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Is it an emergency?
Rainy London street at night with a red bus and wet road reflections

Emergency plumbing for London flats, conversions and mansion blocks

Emergency plumber in Londonfor burst pipes, leaks and floods

Water coming through the ceiling, a pipe that has split, a toilet flooding the bathroom. Tell us what is happening and we will talk you through making it safe while we sort a plumber.

Is it an emergency?

Tap what is happening. You see what to do first.

Water leaking now Toilet or drain overflowing No water at all No hot water or heating

Smell gas? Leave the plumbing, get outside and call the gas emergency line first.

0800 111 999
  • Turn off the stop tap first
  • Keep water away from electrics
  • Price confirmed after a look at the job
  • Flats, conversions and mansion blocks
  • Written note of the cause

Emergency plumbing built around how London actually lives

More than half of London households live in a flat, maisonette or apartment, according to the 2021 Census. That changes what a plumbing emergency looks like. A leak rarely stays in one home. It runs through a floor into the flat below, follows a shared pipe, or starts in a flat where nobody is in.

This site is for those moments. We explain what to do in the first few minutes, who is likely responsible for which pipe, what Thames Water looks after, and what a plumber will do when they get to you. When you are ready, send us the details and we will tell you honestly when someone can attend.

  • Clear safety steps before anyone arrives
  • Price confirmed after a look at the job
  • Used to shared pipes in converted houses and blocks
Send the details now

Where is my stop tap in a London flat?

Look under the kitchen sink first, then in the airing cupboard, under the stairs, near the front door or under floorboards. Thames Water notes that flats may also have a communal stop valve where the supply enters the building. Find yours before you need it and turn it clockwise to close.

Who is responsible for a leak from the flat above?

Usually the owner of whatever is leaking. The Leasehold Advisory Service says each leaseholder is usually responsible for pipes and appliances serving their own flat, and the freeholder for communal pipes and tanks. Your lease has the final word, so tell the freeholder or managing agent straight away.

Gloved hands working a wrench on pipework under a warm work light
Photo for illustration

Emergency
services

Every page explains what to do first, what the plumber does on arrival and what affects the price.

Emergency plumber

Leaks, bursts, floods and blockages in London flats and houses. Make it safe now, proper repair once the source is found.

What to do
Hands turning a fitting on the pipework under a kitchen sink in low light

Burst pipes

Split pipes, failed joints and frost damage traced and repaired, with the water isolated safely first.

What to do
Water spraying from a split joint on a black water pipe

Water through the ceiling

Leaks from the bathroom or flat above traced to the source and stopped, with a written cause for insurers and freeholders.

What to do
Drips falling into a bucket of water in low light

Blocked or overflowing toilet

Blocked pans, overflowing cisterns and backed up soil stacks cleared, with the cause found so it does not come back.

What to do
Small bathroom with a close coupled toilet, basin and white metro tiles

Water where it should not be?
Make it safe first

Send the detailsStart the triage Stop tap helpFind it and turn it

Do this
now

Before the plumber arrives, work through these in order. They keep you safe and limit the damage while you wait.

Then send the details
  1. Cobbled London mews at night lit by warm lamps
    01

    Smell gas? Leave the plumbing

    If you smell gas, leave the plumbing. Go outside and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first.

  2. Old brass tap and valve body on a wall with a drip of water
    02

    Water off at the stop tap

    Turn off the water at your stop tap by turning it clockwise. It is usually under the kitchen sink, in an airing cupboard or near the front door. In a flat there may be a second, communal valve where the supply enters the building.

  3. Loft space lit by a single work lamp during a repair
    03

    Keep water and electrics apart

    If water is near sockets, lights or the consumer unit, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if you can reach it without touching wet surfaces. If you cannot do that safely, keep away and call 999.

  4. Old brass tap with a single drip against a dark wall
    04

    Boiler off, cold taps open

    Turn off the boiler or immersion heater so it does not run dry, then open the cold taps to drain the pipes and relieve pressure.

  5. Drips falling into a bucket of water in low light
    05

    Contain it and take photos

    Contain the water with towels, buckets and bowls, move belongings and take photos of the damage and the source for your insurer.

  6. Red brick Edwardian mansion blocks on a London street
    06

    Tell the neighbours and the building

    If the water is coming from another flat, knock on their door, then tell your landlord, freeholder or managing agent and your insurer as soon as you can.

