Why you should only Hire an Authorised Plumber for Repairs

Plumbing disasters are always a serious concern for home owners and renting tenants. If matters are not attended to and corrected in a timely manner, all kinds of more serious damage could result. That's before you take into account the unpleasant conditions that a plumbing emergency can create.

Given the urgency with which you will want to take remedial action, you may feel the temptation to hire just anyone who calls themselves a plumber, but if you don't check that they are properly authorised to carry out the repairs, you could end up with even more problems.

Here are a few reasons why you need to be careful:

1. In many areas, it is unlawful for an unauthorised person to undertake certain types of repair work.

If you live in an area where the law states that only a properly authorised plumber must carry out works and repairs, you can be fined if you get caught violating this law. You may think there is little chance of getting caught, but all it takes is for the unauthorised plumber to make a mistake that affects somebody else in the near vicinity. That actually happens with a surprising regularity. Even worse, you'll be fully liable for damage that is caused, while the unauthorised plumber you hired gets to walk away with no obligations whatsoever.

2. Repairs by unauthorised plumbers may adversely affect your insurance.

If your insurer becomes aware that you have had plumbing work done by an unauthorised plumber, they could react by increasing your premiums, reducing your pay-out entitlements, or in the worst cases they could even cancel your insurance altogether. Should the latter situation apply to you, it's possible you may find yourself black-listed and unable to obtain home owner's insurance from any of the more reputable providers.

3. Hiring an authorised plumber gives you certain legal protections.

Authorised plumbers are subject to strict licensing terms. If they cause any damage due to negligence, they will have a legal obligation to pay for those damages. Most importantly, you are not liable in that situation, unless you contributed to causing the additional damages.

4. Unauthorised plumbers don't always know what they're doing.

There's a really simple basic principle at work here. If a plumber is knowledgeable about plumbing and competent in putting theory into practice, there is no reason at all why he or she should not be able to obtain a plumbing licence. Therefore the absence of a licence is a good sign that something is lacking in the person's education, training, and experience. That lack could end up being very costly for you in many different ways.

5. Authorised plumbers are a more economical choice

Setting aside all concerns about potential liabilities and legal issues, the other good reason to choose an authorised plumber is because it's nearly always less expensive. That may sound surprising given that authorised plumbers often advertise a higher hourly rate, but when you really think about it, you realise that the authorised plumber is properly trained, highly experienced, and has all the tools necessary to get the job done. That means they are likely to get the job done in half the time, and you end up saving money.

Always choose an authorised plumber

It simply isn't worth the extra expense and worry to hire an unauthorised plumber when there are so many competently licensed plumbers available for hire.