The time has come, you’re in need of a plumber and you need someone reliable, but how do you know if a contractor is a trusted professional? We’ve all heard some horror stories and none of us want to let a rogue contractor into our home.
There are thousands of contractors out there and it can be difficult to find someone you can rely on, so we’ve put together some top tips on how APHC can help you to find a reliable and registered plumber near you.
Find someone with experience and qualifications
A sensible place to start if you are looking for a plumber is to look for someone with experience, qualifications, or accreditations. If a plumber has all the necessary qualifications it can help to put your mind at ease that they have the skills needed to complete the job to a high a standard.
The type of work you need doing will determine whether you need a plumber or a heating contractor, but if your plumbing work involves gas in some way, then you need to ensure you find someone who has the necessary qualifications to work on boilers and central heating systems. They must also be gas safe registered.
At APHC we are accredited by UKAS to operate a number of Government developed and authorised plumbing and heating certification schemes, including the Competent Persons Scheme, Microgeneration Certification Scheme, Watersafe accreditation scheme and Legionella Risk Assessment and Disinfection scheme. In order to join one of our scheme’s installers must meet specific criteria set by APHC and will be assessed on their work to ensure building regulations and compliant installation standards are met.
Check their insurance
You will want to make sure that any plumber you have working on your home is insured to cover any damage that might occur as the work is taking place.
APHC will ensure that our members have appropriate levels of insurance in place commensurate with the business activities, this includes a minimum £2M of public liability which must be maintained at all times and a minimum £5M of employer’s liability which must be maintained at all times (if staff are employed).
Online directories
Research has shown that searches for plumbers account for 23% of all searches for tradespeople in the UK with over 162,000 Google searches every month. Millions of homeowners now check to see if the plumbers they find are approved and registered with an approved contractor’s scheme.
Using an online directory is one of the best ways to find a registered plumber. All of APHC’s approved contractors are added to our online directory so you have one central place to find your chosen trader from any location in the UK or Wales.
Only those plumbing and heating businesses that have passed our quality assurance criteria are accepted as an APHC member.
APHC membership demonstrates high standards of technical ability and customer service. It is also compulsory that APHC members operate a customer complaints procedure designed to achieve an amicable resolution to customer complaints and they must adhere to the APHC Customer Charter, which sets out the minimum trading standard requirements when dealing with customers.
Belonging to an association like ours is a sign that the tradesperson is of good quality, is professional and dedicated to their work.
If you are looking for a reliable plumber or heating engineer, choosing an APHC member can give you the peace of mind that they are part of a reputable trade association and a group of vetted, qualified professionals.
You can find qualified and professional plumbing and heating engineers in your area from hundreds of approved APHC members on the find a quality plumber search engine.
