How much does an emergency plumber cost?

An emergency job has two parts: the attendance, for coming out when it can't wait, and the repair itself.

At Champion, after-hours attendance is quoted on the phone before anyone leaves, and the repair is priced in writing before work starts.

The biggest drivers are the time of the call, what failed, how hard it is to reach and whether the parts are on the truck.

Not every midnight problem needs a midnight visit. Isolating it and booking the morning often costs less.

Tenants, strata owners and people whose blockage turns out to be in Sydney Water's pipe may be able to claim costs back.

Ring for an emergency plumber and you're really agreeing to two things. The first is the attendance: somebody leaving home or the depot at a time that isn't a normal working hour. The second is the repair: finding the problem and fixing it. Our approach is to give you the first number on the phone, before anyone leaves, and the second in writing at your door, before any work starts. You shouldn't have to learn either one from the invoice.

The emergency visit that costs least is the one you didn't need. The test is simple: once the water is off, does the house still work? If there is a second toilet, the leak has stopped at its own tap or the meter, and nobody is standing in sewage, a daytime booking usually does the job for less. If water is still coming through a ceiling, sewage is inside, there is no water at all, or anyone can smell gas, it can't wait. A plumber on the phone who tells you honestly which side of that line you're on is worth more than one who sends a truck regardless.

A plumber answers 24/7. We find the cause and put a fixed price in writing before we start.

Stop the damage first: turn the water off at the stop tap beside the meter, and switch off any circuit at the board where water is near power points or lights, if the board is dry and you aren't standing in water. That keeps a burst pipe job from becoming a ceiling job. Clear the path to the meter, the gully and the hot water unit, turn the outside lights on and put the dog away. Tell us what you can see and hear, and for hot water, the brand and size on the label. The clearer the picture on the phone, the better the odds the right part comes with the plumber.

A burst water service, a blocked or broken toilet, a failed hot water service and a gas leak are all urgent repairs under NSW tenancy law. A tenant who can't reach the landlord or agent can use a licensed tradesperson and be reimbursed up to a set limit, so keep the invoice. In strata, the owners corporation may refund an owner who paid for an emergency repair it was responsible for, and the rule requiring two quotes for large jobs doesn't apply to emergencies like burst or blocked pipes. If a sewer blockage turns out to be in Sydney Water's pipes and the plumber reports it, you can claim reasonable out-of-pocket costs.

Emergencies are when people agree to things they'd question on a calm Tuesday. Be wary of anyone who won't give you a number for coming out before they leave, won't write down the price of the work before starting, or quotes only an hourly rate with no idea of the total. Ask whether the person coming is licensed, and expect a Certificate of Compliance when the job is done, because in NSW the plumber must complete one at the end of all plumbing and drainage work.

Work during normal hours, evenings, overnight, weekends and public holidays are priced differently, because someone has to be rostered on and ready to drive. You're told that attendance on the phone before anyone sets off.

A burst flexible hose under a sink is a quick swap. A burst inside a wall, a collapsed sewer or a hot water unit that has given out are bigger jobs, whatever the hour.

Pipe under an open subfloor or at an exposed inspection opening is quick to get to. Pipe in a slab, behind tiles, under a driveway or in a two-storey ceiling takes longer.

Common fittings and pipe travel on the truck, and common Rinnai, Rheem and Dux units are carried for same-day swaps. A specific model or an unusual part may mean a make-safe first and a second visit.

Stopping the damage tonight and doing the permanent fix in daylight can cost less in total than forcing a full repair in the dark.

Old pipe can crumble when cut, and a second leak or a root mass can sit behind the first problem. Each is priced before it's touched.

Plumbers clear their own mess, but replacing wet plasterboard, tiles or carpet is usually separate work by other trades.

Get your price in writing. We price the job, not the hour, and there's a $0 call-out on any job you book.

For what a call-out fee covers and what to ask before you book, see our guide to what a plumber's call-out fee covers.