Have you ever had a bad experience with a plumber? This could have been due to them not being compliant. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. We can’t stress enough the importance of hiring a complaint plumber and not just a handy man. That’s why we have put together this guide that tells you what you need to look for when hiring a plumber. Don’t hire a plumber before reading it!
Avoid These Traps
It’s sometimes easy to fall victim to a non-compliant plumber (no licensing and qualification) when you have a plumbing emergency on your hands and just want to fix it immediately. In such a situation you might be prone to hiring whoever can come out. Furthermore, the allure of cheaper pricing or no call out fee might attract you. However, this can result in a hidden cost, longer that average timelines to complete works (to make up for no call out fee) or just an overall bad plumbing job. Usually you need to get another plumber to correct it costing you additional money.
Check for Licensing & Insurance
When hiring a plumber or any trades person, it’s an absolute must that they are licenced and insured under current state regulations. These should be available on request. You can also check government websites that show all licenced trades to see if they have these. If a plumber is abiding by the law, he or she should have no issue in showing you their license and insurance. This check is recommended for all strata and property managers. If your plumber isn’t adequately licenced and insured, your company will be liable if something were to go wrong.
Extra Pointers on Licensing & Insurance
Proper licensing and insurance ensures quality workmanship is provided. With insurance coverage in place you are protected if things go wrong. The most common problem is water damage on the inside of a property caused by an unskilled and uncertified plumber installing water pipes. Unfortunately, this happens more often than not and is the cause of much stress, anger and even consumer affairs complaints. Plumbing work must comply with the Plumbing Australian Standards (AS/NZ 3500).
Fully Qualified and Certified
Make sure that when hiring to carry out Plumbing work like jetting and general plumbing works, that are a fully qualified and certified Plumber (Not just a Handyperson). Sometimes a plumber is only qualified and certified to carry out general plumbing work like repair and replacement of household fixtures. If this is the case, then under no circumstances should they be performing more specialised services. If you are in the need of these services, it is your responsibility to check that your plumber is compliant.
Quality Workmanship & Five Star Service
Check the plumbing company’s website to see if they can guarantee quality workmanship and a five-star service. This is further proof of their credibility and overall compliance. You should always aim to go through a trades company that goes the extra mile and offers this. Do some further research too and see if they use quality parts for their repairs and replacements. Are they associated with quality brands? Are they part of the Master Plumbers Association of Australia?
Do Property Managers Use the Best Plumbers?
It’s a further sign of credibility and overall compliance if a plumbing company works closely with Property Managers. You can rest assured that they offer tailored preventative maintenance for properties and are up to date with the latest plumbing regulations concerning properties. In addition, they can meet client’s site requirements for scheduled service work.
Now that you know what to look for when hiring a plumber never risk going through a non-compliant plumber. Our plumbers are fully licensed and qualified so get in touch with O’Neill & Brown Plumbing Service today.
