Tools
Is My Leak an Emergency?
Four yes or no questions decide whether a leak needs an engineer now. Water near electrics, water still escaping with the stop tap closed, water spreading…
Emergency leak attendance
Water escaping right now? We find the leak and stop it.
Emergency Leak Experts London attends water leaks across London, finds the source, stops it, fixes small jobs on the spot and quotes in writing for larger repairs. No VAT is charged.
from £220 an hourEmergency leak detection, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded.- London inside the M25, 24/7
- No VAT is charged
- Published ratefrom £220 an hourQuoted before we attend and never exceeded
- Where the rate startsWhen work startsNo call-out fee and no travel charge: the rate starts when work starts
- No find, no feeBoundary statedInside your own property, for a live leak that cannot be located
- Written reportInside the hoursNot an extra on the bill
- Repair at the same rateParts agreed firstRepair work runs at the hourly rate, with parts and materials agreed before work starts
Emergency leak attendance
Describe your leak
Three details are enough to start.
London inside the M25, 24/7.
Before you send it
- What will it cost?
- A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded. No VAT is charged. Every rate in full
- Will it be free if you find nothing?
- No find, no fee waives the detection fee only when a live leak inside your own property cannot be located. The boundary in full
- Who is paying?
- Whether a landlord, managing agent or insurer pays depends on your lease or your policy. Check with them before work starts.
- What do I do now?
- Stop the water, keep clear of wet electrics, contain it and photograph it. Do this now
Do this now
- 1
Stop the water
Close the stop tap. It cuts the supply to the whole property.
The first hour in order - 2
Mind the electrics
When the consumer unit can be reached without wading through water, cut the electricity there. Stay away from wet sockets and light fittings.
Keep the room safe - 3
Contain it
Catch what is left with a bowl, towels or a bucket, and move belongings out of the way.
Can it wait until morning? - 4
Photograph it
Photograph the damage and note the times before you clean up.
What to record
Is it an emergency?
Four yes or no questions give a verdict: call now, or can wait until morning. The checker is guidance only; an engineer on site confirms it.
Call now
- Water is reaching a light fitting, a socket, an appliance or the consumer unit.
- Water is still escaping after the stop tap is closed.
- Water is spreading to another room, another floor or a neighbouring property.
- You cannot contain it with a bowl, towels or a bucket.
Can wait until morning
The water is contained and has stopped with the stop tap closed. Leave the stop tap closed, keep the containers emptied and photograph the damage.
Read next
- Is a Burst Pipe an Emergency? What to Do TonightA burst pipe is an emergency while water is still escaping, and you cannot stop it. Call now. If…
- Can a Water Leak Wait Until Morning? A Night-Time CheckA water leak can wait until morning when the supply is off, the water has stopped, nothing…
- Water Leak in the House: Who to Call and in What OrderRing the National Gas Emergency Service first if you smell gas. Otherwise stop the water, then call…
Can you smell gas? Leave doors and windows open, stay away from switches and naked flames, take everybody outdoors and ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Make that call before any other.
Is water running close to electrics, or is a pipe flooding the property? Turn off the water at the stop tap. When the consumer unit can be reached without wading through water, cut the electricity there. Stay away from wet sockets and light fittings.
What is happening?
Pick the closest match. Each one opens the guide that says whether it is a call now or can wait, and what to do first.
- Burst pipeWater escaping and you cannot stop it: call now.Learn more
- Water through the ceilingWho to ring depends on what is above it.Learn more
- Light fittingAn electrical hazard first and a leak second.Learn more
- Under the floorUrgent when water shows at the surface or reaches electrics.Learn more
- In a wallUrgent while water escapes or the wall is wet near sockets.Learn more
- From the flat aboveUrgent while water is still arriving or is near lights and sockets.Learn more
- While you are awayUnseen water does more damage, so get someone in to close the stop tap.Learn more
- After a freezePipes that split while frozen can discharge when the ice melts.Learn more
Where emergency leaks usually start
Different places leak in different ways, and each needs a different first move. Pick the one that matches what you are looking at.
