Safety first — call this first by situation

Active leak through a ceiling, water escaping faster than you can contain. Turn off the internal stop tap (usually under the kitchen sink). See Burst Pipes Lambeth for active flooding from a fresh-water pipe.

Sewage backing up. See Blocked Drains Lambeth. For sewage backing up across multiple homes, call Thames Water on 0800 316 9800 (24/7).² ³⁰

Smell gas, hear hissing or suspect a gas leak. Do not switch anything on or off, and do not use flames, electrical appliances, or smoke. Leave the property if the smell is strong, then call the gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 (free, 24/7) from outside. Open doors and windows if it is safe to do so. If you know where the gas meter control valve is and can reach it safely, turn off the gas supply at the meter.¹

Water reaching electrics. Do not touch electrical systems if water is present. Only isolate power at the consumer unit if it is safe to access without contact with water.

Stop the water if there’s an active leak

If water is actively escaping in the bathroom and you can’t see the source:

1. Internal stop tap — usually under the kitchen sink. Turn fully clockwise to stop water to the whole property.
2. External stopcock — at the property boundary if the internal one is seized. A long stop tap key is usually needed. Do not force it; it may affect neighbouring supplies. Contact Thames Water if it cannot be operated.
3. Hot water cylinder — for leaks from hot taps in vented systems, also turn off the cold feed to the cylinder, often found in the airing cupboard.
4. Heating system — for leaks from a radiator or towel rail in the bathroom, see Burst Pipes Lambeth.

Once water is off, contain spillage with towels and protect the floor below. For leaks tracking through to a flat below, see the leasehold guidance further down this page.

Right page for your problem?

This page is for bathroom plumbing — installs, refits, fixture replacements, shower work, wet rooms, and bathroom leak diagnosis. For other situations:

• Single fault — dripping tap, leaky loo, blocked drain → use the specialist pages: Tap Repair, Toilet Repairs, Blocked Drains, Leak Detection
• Active flooding from a fresh-water pipe → Burst Pipes Lambeth
• Sewage backing up → Blocked Drains Lambeth
• Hidden leak with no visible source → Leak Detection Lambeth
• Active gas leak → call 0800 111 999¹

Scope — what bathroom plumbing covers

The listings on this page are for plumbers who handle whole-bathroom work, not just discrete fixture problems. Typical jobs include:

• Shower installation and replacement — mixer showers, electric showers, shower pumps, thermostatic valves, shower trays and enclosures.
• Bath installation — replacement baths, P-shape and L-shape shower-baths, freestanding baths, bath taps and waste fittings.
• Basin and pedestal work — replacement basins, vanity unit installation, basin taps and waste connections.
• Bathroom refits and renovations — full sanitaryware replacement, pipework reconfiguration, soil stack work, first-fix and second-fix plumbing for bathroom builds.
• Wet room conversions — drainage, waterproofing membrane interfaces, linear drain installation, pipework integration.
• Soil stack and waste pipework — shared soil stacks (especially in conversion flats), pan connector replacement, waste pipe re-routing, ventilation.
• Bathroom leak investigation — finding the source of a leak that’s affecting the bathroom or tracking through from above.

When you call

Before the plumber travels or quotes, get the following clear:

• Scope — fixture replacement only, full refit, or just one item (e.g. shower over bath conversion)?
• Fixtures — are you supplying the bath, shower, basin and taps, or is the plumber supplying them?
• Trades involved — does the job need an electrician (electric shower, lighting, extractor), tiler (waterproofing, tiling), or carpenter (panelling, vanity unit)? Some plumbers project-manage; others handle plumbing only — ask explicitly.
• Electric showers and bathroom electrics — confirm the plumber’s electrical arrangements before booking. Many plumbers work with a regular Part P-registered electrician.
• Diagnostic vs quote — for a problem rather than an install, ask whether the diagnostic visit fee is deducted from any subsequent repair cost.
• Quote format — fixed-price quote vs day-rate. Bathroom refits are commonly quoted fixed-price after a site visit.
• Out-of-hours uplift — for emergency bathroom plumbing only.

