Emergency plumber in London
Emergency plumber in London
An emergency plumber in London deals with water you cannot control: burst pipes, leaks through ceilings, overflowing toilets, sewage backing up and total loss of water. Turn off your stop tap and any electrics near the water first. Then a plumber finds the source, stops it and makes the pipework safe.
Emergency plumber: tap what is happening
You see what to do right now, then send it through.
- 01Right now
- 02Your home
- 03Call back
Right now
What is happening right now?
Right now
Is the water off at the stop tap?
Your home
Where is it?
Your home
What is the postcode?
So the right engineer for your area picks it up.
Call back
Send it through now
Keep the water off at the stop tap while you wait. Your details go straight through so someone can ring you back.
You need this when
If any of these is happening now, turn the water off at the stop tap first.
Emergency plumber
- Water is escaping and you cannot stop it at a tap or valve
- Water is dripping through a ceiling or a light fitting
- Your stop tap will not turn or will not shut the water off
- A toilet or drain is overflowing, or sewage is coming back up
- You have no water at all and your neighbours do
- A pipe has split after a cold night or knocked joint
Step by step
What happens from the first message to the written note at the end.
- 1
Triage on the phone or form
We ask what you can see, where the water is coming from, whether it is clean or dirty and whether it is near electrics. This tells us what to bring and what you should do now.
- 2
Isolate the water
On arrival the plumber shuts off the right valve. In a converted house or block that may be a communal valve, so we may need the neighbours or the managing agent.
- 3
Trace the source
Water travels along joists and pipes, so the wet patch is often not where the leak is. The plumber checks the pipework above and around it, including the flat upstairs if needed.
- 4
Make safe and repair
Where we can, we repair it there and then. Where a full fix needs parts, a floor lifting or the freeholder's permission, we make it safe and agree the next step with you.
- 5
Written note of the cause
You get a short written note of what failed and what was done. Insurers, landlords and freeholders often ask for this.
What an emergency plumber does in a London home
Most emergency calls in London are about water in the wrong place. A pipe joint lets go under a bath, a washing machine hose splits, a toilet cistern overflows, or a pipe that froze on a cold night cracks as it thaws. The job is always the same order: stop the water, find the source, make it safe, then repair it properly.
The difference in London is the buildings. The 2021 Census found that 54% of London households live in a flat, maisonette or apartment, against about 22% across England and Wales. In a flat the source of a leak is often in someone else's home or in a shared pipe, so an emergency plumber here spends a lot of time working out whose pipe it is before anything can be repaired.
Flats, conversions and mansion blocks
In a Victorian terrace split into two or three flats, there is often one supply pipe and one outside stop tap for the whole house. Pipes for the top flat may run under the floor of the flat below. Waste from every bathroom may join one cast iron soil stack. A leak in any of these lands on the lowest ceiling first.
In mansion blocks and purpose built flats, cold water may come from a rising main or a tank on the roof, hot water and heating may be communal, and a pump may push water to the upper floors. These belong to the building, not to you. The Leasehold Advisory Service says the freeholder is usually responsible for communal pipes, tanks and boilers that serve more than one flat, while each leaseholder looks after the pipes and appliances serving their own flat. We will tell you which side of that line the fault seems to be on, so you know who to call.
When it is not a plumbing job
Some things should never wait for a plumber.
- Gas smell: go outside and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Water in electrics: switch off at the consumer unit if you can do it without touching anything wet. If not, keep clear. An electrician should check any wet fittings before they are used again.
- Danger to life: if water is pouring through a ceiling that is bulging, or anyone is trapped, call 999.
- Water in the street: a leak in the road or pavement is Thames Water's. Report it to them online or on 0800 316 9800.
What to have ready when you call
It saves time if you can tell us:
- your postcode and the type of building (house, converted flat, block, basement)
- where the water is coming from, if you know
- whether you have turned the water off, and where
- whether the water is clean, or dirty and smelly
- whether you own, rent or are a leaseholder, and who manages the building
Photos of the leak and the stop tap help the plumber bring the right parts.
No prices online
Every job is priced after a look at it, by photo or a visit, and agreed before work starts.
What affects the price
Emergency work is priced on the job, not guessed in advance. The main drivers are the time of day, how long it takes to find the source, access in your building and the parts needed. You get a price before further work starts.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Attending and making safe | price confirmed after a look at the job |
| Tracing a hidden leak between floors | quote on survey |
| Replacing a failed pipe section or fitting | price confirmed after a look at the job |
| Work needing floors lifted or access to another flat | quote on survey |
No prices are shown on this site. Every job is priced after a look at it, by photo or a visit.
Asked questions
Can you come out at night or at the weekend?
Emergencies do not keep office hours. Send the triage form or call and we will tell you honestly when a plumber can get to you, and what to do in the meantime.
Should I call the fire brigade for a flood?
Call 999 if there is danger to life, a ceiling is about to come down, or water is pouring into electrics and you cannot make it safe. London Fire Brigade says that for a leaking tap it is probably best to call a plumber.
Do I need to be in the flat?
Someone needs to let the plumber in and show them the stop tap. If the leak is from a flat where nobody is in, the freeholder or managing agent usually has a right under the lease to get access.
Will you deal with my insurer?
We give you a written note of the cause and the work done, plus photos, so you can make the claim. Check your policy for escape of water cover and the excess.
Can you fix my boiler too?
Water leaks from boiler pipework can be made safe, but any work on a gas boiler must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Ask to see their ID card and check it on the Gas Safe Register.
Emergency plumber across London
Send it through
Describe what is happening in a sentence. A photo helps if you can text one later.