In this article, we will list down a few tips that will help you to find the right plumber services in Canberra.

What Makes a Good Plumber?

Although there is no hard and fast rule to categorise good and bad plumbers, most of the good plumbers do possess some qualities that make them different and reliable as compared to others. For example, a good plumber will have a proper license to work as a plumber. In Australia, plumbers are required to have a proper license in order to start providing their plumbing services. If your plumber does not have a license, there is not much guarantee about the quality of the services.

                 Not only the license but the plumber should also have a clean complaint record. You can do a bit of research about the plumbing services and find out if there are any formal complaints lodged against the plumbing company or not. The best way to do this is to visit the state’s government website and enter the license number of the company. Most of the states have this option available on their website. Even if they don't have the license option, you can take the help of Angieslist, which is also a license checker tool.

Insurance:

Even if you have your house insured, you should ask the plumbing services company if they offer any insurance on their services. Most of the professional plumbing companies in Australia offer insurance and workman's compensation to protect you, your house, and plumber in case of any incident.

Experience:

                 Experience is another scale that can help measure the quality of the plumbing services. Those who have been in the business for a longer time will definitely be able to provide more reliable services as compared to others. Even if you are going to hire an individual plumber, you can ask for the number of years he has been in the profession. Plumbing is the kind of profession that requires knowledge and skill, which comes with time.

Warranty:

                 Another quality that can separate good plumbers from others is that they provide you with a guarantee for their work and the parts they are going to install in your home. While hiring a plumber, make sure that he offers at least one year of warranty on his services and plumbing parts.

                 Since now you have an idea about the features of a good plumber, let's go through the list of tips that will help you to find the best plumber in Canberra.

Make good use of your network:

                 The first and most reliable resource that you can utilise is your network. If you have any friend or a family member living in Canberra, you can ask them to refer to any good plumber for your home service. Most of your friends and relatives have gone through the process of hiring the plumbing services once in their lifetime. Depending upon the experience they have with the specific plumber, they will be able to guide whether you can consider hiring their services again or not. Even if they don't manage to refer a good plumber, they might be able to point out plumbers who should not be considered at all. You can also reach out to your neighbours and can ask who they use for their plumbing needs. If you are new in the area, this is probably the best way to knock your neighbour’s door and to introduce yourself and ask for their recommendations.

Take the help of the local online community reviews:

                  You can also take help of the internet and can find the local community pages. You can raise your concern on the forum and can look for suggestions from the locals. This way, you will definitely be able to filter out at least 2 to 3 plumbing services that you can consider for your home. Once you have the names, you can then use the internet to do a little research about their reputation in the market.

Try to have at least three recommendations or referrals:

                 This can be a little tricky, but if you manage to have a recommendation for a plumber of the company from three different people or resources, you can consider hiring their services. Having three referrals from friends and family will be best, but if you don't manage to have them from your friends and family, you can consider referrals from the websites as well. Do not consider hiring contractors with an overall grade below B. Check if any three members of the community have left good reviews about the services, then it is pretty much safe to hire their services for your home as well.

Filter out plumbers according to your need:

                 Different plumbers offer different services, and you need to figure out which plumbing company services will suit your needs. There are plumbing contractors in Canberra that specialises in repairing and installation while some have their expertise in maintenance. Approach a company that deals with your problem. You can call the plumbing company and can discuss your plumbing needs and the kind of services you are looking for.

Take help of online directories and listings of plumbing companies:

                 Most of the local building contractors might also refer to any good plumbing company for your home. This is because they hire these services on an almost regular basis so they can help refer to a couple of companies that you can consider. Even if they are not much help, there is a traditional way of finding local companies, and that is through directories and listings. These directories and listings have now been shifted on the internet, and the best part is that you can also see reviews of the actual customers under the listings. You can go through the customer's reviews and feedback and can get a feel of the scope and size of the company’s work. Try finding out whether the customers of the specific company were happy with the services, did they manage to complete work on time, did they manage to provide quality services or not.

Find a plumber before any emergency occurs:

                 Finding a plumber at the very last moment usually does not go well. Since you are looking for a plumber on an emergency basis, you don't have the time to research and then find a good plumber for the service. The best way to tackle this problem is to do your research beforehand and keep the phone number of the plumbing company that you feel is the best for your home. Another way to handle this is by keeping a close look at the plumbing needs of your home. You can make a list of all the systems in your houses and their age. You can also take the help of any professional who can look into the major parts of the home that includes the cooling/heating system and roof.

