What should a leak detection company charge?

There is no single market figure worth quoting, because firms structure it differently: hourly, fixed per visit, or a call-out plus time. What matters more than the number is whether the structure is stated in writing before anyone travels, and what happens if the leak is not found. We charge £150 per hour, agreed in advance.

What does "no find, no fee" actually mean?

That you are not charged for the time spent searching if the leak is not located. Check how the firm defines "found", and check whether it covers the whole visit or only part of it, because the wording varies.

Does leak detection include fixing the leak?

Often not. A large part of the market is detection-only: the engineer locates the leak, reports it and leaves, and you arrange a plumber separately. Ask before booking. We repair as well as detect, and we reinstate the floor or ceiling afterwards.

Will my insurer accept the report?

It depends on what the report contains. A trace and access claim needs the location, the method used to find it, what was opened to reach it and photographs, not a one-line invoice. Ask whether the report is written for a claim before you book.

How do I check a leak detection company is legitimate?

Ask for the trading name and company number and look it up, ask for proof of public liability insurance, check approved plumbing status on the WaterSafe register, and check the Gas Safe Register for any gas work. Then get the rate in writing.

Should I avoid firms that advertise?

No. Advertising is how a newer firm gets found, and plenty of excellent engineers advertise. Judge the answers to these eleven questions rather than the position of the listing.

Questions to Ask Before You Book a Leak Specialist

Ask whether the rate is hourly or fixed, what happens if the leak is not found, whether they repair as well as detect, whether they reinstate the floor or ceiling afterwards, whether the report is written for an insurance claim, and who is physically attending, because those six answers decide almost everything about what the job costs and how it ends.

Leak Fix LondonLast updated 19 September 2026

Thermal imaging survey being carried out to trace a hidden leak

Use this list on us too

These questions are not a trap for other firms. They are the questions we would ask, and we have written them so they work equally well pointed at us. Where our own answer is relevant we have given it, so you can see whether it satisfies the question or not.

Ask them on the phone, before anyone travels. A firm that will not answer them on the phone will not answer them better in your hallway with the van already parked.

Money

1. Is the rate hourly or a fixed price for the job?

These are different things and the words get used loosely. An hourly rate means the total depends on how long it takes. A fixed price for the job means the total is agreed before anyone starts. A "fixed hourly rate" is the first of those, not the second: the rate cannot change, but the total still depends on the hours.

Ours: £150 per hour, agreed before we attend. The rate cannot rise once it is set. The total depends on the hours the job takes, and we will not pretend to know that before we have seen it.

2. Is there a call-out charge or a minimum, and is the first hour priced differently?

Some firms charge a call-out on top of the hourly rate. Some charge a higher first hour. Some include travel. All of those are legitimate, and all of them change the bill. Get the structure, not just the headline number.

3. What happens if you do not find the leak?

The single most useful question on this list. There are three common answers: you pay in full for the time anyway, you pay a reduced fee, or you pay nothing. Any of them can be fair as long as it is said in advance. What you are testing is whether anyone will say it in advance.

Ours: no find, no fee. If we do not find the leak, you do not pay for the time we spent looking.

4. Will I get the price in writing before you travel?

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if no price is agreed you must pay a reasonable price and no more. That is a useful backstop, and it is a poor substitute for an agreed figure. Get the rate by email or text. It takes thirty seconds and it ends most disputes before they start.

Scope, which is where the surprises live

5. Do you repair the leak, or only find it?

A large part of the London market is detection-only. The engineer locates the leak, writes it up, and leaves. You then need a plumber. That is not concealed and it is not wrong, but if you assumed otherwise you have booked half a job and paid for two mobilisations instead of one.

Ours: we repair. Copper, MDPE, push-fit and lead, repaired or re-run once the leak is located, by the same visit where the access allows.

6. Do you put the floor, wall or ceiling back?

The question almost nobody asks and almost everybody needs. Finding a leak under a screed floor means opening the floor. Repairing it means leaving a hole. Making good means screed, floor covering and decoration, and that is usually the larger of the two costs.

