Generally, there are 4 types of plumbers:

1. Plumbers who work on pipework only
2. Heating engineers that only work on boilers
3. Plumbers that are qualified and willing to repair leaks or boilers.
4. Plumbers who work on commercial or specialist boilers (immersion boilers and underfloor hearing can fall into this category).

Important first questions before explaining the problem

1. Check what services the plumber offers
2. Do they cover your area 
3. What is their availability?
4. Check if they are Gas Safe registered if they are repairing a boiler.

Call out fee 

Contractors charge a call-out fee when a problem needs to be officially diagnosed or investigated in order to quote. Often, the plumber can take a while to find out what the problem is, and this is the reason for the charge.

Try to establish their call-out charge and how much they charge for the second hour.

If the contractor can proceed with the repair during the callout and you are happy to proceed, this might save some money if you are confident and comfortable with your decision. 

Comparing prices and costs

If you don’t know how much the job will cost, another way to compare pricing is to ask the plumber how much they charge for a callout fee and for the second hour.

If the job takes more than 2 hours, it is normal practice for the plumber to give a price per job.

However, the plumbers may only give a ballpark figure if they haven’t seen the job.

If you have a leak or the problem is visible, you can take a picture or video of the problem and send it to the plumber with a description. The plumber should have enough information to give you a ballpark figure, but note that this quote will not be set in stone because there may be complexities to the job that may not be obvious in the picture. If you need an accurate quote, you must pay a call-out charge to get the plumber to diagnose it in person.

Some sources of where to find contractors:

• Checkatrade
• Rated People
• MyBuilder.com
• Referrals from people you trust
• Google Reviews

Things to watch out for 

• Be cautious if you are asked to pay for the job upfront. In our experience, this doesn’t tend to end well.  
• However, if the job requires the plumber to purchase expensive or a lot of materials, the contractor will normally ask for a deposit.
• If you have an uncomfortable feeling about the contractor, trust your instincts.
• Make sure you ask the plumber/engineer for them to let you know if the quote will increase so you can check if you can afford the work. Try to get this in writing, either by text or email, so you can refer back to this if the price increases significantly.
• Completion of the works—You should make the full payment only when you are fully happy, and the contractor has carried out all the works they have quoted for.

Why it is important to get an invoice/receipt

Get an invoice and a receipt for the work so you can claim it as a tax-deductible expense. You will also need the invoice if you are activating or using a warranty. 

Warranties

• If you need any warranties, try to contact the manufacturers to register for this warranty.
• Many manufacturers offer a warranty for just parts or parts and labour. Always double-check to see which it is. Also, check how the warranty is maintained. For example, most warranties demand a service each year, with proof of this service.
• If the warranty only covers the cost of parts, you may want to weigh this up against the service cost, as labour is the most expensive part of repairs.