Showers in detail

Showers cross more trades than any other bathroom fixture. Get the type clear before you call:

• Mixer shower (thermostatic or manual) — uses existing hot and cold supplies, no electrical work needed for the shower itself. A plumber-only job.
• Electric shower — heats cold water on demand using a dedicated electrical circuit. Per GOV.UK Approved Document P, some electrical work in bathrooms is notifiable under Part P, especially new circuits or work in a special location, and should be carried out or certified by a competent electrician.³⁷ A plumber typically installs the cold supply and waste; an electrician handles the supply circuit and isolation.
• Power shower — uses hot and cold water and an integral pump. Plumbing and electrical arrangements must both be checked; any electrical connection, replacement or alteration in a bathroom should be handled or certified by a competent electrician where required.³⁷
• Shower pump (separate) — used to boost gravity-fed hot water to a mixer shower. Requires a positioned pump location, hot and cold connections, and an unswitched fused spur. Plumber + electrician.
• Digital / smart shower — usually an electronic mixing valve with separate controls. Manufacturer-specific install; confirm the plumber has experience with the brand.

Electric shower replacement may involve notifiable electrical work, especially where a new circuit, altered circuit, different rating, or work in a special location is involved. Confirm with a competent electrician before booking. A higher kW rating typically needs new cabling, a new isolation switch and possibly consumer unit work — significantly more expensive than a like-for-like swap.

Lambeth-specific signals

Conversion flats and shared soil stacks

Victorian and Edwardian conversion flats are common across Brixton, Clapham, Stockwell, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. Bathroom plumbing in a conversion flat often touches a shared soil stack between flats — the vertical waste pipe that serves multiple toilets, baths and basins.

Implications:

• Major work on the soil stack itself (replacement, re-routing) usually needs the freeholder’s or managing agent’s consent and may engage other leaseholders.
• The lateral drain leaving the building is usually Thames Water’s responsibility since 2011.³¹ ³²
• Internal pipework within your demised premises is normally yours under the lease.

Always refer to your individual lease, which overrides general guidance.

Flats above other flats

Bathroom works in flats can raise noise, leasehold and damage-prevention issues. A new bath or shower tray on joists directly above another flat’s bedroom or living room can transmit significant noise. Check the lease and freeholder requirements before substantial works.

Hard water

Lambeth sits in Thames Water’s hard-water area.²⁶ Hard water can contribute to limescale build-up on shower heads, mixer cartridges, electric shower elements and aerators. Where water heaters or shower elements are involved, a water softener or in-line scale inhibitor is sometimes specified at refit — discuss with the plumber if hard water has been a maintenance issue at the property.

Conservation areas

Per Lambeth Council, the borough has 62 designated conservation areas covering approximately 30% of its area.⁸

Internal bathroom work doesn’t engage planning. But adding a new external soil vent, relocating a soil stack to an external wall, or installing visible external pipework on a front elevation may need consideration in a conservation area. Lambeth Council administers these as the local planning authority.

Listed buildings

Some Lambeth properties are listed. Listed building consent may be required for substantial alterations, including bathroom relocations or significant pipework changes. Check Lambeth Council planning guidance before commissioning major works.

Lambeth council tenants and leaseholders

Per Lambeth Council’s repair responsibility guidance, the Council is responsible for keeping baths, basins, showers and bathroom pipework in good working order in council-owned homes — subject to tenant responsibilities, misuse exclusions, and whether the fixture was provided or authorised by the Council.⁹ Some smaller items, including some tap issues, may sit under tenant responsibility — check Lambeth’s repair responsibility page before booking.

If you’re a Lambeth council tenant with a bathroom plumbing problem:

• Working day repair: 020 7926 6000, or via your online tenant account.¹⁰
• Out-of-hours emergency repairs: 020 7926 6666 — for issues classified as emergencies by Lambeth Council, such as active leaks, sewage backing up, or the only toilet in a property being unusable.³ ¹⁰ ¹¹

Lambeth’s published target timescales treat active leaks and sewage backups as emergencies where they pose a risk to health.¹¹ These are published targets, not guarantees, and may vary with demand and severity.

