Emergency charges exist because someone stops what they are doing and travels out. What varies between firms is transparency: whether you are told the rate before the van moves, and whether the person answering is the engineer or a national booking centre marking up a subcontractor.
This page sets out how the pricing works and, just as usefully, when you genuinely do not need it.
How emergency pricing is structured
- A call-out or first-hour rate that covers travel and initial diagnosis.
- An hourly rate thereafter, usually higher outside normal working hours.
- Parts charged separately, with common items carried on the van.
- Rural travel: distance matters across the Borders, and it should be stated up front.
What counts as a genuine emergency
- Uncontrollable water escape — a burst pipe, a failed connection, water entering ceilings.
- Any smell of gas: turn off at the meter, ventilate, and call the national gas emergency line first.
- Total loss of heating in freezing weather, particularly with vulnerable occupants.
- Total loss of water, or a leak affecting electrics.
- A flue or combustion fault, or a boiler locking out on a combustion-related code.
What can usually wait until morning
A dripping tap, a single cold radiator, a slow-filling cistern, a noisy pump or a boiler that works but is intermittently noisy will all keep. So will most hot water faults if heating still works, provided the property is warm.
If you can isolate the problem at a valve and the property is safe and warm, booking a normal appointment is cheaper and gets the same engineer.
Things worth doing before we arrive
- Find and turn off the stopcock — knowing where it is before an emergency is worth more than any advice on this page.
- Isolate the affected appliance or circuit where possible.
- Turn off electrics in any area where water is present.
- Photograph the leak and the meter or valve positions — it speeds up the visit.
Frequently asked questions
- Will you tell me the cost before coming out?
- Yes. You will be told the call-out rate and hourly rate before we travel, and any parts cost is confirmed before fitting.
- Do I get a real engineer on the phone?
- Our emergency line is answered locally rather than by a national call centre, so the person you speak to can tell you what to isolate and give an honest ETA.
- Is a gas smell something you attend?
- Call the national gas emergency service first — that is the correct first action, always. Once the supply is made safe, we can carry out the repair and recommission the appliance.
- Do you cover landlords and letting agents?
- Yes, including reactive out-of-hours cover, with the certificate and report paperwork agents need.
Know the number before you need it
Save our line now — and if it is not urgent, book a normal appointment and pay a normal rate.