HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a water tank installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies, but the water rules require a cover, insulation and a warning overflow. Old cement tanks may contain asbestos.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a water tank installer in five steps

  1. Check the loft accessA small hatch may need a sectional tank.
  2. Check the joistsA full tank is heavy; it may need a new platform.
  3. Old cement tank?Have it checked for asbestos before anyone breaks it up.
  4. Get the byelaw kitCover, insulation, screened vent and warning overflow.
  5. Agree disposalWho takes the old tank away, and how.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

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

Cover, insulation and overflow

Schedule 2 of the 1999 Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations requires a storage cistern to have an overflow with a warning of impending overflow that excludes insects, a cover that keeps out light and insects, and insulation against freezing or warming. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules to the same effect.

Check the water tank quote lists the cover, insulation and warning overflow. legislation.gov.uk →

Asbestos cement tanks

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and Northern Ireland's own 2012 Regulations, some asbestos work may only be done by an HSE-licensed contractor; HSE's guidance helps decide which. An old grey cement water tank should be identified before it is cut or broken.

Ask how the old tank will be checked and removed if it might be asbestos. hse.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance, including water damage

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

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

VAT

Fitting a cold water tank is standard-rated at 20%, the platform, cover and insulation included. 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 water tank installer for its VAT number and whether the price includes VAT. gov.uk →

“Will a new water tank fit through my loft hatch?”

A good answer: A measurement, and a sectional or smaller tank if not.

“Do the joists need a platform for the water tank?”

A good answer: A look in the loft, and a platform priced if the load needs spreading.

“Is the old water tank asbestos cement?”

A good answer: An honest view, and a plan to have it checked before removal.

“Will the new tank have a cover, insulation and a warning overflow?”

A good answer: Yes, all three, because the water fittings rules require them.

“Who takes the old tank away?”

A good answer: Included, or priced; asbestos is a separate arrangement.

“Should I switch to an unvented cylinder instead?”

A good answer: An honest comparison; in England that is notifiable work under Approved Document G.

Getting the quote right

  • Tank size and type
  • Platform or supports if needed
  • Cover, insulation, screened vent and warning overflow
  • Removal of the old tank — and asbestos handling if relevant
  • Who actually attends to lift out the old tank and fit the new one — employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own line

Walk away if

  • No lid or insulation on the new tank
  • Breaks up an old cement tank without checking it
  • Sits a full tank on bare joists without checking them
  • Overflow pipe that does not run anywhere visible
LOW
£400
TYPICAL
£900
HIGH
£1,800

What a water tank installer costs: £400–£1,800 per install

Loft tank replacements are a fixed price per install; supports, the byelaw kit and disposal set it. Water Tank 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

Water tank installers 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. SurveyLoft access, joists and the old tank checked.
  2. Drain and disconnectOld tank isolated and drained.
  3. RemoveOld tank taken out; asbestos handled separately if found.
  4. FitNew tank on a firm base, feed, overflow and outlet connected.
  5. Insulate and coverTank and pipes lagged and the cover fitted.

Cold water storage cistern
The tank in the loft that feeds taps and the hot water cylinder.
Warning pipe
An overflow that shows when the tank is overfilling.
Screened vent
A vent with a mesh to keep insects out.
Float valve
The valve that refills the tank.
Sectional tank
A tank built from panels inside the loft.
Asbestos cement
Old cement board or tanks that can contain asbestos.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the overflowIt should run somewhere you would notice water.
Look at the tank lidClose-fitting, with the insulation in place.
Keep any asbestos paperworkIf the old tank was tested or removed by a specialist.
Review the visitA few lines on the water tank installation help the next household choose. If there is a problem, the make-it-right step sends it to the water tank installer before your review appears.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the water tank installerStart with an email to the water tank installer: the problem, photos and what would put it right. A trader's water tank installation is covered by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies — doing it again, or a price reduction — follow from sections 55 and 56.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepBelow four stars, Locufy offers to pass the problem with the water tank installation to the water tank installer before your review is published, and follows it up with both of you.
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 water tank installer and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the water tank installer 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 water tank installer: questions people ask

No register applies. The tank must meet the water fittings rules.

In England and Wales a cover that keeps out light and insects, insulation and an overflow with a warning, under Schedule 2 of the 1999 Regulations.

Older grey cement tanks can be. Have it checked before it is broken up.

£400–£1,800 per install, with about £900 typical for a like-for-like swap. What pushes it up or down is in the water tank installation price guide; search above by town for installers in your area.

With a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder; in England an unvented cylinder is notifiable work.

Half a day to a day for most loft tank replacements.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Immersion Heater InstallationHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Pipework InstallationHow to hire: Water Softener InstallationHow to hire: Burst Pipe RepairHow to hire: Leak RepairHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationHow to hire: Solar Thermal InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Water tank installers near you

Water tank installers in LondonWater tank installers in ManchesterWater tank installers in BirminghamWater tank installers in GlasgowWater tank installers in BelfastAll water tank installers 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. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, Schedule 2 — requirements for water fittings
  7. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  8. Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
  9. gov.uk — Approved Document G: sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency (England)
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  12. Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) — 2.1 Construction services: work to an existing building is normally standard-rated
  13. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register