Questions, answered.

We service around 180 Brisbane suburbs, focused on the inner east (Hawthorne, Bulimba, Morningside, Balmoral), inner north (Wilston, Newmarket, Clayfield), inner south (Coorparoo, Carindale, Camp Hill, Greenslopes, Annerley), bayside (Manly, Wynnum, Hemmant) and west (Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Toowong). We also work CBD-side (Fortitude Valley, New Farm, Teneriffe, Newstead) and northside out to Aspley, Chermside and Northgate. If your suburb isn't listed, ask — chances are we cover it.

Standard business hours are Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm. We run 24/7 emergency response across Brisbane for burst pipes, no-power, active roof leaks, gas leaks, and hot water failures. After-hours and Sunday work is at an emergency call-out rate — we'll tell you the rate on the phone before we dispatch. Routine bookings during business hours are at standard rates.

Yes — every trade on a RTL Trades job carries the licence the work legally requires (QBCC for plumbing, gas, roofing and building work; Queensland Electrical Contractor licence for electrical work). Our QBCC licence number is QBCC: 15129925 and appears on every quote and invoice. We carry public liability and workers' compensation insurance to the levels required for residential, commercial and body corporate work.

EFTPOS card on-site at job completion (Visa, Mastercard, debit card), bank transfer (account details on the invoice), and account terms (14- or 30-day) for body corporates, real estate agencies and commercial accounts. Cash is accepted for smaller jobs. Larger jobs are typically invoiced rather than paid on the day. We don't take customer credit details over the phone before quoting — that's for security on both sides.

Call 1300 000 785 during business hours and tell us what's going on, or send the details through the contact form on this site. For small to medium jobs we can often quote on the phone or remotely from photos. Larger jobs (renovations, fitouts, full re-roofs, switchboard upgrades) usually need an on-site assessment — we'll book that in, attend, and write the quote within one business day of the visit.

Yes — workmanship is covered by our own warranty on every job. Materials and appliances we install are covered by the manufacturer's warranty (we'll state the term in writing). For fitouts and major works there's a defects liability period built into the contract — we come back and fix anything that's our work for the agreed period. If something goes wrong, ring us back; we don't disappear after the invoice clears.

Standard call-outs are scheduled within one to two business days across the 180+ Brisbane suburbs we cover. Genuine electrical emergencies — no power to a section of the house, smoke or burning smells from an outlet, a dropped main switch that won't reset — are prioritised same-day. Call us on the office line and tell whoever answers what's actually happening; they'll triage and either get someone to you that day or book the next available slot. We don't run a separate emergency call-handler — every call comes through the same team.

Yes — every electrician working on a RTL Trades job carries the licence the work legally requires, and we hold the full insurance an electrical contractor needs to operate in Queensland. Our QBCC licence (QBCC: 15129925) is on every quote and invoice we issue. When the work requires a Certificate of Testing and Compliance, we issue it. That paperwork matters for safety switches, rental compliance, real estate sales and insurance claims — keep it on file.

Both. A single power-point swap, a ceiling fan install, a flickering light — those are bread-and-butter jobs and we'd rather you call us than DIY. We also do full rewires, new-build wiring, switchboard upgrades and three-phase commercial installs. We charge appropriately for the job size so the small ones don't feel punished by minimum call-out fees. Tell us the scope when you book and we'll quote it cleanly.

Older Brisbane homes often have switchboards that pre-date modern safety standards — no safety switches, ceramic fuses, asbestos backing on some 1960s-1970s boards. We'll assess what you have, recommend the upgrade scope (whether that's adding an RCD circuit, a partial board upgrade or a full replacement), and quote it. The job itself is usually a single day with a short power outage. We coordinate with Energex on the disconnection and reconnection side if your board requires it.

Yes — Queensland's smoke alarm legislation requires interconnected photoelectric alarms in every bedroom, between bedrooms and exits, and on each level of the home. We install to that standard for owners and property managers, and we issue the compliance paperwork your insurer and the RTA need. Same for safety switches — required for both power and lighting circuits in rental properties. We can do this as a one-off or build it into a scheduled inspection routine across a portfolio.

Yes — including three-phase, switchboard work, light-and-power rough-ins for new commercial fitouts, EV charger installation, and ongoing scheduled electrical maintenance for facilities managers. Because we run plumbing, roofing and carpentry under the same business, a commercial site can usually book the lot through one point of contact rather than coordinating multiple separate trades. Tell us what the scope and site is and we'll come and have a look.

