Leak Detection Cost: How the Price Works
There is no menu of prices on this page, because every property and every leak is different. What you get instead is a fixed price for your survey, agreed after a short conversation and before anyone sets off.
Leak detection cost, step by step
The price of a leak detection survey is settled before the visit. You tell us what you have noticed, roughly what size the property is, which systems it has and whether anything runs underground or under heating loops. From that we quote one figure for the survey, and that is the figure you pay. There is no hourly rate, so a survey that takes longer than expected does not cost more, and there is no reason for us to spin the job out. If the scope changes on the day, for instance a second system turns out to be leaking as well, we stop and agree the change with you first.
What moves the price is the amount of testing involved. A flat with one bathroom and a combi boiler is a shorter job than a large house with several bathrooms, a hot water cylinder, a heating circuit and underfloor heating loops. A supply pipe under a long driveway means acoustic and tracer gas work outdoors along the whole run. Difficult access, such as a floor void with no hatch, adds time. Insurers paying under trace and access cover usually ask for the survey price in advance, which is another reason we fix it. In short, the factors are property size, number of systems, access, underground runs and underfloor heating.
The survey price includes the engineer, all of the detection kit, the pressure tests, dye tests and tracer gas, and the written report with thermal images and photographs. It does not include the repair, which is quoted separately once the leak is marked and you can see what is involved, nor the making good of the floor or wall afterwards. Many buildings policies include trace and access cover, which pays for locating the leak and reinstating the opening. The survey cost is therefore often met by the insurer, subject to the policy terms and any excess. If the leak cannot be located non-invasively, we say so and talk through the options rather than keep running up the time.
In our own photos
From your first call to a leak you can see in the report
Call or WhatsApp with a few photos and a line about the symptoms. We ask a handful of questions, agree a fixed price and book the survey, usually for the same or the next day.
On arrival we pressure test the mains, hot water and heating, check the meter and test the escaping water, so we know what we are looking for before the detection starts.
Thermal imaging, the acoustic ground microphone and tracer gas are used as the pipework dictates until the leak is marked on the floor or wall.
You get a written report with readings, thermal images and photographs, ready for a trace and access claim. If you want the leak fixed, we open that one spot and repair it.
A report your insurer can act on
Most buildings insurance policies include trace and access cover for finding a hidden leak and making good the way in. Our report is written for that claim: what we tested, what we found, where it is, with photographs, thermal images and readings.
- Turn off the stop tap or the heating and stop topping up
- Photograph the damage, the boiler gauge and the meter
- Tell your insurer a leak is suspected and detection is being arranged
- Trace and access pays to find the leak and make good the access
Cost: questions answered
How much does leak detection cost in the UK?
It depends on the property and the systems to be tested, so we do not publish a price list. We ask a few questions, quote a fixed price for the survey and only then book the visit. You know the cost before we arrive and it does not change on the day.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. The survey is a fixed price however long it takes. If the scope changes, for example a second leaking system turns up, we stop and agree any change with you before carrying on.
Is the repair included in the survey price?
No. The repair is quoted separately once the leak is marked, because only then can anyone see what it involves. You are free to accept our quote or use your own plumber with the report in hand.
Will my insurance pay for the leak detection survey?
Many buildings policies include trace and access cover, which pays for locating a hidden leak and making good the area opened to reach it. Check your policy wording or ask your insurer, and keep our report and invoice for the claim. The pipe repair itself is usually not covered.
What if you cannot find the leak? Do I still pay?
The survey price covers the testing of every system and area, and that work is done whether or not the leak shows itself on the day. If it cannot be located non-invasively we tell you, record what was ruled out in the report and talk through the next step with you before any more cost is incurred.
Related services
Need leak detection cost?
Call now and we will tell you straight away whether it needs a same-day visit. Or send a photo of the stain, the meter or the boiler gauge on WhatsApp.
07516 755 680