- A burst pipeWater running freely. Isolate it first, then read what happens next.Read the guide
- A pipe inside a wallDamp or a stain on the face of the wall, with the pipe out of sight.Read the guide
- Under the floorSoft boards, a spinning meter, or water that appears somewhere else.Read the guide
- From the flat aboveA ceiling that is wet, and a stop tap that is not yours to close.Read the guide
- Through a light fittingWater and electrics together. What to do before anything else.Read the guide
- Underground supplyA leak on the pipe between the boundary and the property.Read the guide
- After a freezePipes that thawed and now drip, stain or run.Read the guide
- While you were awayYou come back to a wet property and a meter that has been running.Read the guide
What happens when you call
Four steps from the first message to a stopped leak.
Tell us where the water is
Send the postcode of the property and where the water is showing, through the enquiry form. If it is near electrics or cannot be stopped, say so first.
The rate is quoted before we attend
A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded. No call-out fee and no travel charge: the rate starts when work starts. No VAT is charged.
We find the leak and stop it
The team traces the source with whichever instruments the leak needs and stops the water. A small fix, such as tightening a fitting or changing a small part, is done on the spot once the leak is found.
The inside of the chamber at the boundary, where the supply meets the property, checked before anything is dug. A written quote for a longer repair
For a longer repair the leak is stopped first, and the repair is quoted in writing after that. Repair work runs at the same hourly rate as detection, with parts and materials costed on top and agreed before we start. Making good, such as walls, ceilings and decorating, is quoted per job by a partner team.
Supply pipework and isolation valves reached through an access opening, so a joint can be inspected without stripping the room.
Field notes: the kit, and where each method stops
Leaks are found with instruments, and every instrument has a limit. The team picks the method the leak needs.
Acoustic ground microphone placed on gravel beside a downpipe during an out of hours visit; the display shows what the microphone hears. Note 1
Acoustic detection
A ground microphone and handheld unit listen for the sound of water escaping and show it band by band.
Where it stops. Traffic, plant and plastic pipe can mask or carry the sound, so it points to an area and a second method confirms the spot.
Regulator and gauge on the inert gas cylinder used to fill and pressure test pipework for a tracer gas survey. Note 2
Tracer gas
Pipework is filled and pressure tested with gas, and the gauge and detector show where it escapes.
Where it stops. The pipe has to be isolated and held under test, and a joint that only weeps when hot or under working pressure can need another method.
Thermal image of a radiator and its pipe run, used to see where heat and moisture are not following the pipe. Note 3
Thermal imaging
A thermal camera shows warm and cool patches along a pipe run, a radiator or a wall.
Where it stops. It sees surface temperature, not water, so it points to a place for the moisture meter or the acoustic unit to check.
A probe lowered into the meter chamber so the gas or sound at the incoming supply can be read at source. Note 4
Meter chamber probe
A probe in the meter chamber reads the incoming supply at the boundary before anything is dug.
Where it stops. It reads only at the chamber, so it narrows the length of pipe, not the exact spot.
A small opening cut to reach concealed heating pipework and valves, with the floor protected below. Note 5
Access opening
A small opening reaches concealed pipework and valves so a joint can be inspected without stripping the room.
Where it stops. It is cut only once other methods have pointed to the place, and making good is quoted separately.
Find the leak before anything is opened
A wet ceiling is rarely where the pipe is failing. The first job is to prove where the water is coming from, so the only opening made is the one that reaches it.
01
Read the building first
The meter, the stop tap, the pressure and the pattern of the damp narrow the search before any instrument comes out of the van.
02
Confirm with instruments
Acoustic, thermal imaging, moisture mapping and tracer gas are each used where they can see, and read against one another, so one reading is never taken on faith.
03
Open one place, not five
Where the structure has to be opened, it is opened at the confirmed point. What it will cost to make good is agreed before anything is cut.
