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Moving or installing pipework in London costs £400 to £1,500 for most jobs: £400 to £800 to move a basin, £600 to £1,200 to move a shower and £800 to £1,500 to move a toilet, because the soil pipe has to move with it. Smaller runs are charged by the hour at £86 to £140 for the first hour.
| Job | London low | London typical | London high | UK typical | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moving a toilet, soil pipe and water supply | £800 | £1,150 | £1,500 | Published as £800 to £1,500 with no typical; in a leasehold flat the freeholder must consent to a soil pipe move | |
| Moving a basin | £400 | £600 | £800 | Published as £400 to £800 with no typical | |
| Moving a shower | £600 | £900 | £1,200 | Published as £600 to £1,200 with no typical | |
| Replacing a section of pipe behind a wall or under a floor | £180 | £240 | £300 | Outside London £150 to £250; opening up and making good is the cost, not the pipe; under concrete can pass £1,200 | |
| Plumber's day rate | £450 | £525 | £600 | £380 | Published as £450 to £600 with no typical; one firm takes 5 per cent off for 4 hours or more and 10 per cent off for 8 |
| Plumber by the hour, first hour, weekday | £86 | £105 | £140 | £75 | One-hour minimum, then half hours, at one firm that starts at £85.50 plus VAT; UK call-out about £75 |
| Each hour after the first | £55 | £85 | £95 | £60 | Evenings and weekends from £112.50 plus VAT; nights £90 to £220 for the first hour |
Pipework jobs come in two kinds. Short runs and replacements are charged by the hour or the day: a London plumber's day rate is £450 to £600 against about £380 elsewhere, the first hour £86 to £140 and each hour after £55 to £95. Moving a fitting is priced as a job, and the toilet is the dearest at £800 to £1,500 because the soil pipe moves with it; a basin is £400 to £800 and a shower £600 to £1,200.
Two rules apply. Under the Water Fittings Regulations the plumber must notify the water supplier before most work on the supply; a WaterSafe-approved plumber can self-certify instead and issue a Certificate of Compliance. In a leasehold flat, moving a soil pipe needs the freeholder's consent, which takes four to eight weeks, so ask before the work is booked.
From the street, Thames Water owns only the communication pipe up to the outside stop valve; the supply pipe from there to the house is yours. Close to a million properties are still on lead service pipes, unlikely in anything built after 1970; Thames Water runs a replacement scheme and free sampling on 0800 316 9800.
Prices last checked: September 2026. Based on a May 2026 London bathroom cost guide for the price of moving fittings, the published 2026 rate card of one London plumbing firm, MyJobQuote's August 2026 London and UK plumber rates, Fantastic Services' 2026 leaking pipe guide and Thames Water's supply pipe and lead pages. Where a source published only a range, the typical column shows the middle of that range. PROS AI does not yet have enough completed pipework jobs in London to publish its own averages.
Most jobs land between £400 and £1,500. Moving a basin is £400 to £800, a shower £600 to £1,200 and a toilet £800 to £1,500. Replacing a length of pipe behind a wall or under a floor is £180 to £300 or more. Work charged by time runs £86 to £140 for the first hour, £55 to £95 an hour after that, or £450 to £600 a day against about £380 outside London.
A toilet is £800 to £1,500, because the soil pipe has to move as well as the water supply. A basin is £400 to £800 and a shower £600 to £1,200. These come from a May 2026 London bathroom guide, which lists tiling separately at £55 to £90 a square metre. In a leasehold flat the freeholder must consent to a soil pipe move, which takes four to eight weeks.
Often, yes. In a leasehold flat, moving a soil pipe needs the freeholder's consent, and that takes four to eight weeks, so ask before booking a plumber. Separately, the Water Fittings Regulations require the plumber to notify the water supplier before most work on the supply pipework; a WaterSafe-approved plumber can self-certify some work instead and give you a Certificate of Compliance for your records.
Thames Water owns and replaces the communication pipe, from the main to the outside stop valve. The supply pipe from there into the house, and all the pipework indoors, is the owner's. Lead is unlikely in a home built after 1970, but close to a million properties are still on lead service pipes; Thames Water runs a lead replacement scheme and offers free sampling on 0800 316 9800.
Both. Short runs and replacements go by time: one London firm charges from £85.50 plus VAT for the first hour, then in half hours, with 5 per cent off after four hours and 10 per cent off after eight, and it does not charge for parking, fuel, the Congestion Charge or ULEZ. Day rates are £450 to £600. Moving a toilet, basin or shower is quoted as a job, at the prices in the table.
Written by Shay Hazan, PROS AI.
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