How to Choose a Bathroom Fitter: 8 Things to Check Before Hiring

Choosing a bathroom fitter is one of the most important decisions in any bathroom renovation. Unlike some trades where the skill set is narrow (a painter paints, a carpet fitter lays carpet), a bathroom installation combines plumbing, tiling, electrical work, carpentry, and often plastering — all in a small, water-exposed space where mistakes are expensive to fix.

The problem is that anyone can call themselves a bathroom fitter. There is no single mandatory licence or registration in the UK. That means the burden falls on you to separate the skilled professionals from the cowboys. Here are the eight things you should check before handing over your bathroom — and your money.

1. Plumbing Qualifications

A common misconception is that a bathroom fitter needs to be Gas Safe registered. Gas Safe only applies to gas appliances (boilers, gas fires) — it has nothing to do with bathroom plumbing unless your bathroom has a gas boiler in it.

What you should look for instead:

• APHC membership (Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors) — The leading trade body for plumbing professionals in England and Wales. Members are vetted, insured, and bound by a code of conduct.
• CIPHE membership (Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering) — The professional body for the plumbing industry. Members hold recognised qualifications and commit to ongoing professional development.
• City & Guilds NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 in Plumbing — The standard qualification for plumbers in the UK. Level 2 covers domestic plumbing; Level 3 covers more advanced work including unvented hot water systems.
• Water Regulations compliance — All plumbing work in the UK must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Your fitter should understand and comply with these regulations, which cover everything from pipe materials to backflow prevention.

Not every brilliant bathroom fitter will have all of these, but they should have at least one recognised qualification or membership. If they cannot tell you what qualifications they hold, that is a concern.

2. Do They Subcontract Tiling and Electrical?

Many bathroom fitters are primarily plumbers who subcontract the tiling and electrical work to specialist tradespeople. This is perfectly normal and often results in better quality work — a specialist tiler will usually produce better tiling than a plumber who tiles as a secondary skill.

What matters is:

• Do they manage the subcontractors? You should not be coordinating between the plumber, tiler, and electrician yourself. A good bathroom fitter manages the whole project, books the subs, and ensures the work flows in the correct sequence.
• Who is responsible if something goes wrong? The bathroom fitter should be your single point of contact and take responsibility for the entire job, including their subcontractors' work.
• Are the subcontractors qualified? Any electrical work in a bathroom must be done by a qualified electrician — ideally registered with a Part P competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA). This is a legal requirement under Part P of the Building Regulations.

3. Public Liability Insurance

Public liability insurance protects you if the fitter causes damage to your property during the work — a burst pipe flooding the floor below, a dropped tool cracking your bath, or any other accidental damage.

• Minimum cover: £1 million. Many reputable fitters carry £2-5 million.
• Ask to see the certificate. Not just "yes, I am insured" — ask for the actual certificate or policy document. It should be current (check the dates) and in their name or their company's name.
• What it does not cover: Public liability covers accidental damage, not poor workmanship. If the tiling is badly done, that is a contractual issue — which is why a written contract (point 6) matters.

4. Portfolio of Previous Work

Every experienced bathroom fitter should have photos of completed work. In the age of smartphones, there is no excuse for not having a portfolio.

• What to look for in photos: Clean tile cuts (especially around pipes and fixtures), neat silicone lines, consistent grout spacing, properly aligned tiles, and professional-looking boxing around pipework.
• Before and after shots: These tell you much more than just the finished product. They show the quality of the strip-out, the substrate preparation, and the overall transformation.
• Go further if possible: Ask if you can visit a recently completed bathroom, or at least get the address. Some fitters are happy for you to see their work in person — this is always more revealing than photos (which can be carefully angled to hide imperfections).

5. References from Previous Customers

Online reviews are useful but can be gamed. Direct references are harder to fake.

• Ask for 2-3 references from recent jobs (within the last 6-12 months).
• Actually call them. Do not just accept names and numbers — make the calls. Ask specific questions:

1. Did they start and finish on the dates they promised?
2. Were they on site every day, or did they juggle multiple jobs?
3. How was their communication — did they explain what they were doing and flag any problems early?
4. Were there any snags? How did they handle them?
5. Would you use them again?

The timekeeping and communication questions are often more revealing than asking about quality. Most fitters produce decent work — it is the reliability and professionalism that separates the good ones from the rest.

