You will only know the importance of finding a competent local plumber once you have had an unqualified plumber mess up the plumbing in your home. Plumbing emergencies are one of the worst problems to have in the house. Issues like water heater malfunctions, burst or frozen pipe emergencies, or an overflowing toilet can grind your entire household to a halt.
When you have a plumbing emergency in your home, Advantage Properties advises you want to be sure the person you hire to fix it knows what they are doing. However, in most cities in the USA, there is a surplus of plumbers, but finding the right one can be very difficult. It does not make it easier as incompetent plumbers often charge less than capable ones.
A dishonest plumber can do this because they will use substandard materials and methods. Additionally, they spend fewer hours on a job, so homeowners’ labor costs are lower. But the allure of that cheap patch-up job fades when the home’s plumbing fails, and the cost of fixing it is several times more than the money saved.
How can you identify an incompetent plumber and avoid the harm that person can do to your home’s plumbing and finances? Before you hire a local plumber to work in your home, check for the following seven things. An honest and competent plumber will not have any difficulties satisfying the opposite of the listed conditions.
New plumbing companies
If a plumber is inexperienced, you don’t want them messing with your home’s plumbing. Avoid newly established plumbing companies. That new company may be a fly-by-night operation that just rolled into town. If a company doesn’t have roots in the area, it can easily pack up and leave. Unless the principal of the new plumbing company can show a track record of having worked with another reputable plumber, don’t hire them.
Plumbers without an up-to-date license
A plumber needs to be licensed to work in the municipality. But more than having a license is required; the license must be up to date. You should be able to verify their registration status with the local government and the local chapter of their professional body. Also, you want the plumber to have expertise working with homes like yours. Even if they are legit, hire someone other than a plumber who specializes in commercial plumbing systems for your residential plumbing repair issues.
A plumber who does not have enough reviews or references
A local plumber should be able to furnish you with sufficient references. If the plumber has experience working in the area and is as good as they claim, it should be easy to give you a list of past or current customers. Only hire a plumber if they provide out-of-town references or if the references are good. Do not hire a plumber if they don’t have an online footprint or if all the online reviews are positive.
Plumbers who don’t have enough insurance
Even good plumbers make mistakes, but the best plumbers always prepare for that possibility. Avoid a plumber if they do not have sufficient insurance. At a minimum, the plumber should have enough insurance to cover employees injured on the job, protect you from liability and cover your losses if your property is damaged. Avoid a plumber who will not let you verify the extent of their coverage with their insurer.
A plumber who doesn’t employ licensed tradesmen
Avoid a plumbing company if they don’t have licensed tradesmen on their payroll. Plumbing systems are delicate; the massive damage that can result from a minor error by an incompetent worker is something you want to avoid. Even if the owner is qualified, the lack of experienced hands could lead to long wait times. You want to know that the company can deploy a trained plumber to your home in an emergency.
Plumbers who don’t offer guarantees and warranties
If the plumber can’t give clear-cut answers about what they will do if there is a problem with a job they did for you, avoid that plumbing company. You want a plumber who offers guarantees on the parts they used in your system, plus on the labor. If the plumber does not guarantee that something goes wrong with the job within a specific timeframe and that they will fix it at no cost to you; you don’t want to hire them.
Plumbers who will not put it into writing
If a plumber wants the contract to be verbal and hesitates to put it on paper, they cannot be trusted. Your arrangement with a plumber should not be over the phone. That is subject to change and there is no way to prove what you agreed with the company. All agreements should be documented and both parties should agree on the meaning of every aspect of the contract. If anything, please do not work with that plumber.
These seven simple tips should save you the inconvenience of hiring a less than adequate plumber and will save you a ton of money in the long run.