Plumbing and drainage cover in one plan
Leaking pipes, blocked drains, toilets and sinks in one service plan, not insurance. Plumbing and drainage cover each come with up to £500 in every 12-month period. Get a call back to set it up: nothing is set up or paid for online.
What does plumbing and drainage cover include?
Plumbing and drainage cover looks after leaking pipes and joints and clears blocked drains, toilets and sinks, with parts and labour included up to £500 per module in each 12-month period. Plumbing and drains cover from Smart Plan is two modules on one plan, each with its own limit, and you can also take either one on its own, within the limits and exclusions below.
It is cover for problems that start after your plan begins. If our engineer finds a fault that was already there before your plan started, the terms treat it as a defect: we quote to put it right, and if it is not put right, that part is excluded from your plan (terms 9.11 and 10.13). In the first 30 days of a new plan, a call-out costs a £95 fee paid in advance, and you also pay in advance for any work needed (terms 9.1).
Call-outs run Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, unless it is an emergency breakdown (terms 9.17). Smart Plan is a service plan, not insurance (terms 12.3).
Cover limits: £500 for plumbing and £500 for drainage
| Detail | Plumbing and drainage cover | Where it is in the terms |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing cover limit | Up to £500 in each 12-month period, parts and labour included | 4.1(a) and definition 12 |
| Drainage cover limit | Up to £500 in each 12-month period, parts and labour included | 3.1(a) and definition 12 |
| How the limits work | Each module has its own limit, and the 12-month period runs from the date your plan starts | Definition 12 |
| Call-out fee | £95, paid in advance, including for call-outs in the first 30 days, for excluded issues and where we can't get access, plus any work needed in the first 30 days. We confirm when it applies on your call back | Definition 9, 3.1(c), 4.1(d), 9.1, 9.2 and 9.13 |
| Call-out hours | Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, unless it is an emergency breakdown | 9.17 |
| Agreement | Monthly rolling. Once you use a service, a 12-month agreement period begins | 9.3 and 9.4 |
| Cooling-off period | 14 days from the start of your plan, ending as soon as a service is carried out | Definition 11, 11.1 and 11.2 |
| Product type | A service plan, not insurance | 12.3 |
| How to set it up | Get a call back. Nothing is set up or paid for online | Our call-back process |
Talk it through with us first
Leave your name and number and we call you back. On the call we go through the cover, the price and the terms with you before anything is set up. We aim to call you back within one working day, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.
What plumbing cover includes
With plumbing on your cover sheet, parts and labour are included up to the cover limit for repairs to (terms 4.1(b)):
- Pipes or joints that are leaking
- A leaking overflow pipe, or a leaking hot or cold supply pipe
- The hot and cold water inlet hoses on your washing machine or dishwasher
- A toilet that won't flush, where it is the only toilet in your home
- A blocked waste drain or rainwater drain
- A soil vent pipe on the outside of the roof (repair or replacement)
What drainage cover includes
With drainage on your cover sheet, parts and labour are included up to the cover limit for (terms 3.1(b)):
- Clearing blocked drains inside or outside your home by jet flushing
- Clearing blocked toilets
- Clearing blocked sinks
- Getting water flowing again in waste pipes and drains by rodding or jetting
How are leaks repaired?
Leaks found on a call-out are repaired using compression fittings, push-fit fittings, couplings or other methods for short-term leak prevention (terms 4.1(c)). The repair deals with the leaking section of pipe or joint. It is not a re-pipe of your home.
If you spot a leak, turn off your stop tap to limit the damage, then request a repair. The stop tap itself is excluded from plumbing cover (terms 4.2(g)), so it is worth knowing where yours is before you need it.
The engineer won't move your belongings unless this is agreed before the visit, so please clear access to the pipe or drain (terms 9.12). Pipes inside the fabric of the building, or that need excavation or trace and access work to find, are excluded (terms 10.5 and 10.24). So is making good afterwards, such as decorative finishes or relaying floors, unless it is due to our negligence (terms 10.14).