Yes for anything beyond a basic call-out. Smaller jobs (a power point, a light fitting, a fan install) are usually a fixed call-out plus a per-job amount we'll confirm before starting. Larger jobs (rewires, board upgrades, EV charger installs) get a written quote on email after we've seen the site or had a detailed phone scope. If the scope is genuinely unknown until we open the wall, we'll quote a starting figure and tell you upfront what could push it higher.

Yes — Hawthorne, Bulimba, Morningside, Balmoral, Norman Park, Hawthorne and the rest of the inner east are core territory for us. We also cover the inner north (Wilston, Newmarket, Clayfield), south (Coorparoo, Carindale, Camp Hill, Greenslopes), bayside (Manly, Wynnum) and most suburbs west out to Indooroopilly and Kenmore. If your suburb isn't on the list, ask — we cover around 180 in total.

Burst pipes, major leaks that are damaging the floor or ceiling, blocked sewer drains that are backing up into the house, no hot water across the whole property, and gas leaks — those are the genuine emergencies that warrant the after-hours call-out rate. A leaking tap or a slow drain is better booked for the next business day at standard rates. When you call, tell whoever answers what's actually happening and they'll tell you honestly whether it needs a same-night response.

Yes — we hold the QBCC licences required for both water-side plumbing and gas-fitting work in Queensland. That covers gas hot water installs, gas cooktops, gas heater servicing, gas leak repairs, and gas pipework for renovations and new builds. Gas work in Queensland legally has to be done by a licensed gas-fitter — anyone telling you otherwise is doing you and themselves a disservice.

Yes — we do the plumbing rough-in and fit-off for bathroom, kitchen and laundry renos, and because we run multiple trades we can usually coordinate the electrical (downlights, exhaust fans, hot water unit changeovers) and any carpentry through the same booking. We work with builders and homeowners directly. The earlier you get us in to scope the plumbing, the more options you'll have on tap placements, drainage and which walls actually carry pipework.

All three. We service and repair electric, gas storage, instantaneous gas, solar and heat pump systems. When repair isn't economical (most systems past 10–12 years), we quote a like-for-like replacement and an upgrade path — instantaneous gas, heat pump, or solar — so you can see the running-cost picture, not just the upfront. Same-day replacement is usually possible if we have the right unit in stock and the access is straightforward.

Mechanical clearing first (the standard rod-and-cutter approach for tree-root blockages and soap-or-fat build-ups), then a CCTV camera inspection so you can see what was causing it and whether the pipe itself needs work. We'll talk you through what the camera shows and recommend whether it's a clear-and-forget job, a maintenance routine (camera every 12 months on a known problem line), or a relining repair. We don't push pipe replacement unless the footage genuinely warrants it.

Yes — many of our long-term clients are property managers and body corporates who book scheduled annual or six-monthly inspections across a portfolio. Typical scope is a tap/cistern check, hot water unit health-check, gutter and downpipe look, and a smoke alarm test (which we tie in through our electrical side). Bundling it through one trade contact saves the coordination and admin time compared with separate plumber/sparky/roofer call-outs.

Metal and tile repairs, gutter cleans and replacements, downpipe replacement, skylight installation, flashing repairs, and full re-roofs. Storm-damage assessment too — Brisbane gets enough hail and wind events that most older roofs will need repair work at some point, and insurance assessors will want a written scope from a QBCC-licensed roofer. We work directly with homeowners and through insurance assessors.

Get someone licensed up there. Most repair-vs-replace calls come down to: how old is the roof, how much rust is on metal (or how much delamination on tiles), is the flashing failing on multiple points, and are leaks coming back to the same spot or showing up in new ones. We'll send someone to look, get up there (with proper height-safety setup, not a quick ladder peek), and give you a written assessment with photos.

Yes — both. A gutter clean is usually a couple of hours and we'll let you know if anything found while up there needs attention (rust patches, separated joints, downpipes draining into the wrong spot). Gutter replacement is a bigger scope and we'll quote it written, with the gutter profile, colour, and any associated fascia or downpipe work itemised.

Yes — both tube skylights (the smaller, cheaper option for bathrooms and dim hallways) and frame skylights for kitchens and living spaces. Installation involves cutting through the roof and ceiling, framing, flashing, and weatherproofing. Because we also do electrical, ventilated skylights with a fan or LED-on-the-side are something we can wire on the same visit rather than coming back for a second trade. Tell us where the room is in the floor plan and what you're after.

We work with most major insurers' assessors and can produce the written scope and photos they need. The path is usually: you lodge the claim, the insurer sends an assessor (or asks you to get a roofer's report), we go up, we write what we see with photos and a repair quote, you submit it. Don't get on the roof yourself to inspect — the insurer would rather pay for a licensed assessment than have you fall through it.