Who to call, and what each can do
Each of these is the right call in one situation and the wrong call in another. Emergency Leak Experts London is one option, for a hidden or unstoppable leak.
Plumber
Can
Repairs pipes, joints, taps, valves and cylinders when you already know where the water is coming from.
Cannot
Often not equipped to find a hidden source, and may open a wall or floor to look.
Leak detection company
Can
Finds a hidden source with listening equipment, thermal imaging, moisture mapping or tracer gas.
Cannot
Some only locate. The repair, the drying out and the decorating may be someone else.
Water company
Can
Looks after the mains in the street and the pipe up to the property boundary.
Cannot
Does not repair pipework inside the boundary or inside the building.
Landlord or insurer
Can
A landlord or managing agent arranges repairs to the structure and shared pipework. An insurer takes the claim.
Cannot
Neither stops the leak. A landlord may not answer at night, and an insurer may not cover what its terms exclude.
- Who to call for a water leak
- A leak in the ceiling
- An underground leak
- Water damage afterwards
What it costs, in worked examples
Leak work is charged by the hour. These are worked examples of rate multiplied by typical hours, not quotes. The rate is stated before we attend.
Published prices
Every hourly rate
- Emergency leak detection
- Attendance to an active leak, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. The exact rate is stated when you book.
- from£220an hour
Other rates, by the hour
- Standard leak detection
- General water leak detection in a property.
- £160an hour
- Mains and supply pipe leak detection
- Leaks on the mains water supply to a property.
- £180an hour
- Heating and underfloor leak detection
- Leaks in a central heating or underfloor heating system.
- £200an hour
- Trace and access
- Tracing a leak that is inside a structure, with an insurer-ready written report.
- £200an hour
- Moisture mapping
- Mapping moisture to find where water is travelling.
- from£175an hour
- Tracer gas leak detection
- Tracing a pipe run with tracer gas. The gas cylinder is charged once, on top of the hourly rate, and only when gas is actually used.
- £160an hour
- Plus £80 per gas cylinder, only when gas is used.
Tracer gas work is charged £80 per gas cylinder on top of the hourly rate.
No VAT is charged
A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded
No call-out fee and no travel charge: the rate starts when work starts
No find, no fee waives the detection fee only when a live leak inside your own property cannot be located. No find, no fee in full
| Job | Rate | Typical hours | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard detection, one to two rooms | £160 an hour | 2 hours | £320 |
| Standard detection, whole house | £160 an hour | 3 to 4 hours | £480 to £640 |
| Detection with tracer gas, cylinder included | £160 an hour, plus £80 for the cylinder | 2 to 4 hours | £400 to £720 |
| Mains or supply pipe | £180 an hour | 2 to 3 hours | £360 to £540 |
No VAT is charged. No find, no fee waives the detection fee only when a live leak inside your own property cannot be located.
What you are never charged for
- No call-out fee and no travel charge: the rate starts when work starts.
- A rate above the one quoted: a fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded.
- A higher rate because a leak was awkward, large or ran late.
- Equipment as an extra.
- The written report, which is inside the hours.
Quoted separately
- For a longer repair the leak is stopped first, and the repair is quoted in writing after that.
- Repair work runs at the same hourly rate as detection, with parts and materials costed on top and agreed before we start.
- Making good, such as walls, ceilings and decorating, is quoted per job by a partner team.
Find, stop, quote
What happens on the visit, and what is agreed in writing first.
On the visit
Find it and stop it
The team traces the source with whichever instruments the leak needs and stops the water. A small fix, such as tightening a fitting or changing a small part, is done on the spot once the leak is found.
In writing
A larger repair is quoted
For a longer repair the leak is stopped first, and the repair is quoted in writing after that. Repair work runs at the same hourly rate as detection, with parts and materials costed on top and agreed before we start.
Afterwards
Making good
Making good, such as walls, ceilings and decorating, is quoted per job by a partner team.
