What a clear quote includes
- The business's name and licence number. In Western Australia, a licensed plumbing contractor must put the licence or permit number on business documents such as quotes, invoices and receipts.
- Who will do the work. A person's name, not just a brand.
- Your address and the problem as the plumber found it. If they used a camera, a note of what it showed.
- Each piece of work, itemised. Labour and parts listed separately, so you can see what you're paying for.
- The exact product. For an appliance like a hot water system: the brand, model and size.
- What's not included. Removing the old unit, patching walls, electrical work or restoring paving are common exclusions.
- How changes are handled. What happens if they find more once they start, and an agreement that they'll stop and ask you first.
- The deposit and payment terms. How much is due before work starts, and what it pays for.
- The paperwork. Whether a compliance certificate or regulator record is part of the job.
- The warranty. What's covered on the work and the parts, and for how long.
- How long the quote stands. A date after which the price may change.
Fixed price or estimate?
Some jobs are quoted as a fixed price. Others are an estimate built on time and parts, because nobody can see inside a wall or a pipe until it's open. A fixed price is easier to compare. With an estimate, ask what could push it up, and ask to be told before it does.
Warning signs in a quote
- Only a spoken number. The plumbing businesses NSW banned in June 2026 were found to have failed to give written quotes or itemised invoices.
- A large deposit on a job described as urgent. That's the pattern in Consumer Affairs Victoria's 2025 warning: a brief look, a big quote, and a deposit of usually 50%, then slow or refused refunds.
- A deadline to sign, or a warning that things will get much worse by tonight. Misrepresenting urgency and pressuring consumers were both in the NSW findings.
- A different business on the invoice. In the "Dan's Plumbing" case, one company issued invoices carrying another company's bank details. Pay only the business named on your quote, and check it matches the licence.
- One-sided terms. NSW suspended a plumbing company in 2025 over, among other things, possible "Use of unfair contract terms". Read the small print before you sign.
- No licence number anywhere. In NSW, Queensland and WA, plumbers have to show it in their advertising, so its absence from the paperwork is worth asking about.
Comparing two quotes
Line them up item by item. If one is much lower, look for what's missing: taking away the old system, a tempering valve where your state requires one, the compliance paperwork, or making good afterwards. Then check the parts: same brand, same size, same model.
Ask each plumber to explain the gap. A plumber who can walk you through each line, without hurrying you, is usually one worth hiring.
Deposits, invoices and records
Ask what the deposit covers. Parts ordered in for your job are a common reason for one. On an urgent repair, be wary of handing over a large share before any work begins.
Pay in a way that leaves a record, and pay the business on the quote. At the end, you should get an itemised invoice that matches what you agreed, plus the paperwork. In Queensland, notifiable work has to be registered with the QBCC "within 10 business days of issuing an invoice for the work", and you should get a copy within 20 business days of that.
When the problem is the water company's
On a sewer blockage, the cost can shift if the blockage is in the water company's pipe. Most refund rules depend on the plumber reporting it at the time, and the limits differ by company. Ask before the work starts whether they'll check and report it. Our guide to who owns the sewer pipe sets out each company's rule.
Questions to ask about any quote
- Is this a fixed price or an estimate?
- What exactly is included, and what isn't?
- If you find more work once you start, will you stop and price it with me first?
- What deposit do you need, and what does it pay for?
- Whose licence covers this job, and what's the number?
- Is lodging the compliance paperwork part of this price?
- What warranty do I get on the work and the parts, in writing?
What we would do
Ask for every quote in writing, even urgent ones, and don't let work start until you've read it. If it truly can't wait, make the problem safe first, then get the price in a text or email before anyone picks up a tool. A plumber who's confident in their number is happy to put it on paper and explain every line. One who won't is telling you something.