It can be difficult to find a good plumber, especially if you need to call one at last minute.
However, there are certain areas of the country where you might want to be particularly wary.
Plumbers in Cardiff County are by far the most complained about, according to a new report.
Cardiff County council have received 741 complaints about plumbing tradesman, according to the results of a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS).
This was twice as many complaints compared to the second county on the list, Surrey County, where the council received 313 complaints about plumbers.
Three areas in the South East of the country also landed in the top 10 list.
Kent received 298 complaints, while Essex received 305 and Hertfordshire received 167.
Julie Spinks, managing director of WRAS, said: “Consumers are experiencing problems with plumbers up and down the country.”
“Whilst it’s encouraging to see that so many are using their right to complain about bad tradesmen, it’s worrying that so many have felt the need to.”
Express.co.uk contacted the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors for comment on the findings.
CEO John Thompson said: “If you are looking to instruct a plumber or heating engineer, you need to be confident that they are suitably qualified and experienced for the type of work they are going to carry out.
“For example if you need work doing on a gas boiler they need to be Gas Safe registered, so ask to see their ID card and check their ID number on the Gas Safe Register.
“Word of mouth is an important element in finding a good plumber. Ask friends and neighbours to recommend someone and, if possible, ask to have a look at their work.
“This isn’t fool-proof however, as often it can be hard to recognise what a bad or non-compliant job looks like, but this can give a visual idea of whether a job looks ok.”
“I would also recommend to contact a trade organisation like the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors as we vet our members and, if customers have a complaint about a member, we will investigate and work to find a resolution.
“We have a search facility at FindAQualityPlumber.co.uk. If you are in dispute with a plumber where there isn’t a mediation service available, I would recommend to try and sort the problem out with them directly through open and honest dialogue.
“If this doesn’t work then you can report them to Trading Standards.”
While finding a reliable plumber is important, it is also key to keep your boiler hidden.
Over half (57 per cent) of home buyers said they would ask for a price reduction of £5000 if a boiler was on show in a property they were looking to purchase. What’s more, two thirds said they would be put off from purchasing a property at all if the boiler was not concealed.
One trick for hiding your boiler involves building a wooden cupboard around your boiler, in order to conceal it from view.
Wooden cabinets can be purchased flat packed from IKEA for as little as £45 and constructed at home.