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Advice for Finding a Plumber

It is important that whoever carries out plumbing work in your home ensures your drinking water remains clean and safe to drink.

All pipework and fittings, such as taps, which are part of your water supply system should comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Owners or occupiers of a property, and anyone who undertakes work on the plumbing system, have a legal duty to ensure any work satisfies these regulations. For any major works, you may also be required to notify your water supplier.

Therefore, we recommend you select a plumber who is a member of the WaterSafe scheme, a national accreditation body for competent and qualified plumbers.

WaterSafe logo

Visit WaterSafe website to find an approved plumber near you.

Using an approved plumber will give you the following benefits:

  • Approved plumbers are fully qualified to carry out plumbing work in homes and business premises. They have specific training in Water Fittings Regulations, ensuring there should be no risk from poor installation or sub-standard materials that could cause contamination of your drinking water supply.
  • They will issue a ‘work completed’ certificate for their work, which provides a defence for property owners who are challenged by a water supplier enforcing the Water Fittings Regulations.
  • For most types of plumbing work, plumbers have a legal duty to notify the water supplier before they start work and this can lead to delays. Approved contractors can carry out some work without the need to provide advanced notification to the water supplier.
  • Approved businesses hold public and employers’ liability insurance.
  • There is an independent complaints procedure in place to resolve any technical disputes about how the work has been carried out, should a concern arise.
  • Approved businesses will be required to put their work right if it does not meet the requirements of the Water Fittings Regulations, enforced by the water supplier.

Approved businesses are audited to check they are complying with the rules of the scheme.

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