Emergency and after-hours trade call-outs

Emergency call-outs are the situation where homeowners have the least leverage and make the most expensive decisions, because the water is already coming through the ceiling. A few minutes of preparation changes the outcome substantially.

What is genuinely an emergency

• A burst pipe or an uncontrolled leak.
• No hot water in winter with vulnerable people in the house.
• A gas smell, which is an emergency for the gas distributor before it is a job for a plumber.
• Sewage backing up into the house.
• Loss of power to the whole property, though this may be a network fault rather than your wiring.
• Storm damage letting water into the building.

Establish before they arrive

1. 1The call-out fee, and whether it includes any labour time.
2. 2The hourly rate, and how it is rounded. Fifteen-minute increments and one-hour minimums are very different bills.
3. 3Whether after-hours rates apply and when they start.
4. 4Whether they are licensed for this work, and their licence number.
5. 5Whether the visit will make it safe, or fix it. Those are often two visits and two prices.

Make safe first, repair second

A good emergency response stabilises the situation and then quotes the actual repair in daylight at normal rates. Be wary of a full replacement recommended at 11pm on a first visit. Isolating a leak, capping a pipe or shutting off a circuit is emergency work; replacing a hot water system usually is not, and can wait until morning at a much better price.

Things worth knowing where your stop tap is

The two most valuable pieces of preparation cost nothing. Find your water meter and main stop tap now, and find your switchboard and know which switch is the main. Being able to isolate the problem yourself is often the difference between an emergency call-out and an ordinary appointment.

Your rights do not disappear at night

Consumer guarantees apply to emergency work exactly as they do to planned work. The service must be provided with due care and skill, and you are entitled to a proper invoice showing the licensed entity and its ABN. Urgency is a reason for a higher rate, not a reason for no paperwork.