Search for local
Approved Contractors and other services
The WaterSafe website has a list of local plumbing businesses that it has vetted. If you need to find a local approved plumbing business, use our find a contractor postcode search. We recommend getting three quotes from qualified contractors to ensure you get a reasonable price.
Yes. There are approved contractors in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Approved contractors make up about 5 per cent of the plumbers in the UK.
If you can’t find an approved plumbing business nearby, don’t worry. Some contractors will travel to get to you. Use the WaterSafe search facility to expand your search to a wider area. By entering the first part of another postcode in your county, district or borough, you will have better chance of getting results.
WaterSafe aims to give customers the best possible choice of approved plumbing businesses. We list those businesses in each postcode area and leave the final decision up to you, safe in the knowledge that each one of our member businesses employs approved staff, who are suitably qualified and competent to do the work.
An approved plumbing business is a member of WaterSafe. To be a member of WaterSafe, plumbing businesses must be an eligible member of one of the six existing Approved Contractor Schemes.
WaterSafe requires each approved member business to employ suitably qualified and competent individuals. Each WaterSafe approved business must also have £2m of public liability insurance and employers’ liability cover – where appropriate – of £5m in place.
WaterSafe requires each WaterSafe approved member business to be audited within the first 12 months of membership as a minimum and existing members are audited on a regular basis.
To be suitably qualified, approved staff employed by a WaterSafe member business are required to successfully complete an NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Engineer Services (plumbing) (6089) as a minimum and have a Water Fittings Regulations qualification.
A WaterSafe approved plumber is a qualified professional plumber who is employed by a business, which is a member of one or more Approved Contractors’ Schemes. Each of the schemes is either operated by a water company or appointed by the Secretary of State. The current Approved Contractors’ Schemes are:
Approved plumbers are assessed for their knowledge of the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws applying to all types of water installation in domestic and business premises. They can do a wide range of plumbing work.
Approved Water Supply Pipe Installers are not approved WaterSafe plumbers, but are recognised by the water company approval schemes: APLUS, WaterMark and WIAPS to work on water supply pipes from the external stop tap, up to the internal stop tap.
They will ensure all their work complies with the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws. If you require work on your internal plumbing, use an Approved Plumber, who is approved for all types of plumbing work.
An RPZ valve is a backflow prevention device and plays an important role in protecting people from the risk of contaminated water.
RPZ Valve Testers are approved to commission and compliance test RPZ valves, to ensure the valve is functioning correctly as a backflow prevention device.
All valves must be tested at least once a year, sometimes more frequently if specified by a water company.
RPZ Testers must have a recognised qualification in RPZ Valve Testing, be employed by a business with appropriate insurance and have up to date calibration certificates for their test equipment which meets the current Approved Installation Method requirements.
All RPZ Testers listed on the WaterSafe website are also approved by one of four approved contractor schemes: APLUS, WaterMark, WIAPS and SNIPEF.
WaterSafe approved businesses must adhere to the WaterSafe code of conduct and customer commitments. Where businesses fail to meet these standards a disciplinary process applies. A member business, which fails to uphold the standards will be subject to a range of penalties, in serious cases, this would result in membership of WaterSafe being revoked.
A WaterSafe approved business will be required to put their work right if it does not meet the requirements of the Water Fittings Regulations or Byelaws, enforced by the water supplier.
WaterSafe approved plumbers are fully qualified to carry out plumbing work in homes and business premises providing they are employed by a WaterSafe member business. They have specific training in Water Fittings Regulations, which enables them to ensure there should be no risk from poor installation or sub-standard materials that could cause contamination of your drinking water supply.
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 plumbers can carry out some work without the need to provide advanced notification to the water supplier.
A ‘Certificate of Compliance’ issued by a WaterSafe approved plumber provides a defence for property owners who are challenged by a water supplier enforcing the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws.
Every WaterSafe approved business is required to hold public liability cover of at least £2m and employers’ liability insurance where appropriate. By using an unrecognised plumber or other type of contractor, customers may well be unprotected if the worst should happen.
WaterSafe approved businesses must adhere to the WaterSafe code of conduct and customer commitments. Where businesses fail to meet these standards a disciplinary process applies. A member business, which fails to uphold the standards will be subject to a range of penalties, in serious cases, this would result in membership of WaterSafe being revoked.