No find, no fee, and where it stops
No find, no fee waives the detection fee in one situation: we attend a confirmed live leak inside your own property and a live leak cannot be located. A leak that proves to be a neighbour's, a communal riser's or the water company's main is a located leak and is charged. A survey that establishes no leak exists is charged for the hours as well, because ruling a leak out is the answer you paid for.
Every kind of London property
The same instruments, applied to very different buildings. How a leak shows itself depends on what the building is made of.
Flats and mansion blocks
A leak often starts in someone else’s home, and the first questions are whose water it is and how to isolate it without a stop tap of your own.
When the water comes from above
Victorian and terraced houses
Pipework chased into solid walls and buried in floors, altered over decades. The route the pipe takes matters as much as the fault itself.
A leaking pipe in a wall
New builds and conversions
Plastic and push-fit pipework in boxed risers and ceiling voids, where a small leak can travel a long way before it shows.
A leak under the floor
Landlords, agents and commercial
Tenanted or empty, the job is the same: stop it, find it, and write it up for whoever has to account for it.
A leak while nobody is in
Guides by question
Who to call
Whose leak it is decides who deals with it.
More in who to callIs it an emergency?
The common situations, and call now or can wait.
- Can a Water Leak Wait Until Morning? A Night-Time Check
- Is a Burst Pipe an Emergency? What to Do Tonight
Right now
The first hour, what to record and what happens when the engineer arrives.
More in right now
Tools to use while you decide
Check whether it is an emergency, photograph the damage properly, or see what a visit typically adds up to. None of them asks for your details.
Everything we do, in one place
Services and prices
What is done, how it is charged, and what a quote looks like.
- Emergency Leak Detection Across London: Areas We Cover
- Emergency Leak Detection in London: How a Visit Works
- Emergency Leak Repair in London: What Gets Fixed Tonight
- What Happens When You Call for a Leak
- No Find, No Fee Leak Detection: Where the Promise Starts and Stops
- Emergency Leak Detection Price: Every Hourly Rate Explained
- Emergency Leak Detection Cost: What Decides the Hours
Insurance and water damage
Reporting a leak, what a report should show, and what the policy may respond to.
Leak guides
What counts as an emergency, who to call, and what to do while you wait.
- Burst Pipe: What to Do in the First Hour While You Wait
- Can a Water Leak Wait Until Morning? A Night-Time Check
- Is a Burst Pipe an Emergency? What to Do Tonight
- Water Leak in the House: Who to Call and in What Order
Coverage
Where we work
London inside the M25, 24/7.
We attend all of London. Send the postcode of the property and where the water is showing.
Questions about emergency leaks
How much does an emergency leak visit cost?
Emergency leak detection is from £220 an hour, and the exact rate is stated when you book. A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded, and no call-out fee and no travel charge: the rate starts when work starts. No VAT is charged. The pricing page lists every rate.
Is the hourly rate fixed?
A fixed hourly rate quoted before we attend and never exceeded. It does not rise because a leak was awkward, large or ran late, and equipment is never billed as an extra. Tracer gas work adds £80 for the gas cylinder, only when gas is used.
What does no find, no fee cover?
No find, no fee waives the detection fee in one situation: we attend a confirmed live leak inside your own property and a live leak cannot be located. A leak that proves to be a neighbour's, a communal riser's or the water company's main is a located leak and is charged. A survey that establishes no leak exists is charged for the hours as well, because ruling a leak out is the answer you paid for.
Do you repair the leak as well as find it?
A small fix, such as tightening a fitting or changing a small part, is done on the spot once the leak is found. For a longer repair the leak is stopped first, and the repair is quoted in writing after that. Repair work runs at the same hourly rate as detection, with parts and materials costed on top and agreed before we start. Making good, such as walls, ceilings and decorating, is quoted per job by a partner team.
Which areas do you cover?
We attend London inside the M25, 24/7. There are no separate borough pages: the areas page explains how coverage works.
Is VAT added to the prices?
No VAT is charged on any price shown on this website.
Water still escaping? Describe your leak.
London inside the M25, 24/7.