An age old story – homeowners judge a plumber’s pedigree on age not qualifications

With the ever-present threat of rogue tradespeople, Severn Trent Water is warning its customers that age is no indication of professional kudos when it comes to choosing a plumber.

According to a new study by WaterSafe, the leading plumbing assurance scheme, age is a huge factor for homeowners when choosing a plumber with exactly half (50%) admitting they would prefer a plumber aged between 36-49 years old. This was shortly followed by the over 50’s (24%) and those aged between 26-35 (21%).

In stark contrast, it would seem it’s more a case of busted than trusted for the industry’s younger generation with a mere 4% of respondents saying they trust traders aged between 18-25 years old most of all.

Interestingly, the poll shows the majority favoured workers in their forties with the nation’s most trusted age for a tradesperson being 41 years old. 

Worryingly, however, when it comes to checking on the most important aspect of all – the qualifications of a plumber to ensure they’re competent to do the job – the survey reveals customers are happy to throw caution to the wind with 70% not checking their credentials. This is despite WaterSafe’s estimates that rogue plumbers alone have cost the nation £2.6billion in recent years.

Ian Mitchell, water fittings and regulations manager for Severn Trent explains: “Severn Trent is only responsible for the pipes up to a property boundary – after that it’s up to the homeowner to fix any pipe issues, so this new study shows a very worrying trend.  We want our customers to have a good experience when it comes to people fixing their pipes, so we always advise they call an approved plumber from the WaterSafe website at watersafe.org.uk.”

Julie Spinks, director at WaterSafe, comments: “When it comes to the trade industry, there’s always been an inherent degree of ageism – whereby it may be easy to assume that older traders, in having acquired years of experience, are more trustworthy.

“However, the reality is the age of a tradesperson is irrelevant – whilst experience is valuable, it’s all about their professional qualifications and skills set.  After all, each year we continue to see truly gifted, hardworking younger installers enter the industry – and their talent mustn’t be overlooked.”

She adds: “Ultimately, the most important factor is to check a prospective plumber’s credentials to ensure they are qualified to do the job in hand. All homeowners need to do is go to our website (watersafe.org.uk), type in their postcode and they’ll find several approved plumbing businesses in their areas.”