Do not call the first plumber:

                 Even if any plumbing emergency occurs, don't call the first number you find on the internet. It is wise to handle things properly rather than hoping for the best. You can call your friend and can ask them for suggestions. Usually, local friends know local plumbing companies that offer satisfied services. You can consider calling the referred company in case of any emergency. Even if you don't manage to have help from your friend, the internet is the only solution in other cases. Try searching for local plumbing companies on the internet and go through the customer's reviews on the web. If most of the reviews on the site are good, then you can consider hiring them for the services. Good companies care about their reputation, and they try their best to ensure the customer's satisfaction.

Ask Insurance company for recommendations:

                 Insurance companies work closely with plumbing contractors in Canberra as well. Usually, online customer reviews are the best starting point to find out reasonable services for yourself. However, if you don't manage to find any good company from the internet, you can ask your insurance company for any recommendations. Even if the insurance company is not going to pay for the work, they will be able to list out a few companies that you can consider. Insurance companies usually have agreements and contracts with reputable local plumbers and companies. Not only you will be able to find a suitable company for the services, but there are chances that you might get a price break based on the relationship between the insurance company and local contractor.

Find out about the licensing requirements for the plumbing professionals:

                 As stated earlier, most of the states require plumbers to be registered with the state and have proper license to offer their services. You can take the help of the locals to figure out what are the licensing requirements and laws in a particular state. If the state requires the plumber to be licensed and registered, make sure that the plumber of the plumbing company you are going to hire has a current license. Licensing can range from a detailed qualification process to simple registration.

Do background checks and look into the work history:

                 What matters the most is the customer’s safety. To ensure that you are hiring the right plumbing services for your home or office, you are required to do background checks of the specific company. Try to figure out the criteria on which the company hires the plumbers. Do they train their plumbers to offer professional services? How many certified technicians are working with the company? All this information will help you to understand the quality of the services that they are offering.

Inquire about plumbing warranties:

                 Since good companies care about their reputation and customer reviews, they offer a warranty on their plumbing services as well. Offering warranty on the services is a good indication of high-quality services. Before hiring any plumbing service, you can ask them if they offer any warranties for their services or not. If they do, then you can chill a bit about the investment you are going to do.

As for an estimate on the services you are looking for:

                 Although you are looking for a trusted company for the services, that doesn’t mean that you have to pay extra for the quality services. You should consider hiring services with competitive rates. Most of the good companies don't overcharge you for their services. This is because they try to establish long term relations with customers. Some of them also offer after-sale services in which you can reach out to them to claim any warranties. While looking for a plumbing contractor in Canberra, you can consider calling some of the shortlisted companies and can ask them to provide you with an estimate for the services you are looking for. You will get an idea about their customer service and whether they are focused on the sale or the customer.

Check the experience of the plumber or the company:

                 Although a brand new plumber can also do a wonderful job, it is advised to hire an experienced plumber for your home or office plumbing services. You might not want to hire plumbing services multiple times, and by hiring experienced plumbing services, you will ensure that the problem is fixed. While searching for the plumbing company on the internet, you can go through their website and can see for how long they have been in the business. If a company or the plumber has been in the business for a long time, then it probably has a proven track record. Even if they don't have the number of years provided on their website, you can consider calling them and can ask about their proper experience with the plumbing problems. Good companies won't mind sharing their experience with the customers since they know that it is important to gain customer’s trust.

Ask about the duration of work:

                 With local plumbing contractors in Canberra, it is important that you ask them about the time it will take to finish the work. Depending upon the nature of the work, a plumber will be able to provide you with an estimated time to finish the work. You can double-check the time with some other contractor as well. There shouldn't be much difference in the estimated time. While cost is an important factor while hiring plumbing services, you should also consider the time duration.

Examine their professional level:

                 Examining the professional level is fairly easy. The moment you get in contact with the company via call or email, you will start getting an idea about their professionalism. Proper dressing, good communication with the customers all lies under professionalism. While checking their reviews on the internet, look if the company has opened all the reviews open for the public or not. Most of the good plumbing companies take pride in their professional depression and communication, and you should also find a company or a plumber who will talk to you in a professional manner.

                 These are some of the tips that you can keep in mind and follow while looking for a plumber in Canberra. Following these tips will help you to find a competitive plumber who will not only get the work done efficiently but also save you time and money in the long run. That is why it is important to be a little cautious while choosing a plumber. Let us know if you have more tips for our readers that can help them make a better decision.