If you book a private plumber instead of going through the Council, you may not be reimbursed unless the repair was authorised or Lambeth policy allows it.

Leaseholders of former council flats: pipework and sanitaryware inside your demised premises is typically your responsibility under the lease, per Lambeth’s leaseholder repair guidance.¹² Communal soil stacks and lateral drains are usually the freeholder’s, or have transferred to Thames Water under the 2011 sewer transfer.³² Always refer to your individual lease.

Private renters and landlords

Per Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, every short-lease residential tenancy contains an implied covenant by the landlord to keep in repair the installations for the supply of water and sanitation, and the structure and exterior of the dwelling.¹³ Bathroom plumbing repairs are likely to engage Section 11 repair duties, for tenancies covered by Section 11. Tenants may be liable where damage is caused by misuse.

Tell the landlord (or letting agent) in writing as soon as you notice a problem. Keep a copy of any messages.

If the landlord won’t act on a serious bathroom problem (active leak, no working bathroom, sewage backup), contact Lambeth Private Sector Housing where licensing or housing-condition enforcement applies. In the moment, a directory-listed plumber can stabilise; reimbursement is then a separate conversation.

Selective licensing

Lambeth’s Selective Licensing Scheme currently applies to many privately rented homes in the borough — typically those let to a single-family household or no more than two unrelated sharers — across most wards, with Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank excluded.¹⁴ Coverage is subject to ward designation, property-level exemptions, and change.

Check current status with Lambeth Council before relying on this — designations are time-limited. HMOs continue to be licensed separately under the Council’s HMO licensing schemes. A licensed landlord must keep the property in good repair as a licence condition.

What does bathroom plumbing cost in Lambeth?

Indicative directory estimates only, based on London plumbing market familiarity — not regulated rates and not official market data. No official pricing data exists for private bathroom plumbing.

Always confirm pricing before work begins. Actual costs vary widely with scope, fixtures, access, and time. VAT applies. Fixture supply is normally separate from labour cost unless explicitly stated.

Fixture supply (baths, shower units, basins, taps, sanitaryware) varies widely by brand, finish and specification. Confirm whether the plumber is supplying the fixtures or whether you are buying them yourself.

Bathroom refits are commonly quoted fixed-price after a site visit. Day-rate quotes can be harder to control unless the scope and day allowance are clear.

Lambeth-specific cost factors:

• Conversion flat soil stacks — work on shared soil stacks across Brixton, Stockwell, Streatham, Tulse Hill and West Norwood conversion flats often needs freeholder/managing-agent consent, which can add lead time before work even starts.
• Listed building consent — substantial alterations in listed properties require listed building consent before commissioning; add weeks to the timeline.
• Conservation area considerations — external soil vents or visible front-elevation pipework in any of Lambeth’s 62 conservation areas may need consideration.
• Older properties with imperial-thread fittings — Victorian and Edwardian fittings sometimes need imperial-to-metric adapters or short pipe re-runs on like-for-like installs.
• No isolation valves below sinks/basins — older fittings often lack isolation valves; the plumber may need to drain down via the internal stop tap, adding labour.
• Council-owned homes — the Council route is usually free to the tenant for repairs; private bathroom refits and improvements are usually the leaseholder’s or the tenant’s expense and may require Council/freeholder consent.

Why directory-listed plumbers

Bathroom plumbing sometimes touches gas appliances or gas pipework (a combi feed re-routing during a refit, for example). Where work involves gas appliances or gas pipework, Gas Safe registration is verified — under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (enforced by HSE), any gas work on a domestic gas appliance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer competent for that category of work, with registration through the Gas Safe Register.⁵ ¹⁵

Where electrical work is involved (electric showers, lighting, extractors, shower pumps, heated towel rails on a circuit), per GOV.UK Approved Document P some electrical work in bathrooms is notifiable under Part P and should be carried out or certified by a competent electrician.³⁷ Confirm the plumber’s electrical arrangements before booking — many plumbers work with a regular electrician.