A WaterSafe approved business will be required to put their work right if it does not meet the requirements of the Water Fittings Regulations or Byelaws, enforced by the water supplier.
A ‘Certificate of Compliance’ issued by a WaterSafe approved plumber provides a defence for property owners who are challenged by a water supplier enforcing the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws.
An approved plumbing business is a member of WaterSafe. To be a member of WaterSafe, plumbing businesses must be an eligible member of one of the six existing Approved Contractor Schemes.
WaterSafe requires each approved member business to employ suitably qualified and competent individuals. Each WaterSafe approved business must also have £2m of public liability insurance and employers’ liability cover – where appropriate – of £5m in place.
WaterSafe requires each WaterSafe approved member business to be audited within the first 12 months of membership as a minimum and existing members are audited on a regular basis.
To be suitably qualified, approved plumbers employed by a WaterSafe member business are required to successfully complete an NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Engineer Services (plumbing) (6089) as a minimum and have a Water Fittings Regulations qualification.
Approved plumbers employed by a business on the WaterSafe register need to have successfully completed at least an NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Engineer Services (plumbing) (6089) as a minimum and hold a water industry recognised Water Fittings Regulations qualification to ensure they are competent and have the relevant knowledge. In addition, if a plumbing individual does gas work then they are legally obliged to be on the GasSafe Register.
You can search on the WaterSafe website by individual or business name or postcode.
Step one: Contact your WaterSafe approved contractor
If you are unhappy with the work carried out by a WaterSafe approved contractor, you should first raise your complaint with them to see if you can agree a way to resolve the problem.
All WaterSafe approved businesses are expected to:
Make sure their plumbing work is carried out in accordance with all statutory requirements, including the Water Regulations and Byelaws
Make sure their plumbing work is carried out by appropriately qualified professionals
Issue a ‘Certificate of Compliance’ for all the work carried out
Have adequate procedures to deal with customer complaints in a speedy and efficient way.
Step two: Contact the WaterSafe approved contractors’ scheme the contractor is registered with
If you’re not able to resolve the problem directly with the contractor, the next step is to contact the scheme they are registered with.
Every WaterSafe approved contractor will be a member of one of six approved contractors’ schemes.
You can check which scheme your contractor is a member of on the WaterSafe website:
Look up the business on the search function at www.watersafe.org.uk.
Click on your contractors’ business name
Their scheme membership is listed at the bottom as a logo
Click on the highlighted logo to go to the scheme’s website where you’ll find their contact details.
(Please note some contractors are members of more than one scheme. In these cases both logos will be highlighted).
The contractor’s approval scheme will investigate and resolve the complaint in line with their complaints process (available on their websites).
As a minimum, they expect members to meet the requirements listed in Step One.
Step Three: Need further help? Contact WaterSafe
If you are not sure which approved contractors’ scheme your contractor is a member of, contact WaterSafe on 0333 207 9030 or email info@watersafe.co.uk.
WaterSafe will pass on your complaint to the relevant scheme and ask them to contact you to understand and investigate your complaint.
WaterSafe does not have owners, it is a private company limited by guarantee. This means that the company does not have share capital and its members are guarantors rather than shareholders. The members' liability is limited to the amount they agree to contribute to the company's assets if it is wound up.
The members of WaterSafe are the six existing Approved Contractors’ Schemes whose eligible members can also opt to become members of WaterSafe. The six Approved Contractors’ schemes are run by:
Water UK and the Worshipful Company of Plumbers are also members of WaterSafe. There is a director on the board from most of the organisations that are members of WaterSafe. In addition, the Trading Standards Institute provides an observer to the Board, helping to ensure that it keeps consumer protection in mind.
The Scheme also has the backing of all UK water suppliers and water quality regulators.
WaterSafe is administered by Water Regs UK on behalf of the WaterSafe Board.
Customers are not legally obliged to use an approved plumbing business but their work is recognised for compliance with the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws. Customers can rest assured that all contractors listed on WaterSafe are competent and qualified.
For the full benefits of using an approved plumbing business see “Why should I use an approved plumbing business?”
Unlike gas engineers, there is currently no legislation requiring plumbers to be on a recognised industry register.
WaterSafe Approved Contractors' Scheme Operators
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