How to pay the plumber? What paperwork do I need?

gboy25

Hello, 
Ive recently bought my first home and am in the slightly unpredicted territory of getting a new boiler? 
I've never employed a tradesmen before and was just wondering how to I make sure everything is legit in terms of paperwork, and how do I physically pay them? 
Do I need a detailed invoice of products and services? And will I get a receipt? 

Also I've heard to be wary of bank transferring money, so do most tradespeople these days accept credit card? I just about have the money in my bank account to pay but ideally would like to put it on my interest free credit card so I can chip away at it rather than have to pay all at once. 

Obviously I will have this conversation with him too. It's just so I'm not going in blind as this is a brand new world to me. 

Cheers 

missile

You should ask for an written estimate.
Be careful to choose the boiler you want. Cheapest is rarely best. I chose Weissman which came with 10 year guarantee.
Few tradesmen will accept CC. Do not pay by cash. Pay by BACS transfer AFTER completion.

greatcrested

missile said:

You should ask for an written estimate.quote.
.... Do not pay by cash. Pay by BACS transfer AFTER completion.

There's a huge difference between an estimate (can change) and a quote (fixed price).

With any significant expenditure like this you should get at least two, preferably 3, like-for-like quotes ie same boiler and same additional works.

For a new boiler you do not want a plumber. By law you must use a GasSafe registered engineer (assuming it's a gas boiler).

With most boilers, for the warranty to be valid (5 years?) you'll need the heating system flushed through. Otherwise the dirt and sludge in the heating system could damage the boiler.

New boilers are notifiable to Building Control, and you'll need paperwork for this. Any GasSafe engineer is automatically a 'Competant Person' who can sign off the work on behalf of Building Control. You should get a  certificate for this.

You should also get an installation certificate, as well, of course, as an invoice payable on completion (not before).

Bank Transfer is fine, but if you have concerns, send £1.00, check with the engineer it has arrived safely in his account, then send the rest.

gboy25

Fab thank you. 
Yeah hes not a plumber to be fair hes an engineer I just said the wrong thing. 
Going for a long warranty boiler and it is a quote I've been given not an estimate, although i dont have anything in writing so perhaps that's the first step? 
I've heard of it but I'm not sure I know exactly how a BACs tranfer works, is it easily done? 

tacpot12

missile said:

You should ask for an written estimate.
Be careful to choose the boiler you want. Cheapest is rarely best. I chose Weissman which came with 10 year guarantee.
Few tradesmen will accept CC. Do not pay by cash. Pay by BACS transfer AFTER completion.

Or even better, a written quotation. You need to specify the work should include all steps necessary to maintain the manufacturer's warranty (this will require the existing system to be flushed to remove any contamination), and for them to notify the work to Building Control.  

You should agree with the contractor that you will keep 25% of the payment back until you receive the completion certificate from Building Control. I would try to avoid paying anything in advance. The best contractors will not require a deposit from you. 

Viessmann, Vaillant, Intergas are very good. Worcester Bosch are also good and very popular - which is important as you want to be sure you can get spares and engineering knowledge in future. 

Selecting a contractor for whom you have a personal recommendation is the best way to find a reliable contractor. Don't use sites like Check-A-Trade. Selecting a contractor that has a physical office is also a good idea. 

The best way to pay is to buy credit card if you can, as you get some additional protection. If the contractor wants paying by bank transfer, get the account details from them (including the name on the account as the Confirmation of Payee rules now mean you will need to have this to make the payment), and send a payment of an odd amount of money (say £2.34) and call their office to check they have received it - don't tell them how much you have sent, let them tell you. If they can tell you the amount, you know you are talking to someone with access to the account. With many of the smaller contractors, you will probably get to meet the head honco, and if you can get their bank details directly from them this would give further confidence that you are paying the contractor and not someone who has hacked their email account. Please don't trust any account details that arrive by email.  

AskAsk

get someone who is gas safe registered and who has good reviews as there can be cowboys out there, even those who are gas safe registered.

get 3 quotes and choose the one you trust the most.  i don't always choose on price alone but the trust is also important.  they will ask for payment through a bank transfer when they issue their invoice on completion.  they often ask for a deposit before they start.

if you fail to find anyone you trust, you can always pay for British Gas to do it.  They are pricy but you always have a come back with them.  I had a boiler installed by British Gas and it all went fine.

gboy25

tacpot12 said:

missile said:

You should ask for an written estimate.
Be careful to choose the boiler you want. Cheapest is rarely best. I chose Weissman which came with 10 year guarantee.
Few tradesmen will accept CC. Do not pay by cash. Pay by BACS transfer AFTER completion.