If you smell gas at any point, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away. Gas pipes and gas appliances are not part of plumbing or drainage cover, and any work on them must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What plumbing and drainage cover does not include
The terms list exclusions for each module and for the whole plan. These are the ones most likely to matter for pipes and drains:
- A fault that was there before your plan started, once we have found it, quoted for it and it has not been put right (terms 9.11 and 10.13)
- Showers, shower pumps and their parts (terms 3.2(f) and 4.2(d))
- Stop taps (stop valves or stopcocks) and water meters (terms 4.2(g) and 4.2(i))
- Replacing taps (terms 3.2(e))
- Problems where the main issue is noise (terms 4.2(f))
- Call-outs where there is no evidence of a blockage, leak or damage (terms 3.2(h) and 4.2(h))
- Blockages caused by negligence, misuse, the internal workings of the flush, or flushing something that should not go down the toilet (terms 3.2(c) and 4.2(b))
- Build-ups of leaves, fat, flux, building materials such as cement, or oil (terms 10.23)
- Problems caused by sludge, scale, rust or corrosion, or damage from increased pressure (terms 10.22)
- Drainage work on drains or pipes not made of clay, PVC or concrete (terms 3.2(b))
- Rainwater pipes and guttering under drainage cover (terms 3.2(i))
- Cracked or broken tiles (terms 3.2(d) and 4.2(c))
- Problems caused by freezing, and repairs after floods, storms or frost (terms 10.21 and 10.3)
- Perishable parts such as seals and filters (terms 10.20)
- Pipe leaks caused by newly installed equipment or by newly sealing or pressurising a system (terms 10.9)
- Saniflo and other macerating systems, septic tanks, cesspits, and external drains that do not serve the main building (terms 10.25)
- Shared or communal pipes and drains, and anything outside the main building, such as a garage, shed or outbuilding (terms 10.16 and 10.18)
Your water company or your plan?
A leak on the mains water supply between your water meter and the communal supply is your water supplier's responsibility, not your plan's. The terms say you must contact your water supplier for it, for example Thames Water (terms section 4).
Shared and communal pipes and drains are excluded from the plan too (terms 10.18). If a public drain is blocked, GOV.UK explains how to report it (see the link at the foot of this page).
Call-out fees, hours and your agreement
In the first 30 days of a new plan, a call-out costs a £95 fee paid in advance, and you also pay in advance for any work needed (terms 9.1). The same £95 call-out fee, paid in advance, applies when the problem turns out to be one the plan excludes, or when the engineer cannot get access at the agreed time (terms 9.2 and 9.13). The plumbing and drainage sections of the terms also say a call-out fee is required before we attend (terms 3.1(c) and 4.1(d)), so ask us to explain exactly when you would pay it on your call back.
Call-outs are carried out Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00, unless it is an emergency breakdown (terms 9.17).
The plan is monthly rolling, and once you use a service a 12-month agreement period begins (terms 9.3 and 9.4). Leaving during that period means paying the rest of it, either monthly or as a reduced one-off payment set out in the terms (terms 11.4).
Do you need plumbing and drainage cover?
Nobody has to have it, and it will not suit every home. It tends to suit people who would rather have a leak or a blocked drain arranged for them, with parts and labour paid up to a known limit, than find and pay a tradesperson each time, and who want both the pipes and the drains on one plan.
It is less useful if your drains are shared or communal, if your toilet is a Saniflo or other macerator, or if your home runs to a septic tank or cesspit, because the terms exclude those. It is also not a fix for a leak or blockage you have today, because a fault that was there before your plan started is treated as a defect.
If you only want one side, you can take plumbing or drainage as a module on its own. For a slow sink or a blocked toilet you are dealing with now, our guides to unblocking a sink and unblocking a toilet cover the safe first steps.
How to compare plumbing and drainage cover
There is no single best plumbing and drainage cover for every home. The best fit is the plan whose limits, exclusions, fees and agreement terms match your pipes and drains. Ask every provider the same questions and compare the answers side by side. The checklist below shows how Smart Plan answers each one.
Plumbing and drainage cover comparison checklist
| Question to ask any provider | How Smart Plan answers it |
|---|---|
| What is the cover limit, and is it shared between plumbing and drains? | £500 for plumbing and £500 for drainage, each in every 12-month period |
| Are parts and labour both included? | Yes, up to the cover limit |
| Which jobs are listed? | Leaking pipes and joints, overflow and supply pipes, washing machine and dishwasher inlet hoses, an external soil vent pipe, an only toilet that won't flush, and clearing blocked drains, toilets and sinks |
| What is excluded? | Showers, stop taps, water meters, freezing, rust or corrosion, build-ups of fat or leaves, shared drains, macerators, septic tanks, cesspits, and defects found and not put right |
| Is there a call-out fee, and when? | £95, paid in advance, including in the first 30 days, for excluded issues and where there is no access, plus any work needed in the first 30 days. We confirm when it applies on your call back |
| When can an engineer come out? | Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00, unless it is an emergency breakdown |
| How long are you committed for? | Monthly rolling, with a 12-month agreement period once you use a service |
| Is it a service plan? | Yes: a service plan, not insurance |
A service plan, not insurance
Plumbing and drainage cover from Smart Plan is a service plan, not insurance (terms 12.3). The agreement is for the repairs and services set out on your cover sheet: when something covered goes wrong, you request a repair and we arrange a vetted engineer to come out.