6. Written Contract with Timeline, Scope, and Payment Schedule

Never proceed without a written agreement. It does not need to be a formal legal document — a detailed email or letter covering the key points is sufficient. It should include:

• Scope of work: Exactly what is included (strip-out, plumbing, tiling, electrical, plastering, boxing in, silicone, accessories, waste removal) and what is excluded.
• Materials: Who is supplying what. If the fitter is supplying materials, they should be listed with brands/models where possible.
• Timeline: Start date, estimated completion date, and expected working days per week.
• Payment schedule: When and how much. A standard arrangement is:

• 25-50% deposit before work begins (to cover materials)
• An optional interim payment at a defined milestone (e.g., first fix complete)
• Balance on satisfactory completion

7. How They Handle Snagging

Every bathroom installation has snags. Even the best fitters will leave something that needs attention — a silicone line that is not quite right, a tile that has a small chip, a tap that drips, or an accessory that is not level. These are normal.

What separates a good fitter from a bad one is how they handle them:

• Good fitters do a walkthrough with you at the end of the job, identify any snags themselves, and return promptly to fix them. They see snagging as part of the job, not an annoyance.
• Bad fitters declare the job finished, take the final payment, and become increasingly difficult to contact when you notice issues. This is the number one complaint homeowners have about tradespeople.

How to protect yourself: Include a snagging clause in your written agreement — something like "final payment of [amount] to be made after a walkthrough and completion of any snagging items within [7/14] days of the initial completion." This gives you leverage without being unreasonable.

8. Waste Disposal Included?

A bathroom strip-out generates a surprising amount of waste: old tiles, plasterboard, the old suite, packaging from new products, offcuts, and general debris. Disposing of this costs money.

• Skip hire: A small skip (4-yard) costs £150-£300 depending on your area and permit requirements (you need a council permit if the skip goes on a public road).
• Van runs to the tip: Some fitters prefer multiple runs to the local recycling centre, which costs less than a skip but takes more of their time.
• Confirm in the quote: Is waste removal included in the price? If not, you need to arrange and pay for it separately. This is a common source of unexpected cost if not discussed upfront.

Red Flags: When to Walk Away

Over the years, certain patterns have emerged that reliably predict a bad experience:

• Cash-in-hand only: This usually means they are not declaring the income. While that is their tax problem, it also means there is no paper trail if something goes wrong — no invoice, no receipt, no evidence of the agreement.
• No fixed business address: A legitimate business has an address (even if it is a home address). A fitter who only provides a mobile number and no address is harder to track down if things go wrong.
• Significantly cheaper than other quotes: If one quote is 30-40% cheaper than the others, the fitter is either cutting corners (usually on waterproofing, substrate preparation, or silicone quality) or underestimating the job — either way, you will pay more in the end.
• Cannot provide insurance documents: Already covered above, but worth repeating. No certificate, no hire.
• Pressure to decide immediately: "This price is only valid today" or "I have another job starting next week so I need an answer now" are pressure tactics. A good fitter gives you a quote and lets you take a reasonable amount of time to decide.
• Price drops when you mention other quotes: If a fitter quotes £5,000 and then drops to £3,800 when you say you have a cheaper quote, what was the extra £1,200 for? A reputable fitter prices based on the work, not on what they think you will pay.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

When you meet a prospective fitter (ideally at your property so they can see the space), ask these questions:

1. How long will the job take? (And what happens if it overruns?)
2. Will you be on site every day? (Some fitters juggle two jobs at once — you need to know.)
3. What happens if you find hidden problems? (Asbestos, rotten joists, old lead pipe, damp.) How do they communicate these and agree additional costs?
4. Who does the tiling and electrical? (Do they do it themselves or subcontract?)
5. Can I see your insurance certificate?
6. What is your payment schedule?
7. What guarantee do you offer on your workmanship?

Getting Multiple Quotes

Always get at least three quotes for a bathroom renovation. This is not just about finding the cheapest price — it is about calibrating what the job should cost and assessing the professionalism of different fitters.

When comparing quotes:

• Make sure each fitter has quoted for the same scope of work. Provide a written brief of what you want (or even a sketch) so the quotes are comparable.
• Look at what is included and excluded, not just the bottom-line figure.
• The middle quote is often (but not always) the best value — not the cheapest, not the most expensive, but the one that covers everything at a fair price.
• Trust your gut on the person. You are letting someone into your home every day for a week or more. If something feels off during the quote stage, it will only get worse during the job.

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