Before any plumber appears in this directory we check, at minimum:

• Gas Safe registration for any plumber offering gas work, against the Gas Safe Register’s check an engineer service.⁵
• Public liability insurance — industry-standard rather than a legal requirement, but every listing carries it at time of listing.
• Business identity — registered company details, trading name, and trading address.

Listing checks are completed before publication and repeated annually. Gas Safe status should still be checked again at booking.⁵

Areas covered

• SW2 — Brixton, Brixton Hill, Streatham Hill (parts)
• SW4 — Clapham, Clapham Common, Clapham Park (parts)
• SW8 — South Lambeth, Stockwell (parts), Vauxhall (parts), Oval (parts)
• SW9 — Brixton (parts), Stockwell (parts), Angell Town, Loughborough Junction (parts), Oval (parts)
• SW12 — Clapham Park (parts) (postcode crosses borough boundary)
• SW16 — Streatham, Streatham Hill (parts), Streatham Vale
• SE1 — Waterloo, South Bank, Lambeth (North Lambeth) (parts), Vauxhall (parts)
• SE5 — Brixton (parts), Myatt’s Fields
• SE11 — Kennington, Vauxhall (parts), Oval (parts)
• SE19 — Crystal Palace (parts), Gipsy Hill (parts)
• SE21 — Tulse Hill (parts), West Dulwich
• SE24 — Herne Hill, Tulse Hill (parts), Loughborough Junction (parts)
• SE27 — West Norwood, Tulse Hill (parts), Gipsy Hill (parts)

Related services in Lambeth

• Tap Repair & Installation Lambeth
• Toilet Repairs Lambeth
• Leak Detection Lambeth
• Blocked Drains Lambeth
• Burst Pipes Lambeth
• General Plumbing Lambeth

Related guides

• How to Find Your Stop Tap (London Homes)
• London Plumbing Costs & Compliance Guide 2026
• How to Read a Plumbing Quote
• New Homeowner Plumbing Guide — London 2026

Closing

Bathroom plumbing is normally a planned job, not an emergency. The exception is active leaks and sewage backups — for those, see Burst Pipes Lambeth or Blocked Drains Lambeth and stop the water before any other action.

For renovations and installs, get the scope clear before you call: which fixtures, what’s existing, who’s supplying, what other trades are needed, and whether electrical work is involved. Confirm whether the quote is fixed-price or day-rate, and ask for a written breakdown.

For Lambeth landlords, keeping installations for the supply of water and sanitation in repair is a Section 11 duty under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, for tenancies covered by Section 11.¹³ Tenants without working bathroom installations can contact Lambeth Private Sector Housing where licensing or housing-condition enforcement applies. Lambeth’s Selective Licensing Scheme currently applies to many privately rented homes across the borough except in Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank wards — check current status with Lambeth Council before relying on this.

Contact directory-listed plumbers in Lambeth ↑

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Last reviewed: May 2026 by Adiel Khan — SFEDI-accredited business advisor with 20+ years experience (South East Enterprise Ltd) and operator of VerifiedPlumbers. LinkedIn ↗

This page is reviewed against guidance published by HSE ↗, Gas Safe Register ↗, GOV.UK legislation ↗, Thames Water ↗ and London Borough of Lambeth ↗. The page draws on Thames Water hard water guidance, sewer pipe responsibility, private sewer ownership and 2011 transfer, and incident reporting; Lambeth Council housing repairs, emergency contact numbers, repair timescales, Selective Licensing Scheme and conservation areas; GOV.UK Approved Document P (electrical safety in dwellings); Gas Safe Register registration and ID-card guidance; HSE engineer registration check, gas emergency contact, and Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 enforcement; and UK legislation (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 Section 11).