How to Choose a Plumber: 7 Checks Before You Hire
Plumbers deal with water supply, taps, toilets, radiators, cylinders and leaks. Note the legal line: any work on gas boilers or gas pipework must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, not a general plumber. These seven checks take less than half an hour and filter out most of the operators you'd regret hiring.
1. Read reviews across more than one platform
Search the company name plus “reviews” and look at several sources, not just the one the company links to. Hammerscore company pages for plumbers combine ratings from multiple platforms into one score with links to the originals.
Read the negative reviews first. What matters is whether the same complaint repeats and how the business responds — a calm, specific reply is a good sign; blaming every customer is not.
2. Verify the credentials that matter
Plumbing itself is not licensed, but WaterSafe-approved contractors are vetted for water regulations compliance. If the job touches gas, only a Gas Safe registered engineer may legally do it.
3. Confirm insurance
Ask to see a current public liability insurance certificate. This covers damage to your property and injury to others. For larger jobs, also ask how your deposit is protected and whether any guarantee is insurance-backed.
4. Get three written quotes
Describe the same job to three companies and compare written quotes line by line. A proper quote lists the work, materials, start date, duration, payment stages and VAT. The form on any Hammerscore company page can request quotes from similar companies nearby.
5. Check the paperwork trail
The name on the quote, invoice and van should match the business you checked. Limited companies can be verified free on Companies House; sole traders should still give you a trading address and landline.
Red flags specific to this trade
Any one of these deserves a pause; two together mean look elsewhere.
- quoting for a full replacement before diagnosing the fault
- no willingness to show Gas Safe ID when the job involves gas
- cash-only pricing for emergency work
After the job
Pay by a method with a record, keep the paperwork, and leave an honest review — good or bad. It is the most useful thing you can do for the next person searching this company's name.
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