Make it safe,
then send it

Tap through four short steps. Safety advice appears as you go, then your answers go straight through.

Four short steps

Pick the closest match. You can go back at any point.

  1. 01Right now
  2. 02Your home
  3. 03Call back
Step 1

Right now

What is happening right now?

How an emergency call works

The same four steps whether it is a split pipe under the bath or water through a ceiling.

  1. 1

    Tell us what you can see

    Use the triage form or call. Say where the water is coming from, whether it is clean or dirty, if it is near electrics, and whether you have managed to turn it off. Photos help.

  2. 2

    Make it safe while you wait

    We talk you through the stop tap, the electrics and containing the water. If you smell gas, you call 0800 111 999 first and leave the gas side to them.

  3. 3

    Find and stop the source

    The plumber traces the leak or blockage, which in a flat can mean checking the flat above or a shared pipe. They isolate it and do a safe temporary or permanent repair.

  4. 4

    Price, repair and paperwork

    You get a price before any further work, confirmed after a look at the job. You also get a written note of the cause and what was done, which your insurer, landlord or freeholder may ask for.

Thames Water looks after

  • The water main in the street
  • The pipe up to your property boundary
  • Supply problems that affect the whole street
  • Customer care on 0800 316 9800

Yours to put right

  • The supply pipe from your boundary into the home
  • Every pipe and appliance inside your home
  • A confirmed leak on your property, repaired within four weeks
  • In a block, communal pipes and tanks usually sit with the freeholder

Why London plumbing emergencies are different

01

Converted houses share pipes

In Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, about a quarter of households live in a converted or shared house (Census 2021). One supply pipe and one outside stop tap often feed every flat, so turning the water off and finding the leak usually means working with the neighbours.

02

Hard water seizes valves

Thames Water says all the water in its region is hard, because it passes through chalk and limestone. Over the years limescale stiffens stop taps, sticks toilet fill valves and scales up appliance valves, which is why many people find their stop tap will not turn on the night they need it.

03

Blocks have systems you cannot reach

In Westminster 70% of households and in Tower Hamlets 81% live in purpose built flats. Rising mains, roof tanks, booster pumps and communal hot water belong to the building, so a fault may need the managing agent as well as a plumber.

04

Victorian sewers and basements

Much of central London still drains into Bazalgette's Victorian combined sewers, which carry rain and sewage in the same pipes. In heavy rain, lower ground and basement flats are where blocked or overloaded drains show up first.

Where we
cover

Emergency plumbing across inner and central London. Each area page covers the housing and what to check first there.

Asked questions

What counts as a plumbing emergency?

Anything where water is escaping and you cannot stop it, water is near electrics, sewage is coming back up, or you have no water or no working toilet. A slow drip you can catch in a bowl can usually wait for a booked visit. If in doubt, turn off the stop tap and ask.

How much is an emergency plumber in London?

It depends on the time of day, how long the job takes, access in your building and the parts needed. We do not quote a fixed figure before we know the job. You get a price confirmed after a look at the job and before any further work starts.

Is Thames Water responsible for a leak on my property?

No. Thames Water looks after the mains and the pipe to your boundary. The supply pipe from the boundary into your home, and every pipe and appliance inside it, is yours. If a leak is confirmed on your property, Thames Water says you must arrange a repair within four weeks.

What should I do if I have no water?

Check whether your neighbours have water and look at Thames Water's online map of problems in your area. If the street is fine and you have nothing, check your stop tap is open and, in a block, ask the managing agent about the building's pump or tank. Thames Water customer care is on 0800 316 9800.

Will my insurance pay for a burst pipe?

Most home insurance covers escape of water, but the terms vary and there is usually an excess. Insurers expect you to take reasonable steps to stop the leak and limit damage, so turn the water off, take photos and keep the plumber's note of the cause.

What if I smell gas as well?

Stop and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside your home. Do not use switches or flames. Gas work in the UK must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, so always ask to see their ID card and check it on the Gas Safe Register.

Raindrops on a window with blurred London lights at night

Water still running?

Turn it off at the stop tap before anything else.

Stop tap help

Let's sort it

Turn the water off if you can, then tell us what is happening and we will tell you straight when a plumber can get to you.

or send it by

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