Smart Plan is a trading style of UK Boiler Company Ltd (company number 09078640), which has been trading since 2014.
Plumbing and drainage cover FAQs
Is plumbing and drainage cover worth it?
It can be worth it if you want leaks and blocked drains arranged for you up to a known limit: £500 for plumbing and £500 for drainage in each 12-month period, parts and labour included. Weigh that against the £95 call-out fee (including in the first 30 days, when you also pay in advance for any work needed, and on excluded issues, and we explain exactly when it applies on your call back), the 12-month agreement period that starts once you use a service, and exclusions such as showers, stop taps, freezing and shared drains.
Does plumbing and drainage cover include a blocked toilet?
Yes. Clearing blocked toilets is included under drainage cover, and plumbing cover includes repairs to a toilet that won't flush where it is the only toilet in your home. Blockages caused by misuse, by the internal workings of the flush, or by flushing something that should not go down the toilet are excluded, and so are Saniflo and other macerating toilets.
Does plumbing and drainage cover include a burst pipe?
Plumbing cover includes repairs to leaking pipes and joints, made with compression fittings, push-fit fittings or couplings for short-term leak prevention. A pipe that burst because it froze, or that leaks because of rust, corrosion or a build-up of scale, is excluded, as are pipes inside the fabric of the building or that need trace and access work to find. Turn off your stop tap first to limit the damage.
Will it cover a leak or blocked drain I already have?
No. Plumbing and drainage cover is for problems that start after your plan begins. If our engineer finds a fault that was there before your plan started, we quote to put it right, and if it is not put right, that part is excluded (terms 9.11). In the first 30 days of a new plan, a call-out costs a £95 fee paid in advance, plus payment in advance for any work needed (terms 9.1).
Can landlords get plumbing and drainage cover?
Yes. You can set up plumbing and drainage cover on a home you let to tenants. Tell us the property is let when we call you back, because the terms ask you to keep us informed about how the property is used (terms 9.9). Gas safety checks and gas appliances aren't part of plumbing or drainage cover.
Is there a call-out fee?
Yes. A £95 call-out fee, paid in advance, applies to any call-out in the first 30 days of a new plan, and in that period you also pay in advance for any work needed. The same fee applies to problems the plan excludes, and where the engineer cannot get access at the agreed time. The plumbing and drainage terms also say a call-out fee is required before we attend, so ask us to explain when you would pay it.
Can I cancel plumbing and drainage cover?
You have a 14-day cooling-off period from the start of your plan, when you can cancel with a full refund of anything you have paid (terms 11.1). It ends as soon as a service is carried out at your request (terms 11.2). The plan is monthly rolling, and once you use a service a 12-month agreement period begins; leaving during it means paying the rest of that period, monthly or as a reduced one-off payment (terms 11.4). To cancel, email, write to or phone us (terms 11.3).
Who deals with a leak between my water meter and the main supply?
Your water supplier. A leak on the mains water supply between your water meter and the communal supply is the supplier's responsibility, not your plan's (terms section 4). If you are not sure which side of the meter the leak is on, ask your water supplier or see Ofwat's guidance on who looks after which pipes.
When can an engineer come out?
Call-outs are carried out Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00, unless it is an emergency breakdown. We arrange an engineer from a national network of thousands of vetted engineers and tradespeople we work with.
How do I set up plumbing and drainage cover?
Ask for a call back with your name and phone number, and we call you to set up your plan. Nothing is set up and no payment is taken online. We aim to call you back within one working day, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.
What our customers say
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Get a call back to set up plumbing and drainage cover
Leave your name and number and we call you back to set up your plan. We go through the cover, the price and the terms with you first, and nothing is set up or paid for online. We aim to call you back within one working day, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.
A service plan, not insurance. Nothing is paid online.
Call us today
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