Or even better, a written quotation. You need to specify the work should include all steps necessary to maintain the manufacturer's warranty (this will require the existing system to be flushed to remove any contamination), and for them to notify the work to Building Control.  

You should agree with the contractor that you will keep 25% of the payment back until you receive the completion certificate from Building Control. I would try to avoid paying anything in advance. The best contractors will not require a deposit from you. 

Viessmann, Vaillant, Intergas are very good. Worcester Bosch are also good and very popular - which is important as you want to be sure you can get spares and engineering knowledge in future. 

Selecting a contractor for whom you have a personal recommendation is the best way to find a reliable contractor. Don't use sites like Check-A-Trade. Selecting a contractor that has a physical office is also a good idea. 

The best way to pay is to buy credit card if you can, as you get some additional protection. If the contractor wants paying by bank transfer, get the account details from them (including the name on the account as the Confirmation of Payee rules now mean you will need to have this to make the payment), and send a payment of an odd amount of money (say £2.34) and call their office to check they have received it - don't tell them how much you have sent, let them tell you. If they can tell you the amount, you know you are talking to someone with access to the account. With many of the smaller contractors, you will probably get to meet the head honco, and if you can get their bank details directly from them this would give further confidence that you are paying the contractor and not someone who has hacked their email account. Please don't trust any account details that arrive by email.  

Thanks.
Yeah the quote I've got is off someone from a recommendation. 
He has says already it will be flushed etc. Its an Ideal 12 year guarantee (with regular service) which on research seems like it's not the most popular but seems good enough. 
I will likely get another quote from someone else too. 

Yeah I've met the guy who runs the company as hes the one installing tue boiler and all seems legit in thay side of things. Just wasnt sure on the actual payment side. 

Risteard

gboy25 said:

Fab thank you. 
Yeah hes not a plumber to be fair hes an engineer I just said the wrong thing. 
Going for a long warranty boiler and it is a quote I've been given not an estimate, although i dont have anything in writing so perhaps that's the first step? 
I've heard of it but I'm not sure I know exactly how a BACs tranfer works, is it easily done? 

You were correct the first time. He is a plumber, not an engineer.

EssexExile

Risteard said:

gboy25 said:

Fab thank you. 
Yeah hes not a plumber to be fair hes an engineer I just said the wrong thing. 
Going for a long warranty boiler and it is a quote I've been given not an estimate, although i dont have anything in writing so perhaps that's the first step? 
I've heard of it but I'm not sure I know exactly how a BACs tranfer works, is it easily done? 

You were correct the first time. He is a plumber, not an engineer.

Bless.

southcoastrgi

Wow just wow with some of the comments on this thread,
a warentee is only as good as the company behind it & ideal are shocking when it comes to honouring any repairs so your 12 year peace of mind will be far from that.

why does a installer need a shop to prove they are any good ??

British Gas are a private company & if you are going to have issues they will be no different to any other installer, (plus they are going to be going through some major headaches in the near future with even a mention of the staff going on strike),

why on earth should the contractor be made to wait for 25% of their money, once the boiler is registered with Gas Safe it can take months for the customer to receive the BC cert how is that the installers fault,

I always ask for a 50% deposit, why should I pay for your boiler & then hope you pay me, trust works both ways (do you go into curry's & buy a washing machine & say I'll pay when it's delivered ? No you have to pay for it & then see it in your kitchen in days or weeks),

these days the account has to match the name, it is now illegal to add on cc charges to the customer which is why installers like cash or bacs because it's not costing them money which they can't charge you for.

greatcrested

Risteard said:

gboy25 said:

Fab thank you. 
Yeah hes not a plumber to be fair hes an engineer I just said the wrong thing. 
Going for a long warranty boiler and it is a quote I've been given not an estimate, although i dont have anything in writing so perhaps that's the first step? 
I've heard of it but I'm not sure I know exactly how a BACs tranfer works, is it easily done?

You were correct the first time. He is a plumber, not an engineer.

Are we now nit-picking over terminology? OK, he's a plumber who is a GasSafe engineer. The important point is that he must be GasSafe registered.

it is a quote I've been given not an estimate, although i dont have anything in writing so perhaps that's the first step?

Oops! I took it as given - yes of course it must be written!