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A plumber in London charges £86 to £140 for the first hour on a weekday, £113 to £220 in the evening, at the weekend or at night, and £55 to £95 an hour after that. A tap fitted is £75 to £150 in labour, a toilet valve £80 to £150, a radiator valve £100 to £200.
| Job | London low | London typical | London high | UK typical | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call-out, weekday daytime, first hour | £86 | £105 | £140 | £75 | Usually a one-hour minimum; one firm starts at £85.50 plus VAT, another charges £60 to attend plus £110 an hour in 15-minute units; outer boroughs cheapest, the City, Westminster and Kensington... |
| Call-out, evening, weekend or night, first hour | £113 | £150 | £220 | From £112.50 plus VAT for evenings and weekends and £144 for nights at one firm; a 2026 borough guide puts Saturdays at £120 to £200, Sundays £150 to £220 and bank holidays £180 to £280 | |
| Each hour after the first | £55 | £85 | £95 | £60 | Billed in half or quarter hours; parts marked up 10 to 15 per cent, at some firms 25 to 50; UK guides put the hourly rate at £40 to £60 |
| Tap replacement, labour only, you supply the tap | £75 | £110 | £150 | £80 | About an hour with isolation valves in place; £100 to £200 if valves or new supply lines must be added; UK figures run from about £50 for a like-for-like swap to £150 without isolation valves |
| Toilet repair, fill valve, flush valve or syphon | £80 | £110 | £150 | £95 | 30 to 90 minutes plus a £5 to £30 part; outside London £45 to £120; a blocked toilet is £100 to £200 in London |
| Radiator valve replacement, one valve | £100 | £140 | £200 | £110 | About an hour plus a £15 to £50 valve; more if the system must be drained, so two valves in one visit cost little more than one; a leaking valve fixed on an emergency call is £100 to £200 |
| Small leak on an exposed pipe or joint | £120 | £150 | £200 | £130 | Parts are £2 to £30, so it is the visit you pay for; a weeping compression joint is often done within the first hour; behind a wall or under a floor, see the emergency leaks page |
General plumbing is the work charged by the hour rather than by the job: a dripping tap, a toilet that runs or will not flush, a weeping radiator valve, a seized stopcock or isolation valve, a washing machine or dishwasher connection, a ball valve in a loft tank, an outside tap, a small leak on a visible pipe. Pick a specialist page instead when water is coming through a ceiling (emergency leaks and burst pipes), when the leak cannot be found (leak detection), when a drain is blocked, or for a boiler, a cylinder or a bathroom refit.
On the day a London plumber charges a one-hour minimum, then half or quarter hours: £86 to £140 for the first hour on a weekday, £113 to £220 out of hours, and £55 to £95 an hour after that. They isolate the supply, change the part, refill and test, and carry common taps, valves and washers. Parts are marked up 10 to 15 per cent, so a tap you buy yourself saves the mark-up but not the labour. Ask whether the call-out includes the first hour: in outer boroughs it usually does, in central London it often does not.
Prices last checked: September 2026. Based on published London rates and quotes seen through PROS AI London requests, checked September 2026.
£86 to £140 for the first hour on a weekday, typically about £105, then £55 to £95 an hour, against a UK call-out of about £75 and £40 to £60 an hour. Outer boroughs are cheapest and the City, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea dearest. Evenings, weekends and nights are £113 to £220 for the first hour. Most firms bill a one-hour minimum, then half or quarter hours.
Most do, in one of two forms: a first-hour charge that includes the visit, £86 to £140 on a weekday, or a smaller attendance fee of about £60 plus an hourly rate from £110. Some firms charge no call-out at all but bill a one-hour minimum. In outer boroughs the fee usually includes about 45 minutes of work; in central London it often includes none, so ask what it covers before you book.
£75 to £150 in labour if you supply the tap, about an hour's work when isolation valves are already there, or £100 to £200 if valves or new supply lines have to be added. Supplied and fitted by the plumber it is £80 to £300 depending on the tap. A dripping tap is usually a £5 to £30 cartridge or washer changed inside the first hour.
£80 to £150 for a fill valve, flush valve or syphon, with the part £5 to £30 and the job 30 to 90 minutes; outside London it is £45 to £120. A toilet that runs constantly is nearly always the fill valve or the flush valve seal. A blocked toilet is £100 to £200 in London, and a new close-coupled toilet £180 to £300 in labour.
£100 to £200 for one valve fitted, with the valve itself £15 to £50 and about an hour's work; outside London £70 to £150. The price rises when the system has to be drained, so having two or three valves changed in one visit costs little more than one. A thermostatic valve costs more than a manual one but lets you turn a room down on its own.
Written by PROS AI editorial team.
£75 - £450call-out + hourly
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