Plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer: who do you need?

Start with the system, not the business name

Use the plumbing service enquiry to explain what is affected and ask which trade should assess it. A business offering several services can arrange different workers, so its trading name is not the answer to who can perform a particular task. PGDB consumer advice recommends checking that the person doing the work is licensed for that work. Describe the installation and requested change before deciding which authorisation you need to check.

The Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act defines sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying separately. In practical booking terms, water supply and sanitary fixtures generally point towards plumbing; gas pipework and gas appliances point towards gasfitting; and work on drains carrying foul water or stormwater generally points towards drainlaying. These are starting points for a conversation, with the precise scope and authorisation confirmed by the contractor rather than inferred from a single symptom.

A slow shower, for example, tells you where the problem appears, not which part of the system needs repair. Ask the business how it will assess the problem and whether another trade could be needed after investigation. The blocked drain contact guide helps organise the symptoms and location for that call. You can give a useful brief without knowing the route of every pipe beneath the property.

Use the trade boundaries to plan the booking

The table gives practical examples based on the Act’s separate trade definitions and WorkSafe’s advice on gas installations. It is a booking aid rather than a diagnosis. Ask the contractor to confirm the actual tasks before checking the worker’s authorisation. Where the job crosses systems, request a scope that separates those tasks instead of treating a general description such as kitchen renovation as one interchangeable trade.

A bathroom renovation illustrates the coordination problem. Changing fixtures, altering a drain route and making good the room can involve different responsibilities. Ask who will arrange the sequence, who checks any consent requirements, and what each contractor expects to find ready on arrival. The Board says work must meet the Building Code regardless of whether consent is required. Put the consent discussion against the proposed changes rather than the room’s name.

A gas water heater also has more than one connection to consider. WorkSafe includes gas appliances, gas pipework and flues within its advice to use a currently licensed gasfitter. Water-side alterations need their own scope and appropriate authorisation. The hot water replacement guide can help you explain the proposed change. Ask whether the same person holds the necessary trade authorisations or whether the business will coordinate different workers.

Check authorisation and supervision by name

Ask for the name of the proposed worker and their current practising licence. PGDB says this can be a physical card or displayed through its app. Look at the authorised trade and expiry, then search the public register. The register includes licence history, conditions, supervision relationships and disciplinary decisions. A person authorised for plumbing should not simply be treated as authorised for gasfitting or drainlaying as well; check the relevant entries.

Supervision is a practical question to resolve before attendance. If someone will be working under supervision, ask who the supervisor is and how the arrangement applies to your job. The register provides information about who supervises whom. Ask the business to explain responsibility for decisions, checking and completion records in ordinary language. You need a clear contact for questions, not a collection of trade titles with no connection to the proposed visit.

For gas work, discuss certification at the same time as the appointment. WorkSafe says a Gas Safety Certificate verifies the completed and connected installation or identified part is safe to use. Certificates of Compliance support general-risk and high-risk gasfitting. The gas certification guide explains those documents in more detail. Ask who will provide the applicable records and make sure the scope identifies the appliance or part installation covered.

1. Describe the affected system and the change or fault.
2. Ask the business to separate plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying tasks.
3. Check the named workers and relevant trades on the PGDB register.
4. Confirm supervision, coordination and records before approving the scope.

Make the handovers between trades explicit

Once the right trades are identified, ask each provider to state what is included and what must be completed by someone else. An excavation, a pipe repair and restoration of the surface can be separate pieces of work. Record who arranges access and who tells the next contractor the site is ready. This prevents a practical gap where everyone has completed their own task but the homeowner still has an unfinished area. Stately has plumbing, gasfitting and drainage in one team. Giving us the whole job at booking lets us coordinate the appropriate trades instead of leaving you to make another separate booking after the first visit.

For investigation, choose an approval point before the scope expands. A contractor might begin by assessing an accessible fixture and then recommend work elsewhere in the system. Ask for the findings and proposed next step before authorising that change. If another trade is needed, request a description you can pass on, along with relevant photographs. Good coordination means the next person starts with useful information rather than repeating the original vague booking request.

Keep a short completion list showing the work undertaken, unresolved items and the records you are expecting. Where gasfitting is involved, include the applicable gas certificates rather than treating an ordinary invoice as the whole handover. For a mixed job, send the system details through the plumbing service page and ask which trades will be involved. Agree who leads the job and who explains the final result before work starts.