Ours: yes, in-house. Flooring, screed, plaster, ceilings, tiling and decoration, through our reinstatement service. That is the reason this firm exists in the shape it does.

7. How invasive is your detection, and what will you open?

Ask which methods they carry. Acoustic, thermal imaging, moisture mapping, pressure testing and tracer gas each find different things, and a firm carrying only one of them will find only what that one finds. Ask specifically what they expect to open, and whether they will confirm the location before opening anything.

Ours: acoustic, thermal imaging, moisture mapping, pressure testing, and gas tracer, which is non-invasive. We locate first, then open at one point.

8. Does the quote include parts, waste and making good, or labour only?

Labour-only quotes are common and perfectly honest, and they are not the number you will pay. Ask what sits outside the rate.

Paperwork and insurance

9. Will I get a written report, and is it written for an insurance claim?

Most buildings insurance policies include trace and access cover, which pays for finding a hidden leak and getting to it. Claiming on it needs evidence: what was found, where, how it was located, what was opened, and photographs. A one-line invoice saying "leak detection" is not that.

Ours: a full leak detection report, written to be accepted by insurers for a trace and access claim. We have set out what a loss adjuster looks for in our insurance claims guide.

10. What insurance and registrations do you hold?

Public liability insurance is the one that matters if something is damaged. Ask for the trading name and company number and look it up. For plumbing and water supply work you can check approved status on the WaterSafe register independently. Anything involving gas must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and that register is searchable by name and number.

Who turns up

11. Who is actually attending, and do they work for you?

The person on the phone is not always from the company that will attend. Some listings belong to marketplaces that pass your details to member firms, and some belong to dispatch brands that allocate work to subcontracted engineers. Ask directly: is the engineer employed by you or subcontracted, and will they be carrying detection equipment or only plumbing tools? We have set out how each of those models is paid, because it affects the quote as well as the answer.

When not to call any of us

Some of these jobs are not a leak specialist's job at all, and a good firm will tell you so on the phone rather than charging you to find out:

A dripping tap or a leaking washing machine hose. A washer or a hose clip. Any plumber, or often you.
Condensation on a cold wall or window, with no pipework nearby. A ventilation and heating problem, not a leak, and detection equipment will find nothing because there is nothing to find.
Water appearing after heavy rain only. Usually roofing, guttering or pointing. A roofer, not us.
A boiler that needs topping up once or twice a year. Normal. See the boiler pressure guide before booking anyone.
A leak on the water company's side of the boundary stopcock. Report it to your water company first, because it may be their repair and their cost.

If you have been through the eleven and want to put them to us, tell us what is happening and we will answer every one of them in writing before anyone travels.

Frequently asked

What should a leak detection company charge?: There is no single market figure worth quoting, because firms structure it differently: hourly, fixed per visit, or a call-out plus time. What matters more than the number is whether the structure is stated in writing before anyone travels, and what happens if the leak is not found. We charge £150 per hour, agreed in advance.
What does "no find, no fee" actually mean?: That you are not charged for the time spent searching if the leak is not located. Check how the firm defines "found", and check whether it covers the whole visit or only part of it, because the wording varies.
Does leak detection include fixing the leak?: Often not. A large part of the market is detection-only: the engineer locates the leak, reports it and leaves, and you arrange a plumber separately. Ask before booking. We repair as well as detect, and we reinstate the floor or ceiling afterwards.
Will my insurer accept the report?: It depends on what the report contains. A trace and access claim needs the location, the method used to find it, what was opened to reach it and photographs, not a one-line invoice. Ask whether the report is written for a claim before you book.
How do I check a leak detection company is legitimate?: Ask for the trading name and company number and look it up, ask for proof of public liability insurance, check approved plumbing status on the WaterSafe register, and check the Gas Safe Register for any gas work. Then get the rate in writing.
Should I avoid firms that advertise?: No. Advertising is how a newer firm gets found, and plenty of excellent engineers advertise. Judge the answers to these eleven questions rather than the position of the listing.

Sources

No find, no fee · £150 per hour. The rate is fixed before we attend and does not rise for a difficult property, an awkward access or an evening visit. The total depends on how long the job takes; the rate cannot change.