we keep it moving until it is answered, then you review.
STEP 3Bad fittings, gas and Trading StandardsA water fitting that breaks the rules can be required to be put right by your water supplier. Illegal gas work goes to Gas Safe Register. For a dispute, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262) refer cases to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the plumber that will not settle can go to court without a lawyer — the small claims track for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure for up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court for up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a plumber: questions people ask

No. Plumbing itself has no register in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Gas work is different: only Gas Safe registered engineers may do it.

On the water side, yes. On the gas side, only if they are also on the Gas Safe Register for boilers.

For most repairs, an invoice. An approved contractor gives a certificate that new water fittings comply, and an unvented cylinder in England brings a compliance certificate.

£40–£90 an hour, with £60 a common rate. The plumber price guide has the detail; enter your town above for plumbers near you.

It is not a legal requirement, but ask for public liability insurance that covers water damage.

Turn off the water at the stopcock, switch off electrics near any leak, and take photos.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: Leak RepairHow to hire: Burst Pipe RepairHow to hire: Tap & Mixer InstallationHow to hire: Toilet Repair & InstallationHow to hire: Drain UnblockingHow to hire: Bathroom PlumbingHow to hire: Kitchen PlumbingAll 701 hiring guides →

Plumbers near you

Plumbers in LondonPlumbers in ManchesterPlumbers in BirminghamPlumbers in GlasgowPlumbers in BelfastAll plumbers on Locufy →Do it yourself: doing the small plumbing jobs →

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 Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004, regulation 3
  7. Gas Safe Register
  8. gov.uk — Approved Document G: sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency (England)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register