How much does a plumber cost per hour in London?

London firms that publish weekday daytime rates for plumbing work charge about £80–£150 an hour plus VAT, usually with a one-hour minimum. Small repairs are often quoted as fixed jobs of £100–£250 including parts.

London firms' published weekday daytime rates, plus VAT

Low

£80

per hour

High

£150

Based on London market research, updated October 2026. First-party London Heroes data will replace this as jobs complete.

These are market-research figures, not London Heroes job data. London Heroes publishes what its own completed jobs cost in the London Home Repair Index, job by job, as they complete.

These prices exclude VAT.

Prices and guidance last checked on 26 October 2026 against the committed London price research this band is drawn from and the UK regulatory records behind our service pages.

Where these figures come from

The hourly band comes from the rate cards London firms publish on their own websites: their weekday daytime rate for plumbing work, before VAT. The band is the hourly rate alone: some of these firms also charge a call-out fee on top of it and others charge none, so ask what the first hour costs in total before you book. Directory and cost-guide sites mostly quote London hourly figures that sit below this band or overlap its lower end, and most do not say whether VAT is included, so check what a price includes before you compare it.

What affects the price

Urgency, access and parts all move a London plumbing bill. UK cost guides say out-of-hours work is often charged at 1.5–2× the standard hourly rate, with any call-out fee on top. A firm that charges by the hour bills the time on site, so a job that takes longer, such as pipework under floors or behind tiled walls, costs more, and several firms' rate cards say parts and materials are charged on top of the hourly rate.

Some London firms add parking and the Congestion Charge to the bill and others include them in the rate, so ask before you book.

How to keep the cost fair

Describe the problem precisely and add a photo, so the plumber can bring the right part and is more likely to finish in one visit. Ask whether the quote is fixed or hourly before work starts, and ask for the price of parts separately.

On London Heroes, Heroes set their own prices, including call-out charges and emergency premiums for urgent or out-of-hours work, and you see the full price before you pay.

Common questions

Do all plumbers charge a call out fee?

No, not all plumbers charge a call-out fee: UK price guides say call-out fees are often charged for emergency or out-of-hours visits, but practice varies between firms. Always ask before booking, and be wary of anyone advertising 'no call-out fee' without explaining what replaces it. To book a plumber, request one through London Heroes.

Is it cheaper to book a fixed price or hourly?

It depends on the job. A fixed price suits a well-defined job, such as replacing a tap or fitting a toilet, because you know the cost before work starts. Investigation work, such as tracing a hidden leak, is harder to price in advance, because nobody knows how long it will take until someone looks, so it may be charged by the hour.

Not sure yet what needs doing? No hot water: causes and what to do goes through the likely causes and what you can check before you pay for a call-out.

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This guide is general information, not a quote or a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.