Yes. Roofing work in Queensland is QBCC-licensable above certain scopes, and we hold the licence the work requires (QBCC: 15129925). We also carry the public liability insurance that lets us legally work on a residential or commercial roof. Height-safety setup (harnesses, edge protection, ladder bracing) is non-negotiable on our jobs — for our team's safety and your insurance, if anything went wrong.

A small repair (a leak fix, a flashing job, replacing a few sheets) is usually a single day. A gutter clean across an average home is half a day. A full metal re-roof on a typical Queensland house is two to four days depending on access, removal of the old roof, and weather. Tile-to-metal conversion or replacing battens adds time. We'll commit to a date range when we book and call ahead if weather pushes us off it.

Door hangs and adjustments, shelf installation, picture and TV mounting, locking-mechanism replacement, fly-screen repair, basic carpentry, garden-shed assembly, gutter clean-out on single-storey, fence repair, pressure-wash, plus a long list of 'I've been meaning to fix that for two years' jobs. Anything requiring a licence (electrical, plumbing, gas, structural carpentry) goes through one of our other trades — handyman is for the work that doesn't legally need one.

Yes — there's a minimum hourly charge that covers the time to get to site and the first portion of work. After that we charge in increments. For very small jobs (a single shelf, a door adjustment), the minimum often does cover the whole job. For bigger handyman lists, we'll quote based on the scope. Tell us what you've got when you book and we'll either give you a fixed quote or be upfront about how long it's likely to run.

Yes — a handyman day rate booking is usually the most efficient way to knock out 6–10 small jobs at once. We'll walk the list with you on arrival, prioritise anything that's overdue or safety-related, and work through them. If something on the list turns out to need a licensed trade (a power point needs replacing, a tap drips internally), we'll flag it and book a sparky or plumber separately.

Standard tools yes — a fully-stocked van for general carpentry, fastening, mounting, and basic repair work. Consumables (screws, fixings, sealants) we carry. Specific materials (a particular paint colour, a specific door handle, hardware you've already bought) you'd supply. When we quote, we'll tell you whether 'we'll supply' or 'you supply' is in the quote so there's no surprise on the invoice.

Yes — fence repairs (broken palings, gate adjustments, new fence posts), deck repair and minor re-staining, pressure-washing of paths, decks and house exteriors, basic landscaping support. Major fence or deck builds (full new build, structural posts in concrete) usually become a carpentry job rather than handyman, but we'll do them — same team, just a different scope.

Handyman work below the QBCC's licensable threshold doesn't legally require a licence — but it's still done by someone on the {BUSINESS} team, working under the same insurance and the same standard as our licensed trades. Once the scope crosses into structural, electrical, plumbing or anything QBCC-regulated, the job moves to whichever of our licensed trades it belongs with. You'll know which trade is doing what before we start.

Depending on scope: demolition of the existing space, structural carpentry, partitioning, ceilings, electrical (light and power rough-in, data, comms), plumbing for any new wet areas, mechanical services coordination, joinery, painting, flooring, fixtures and fit-off. We've done hospitality (cafes, restaurants), retail (small shops through to medium-format), commercial offices, healthcare and aged care fitouts. Because we run multiple trades in-house, we can package most of the scope through one quote rather than coordinating with a separate plumber, sparky, carpenter and tiler.

Both. Most of our fitouts come through with the tenant's designer or architect already engaged — we work from the drawings, BCA, and any landlord's fit-out guide. For smaller scopes (a hairdresser, a clinic, a corner retailer), we can do the design through to delivery as a single contract, either with an in-house plan or via a designer we partner with. Tell us what stage you're at when you reach out.

We've done this enough times to know what the major Brisbane shopping centres and landlords want in the package — landlord approvals, services drawings, fire compliance, after-hours work approvals, COC and certifications at handover. We submit what's needed and chase the approvals so the build doesn't stall waiting for paperwork.

Yes — and we'll be honest about what's actually possible. A typical small fitout (a cafe, a clinic, a small retail tenancy) is usually 4–8 weeks once permits are in and lead-time items are ordered. Larger scopes are longer. Acceleration (night and weekend work, two-shift labour) is on the table when the cost makes sense for the tenant or landlord. We'll quote both the straight build and the accelerated path so the trade-off is on the page.

We run plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting and finishes in-house. Mechanical/HVAC, fire services and structural engineering we sub-contract to specialists we've worked with for years — but they sit under our head-contract, so the tenant only signs one contract and only calls one project lead. That's usually preferable to managing four separate trades on a tight site.

Standard defects liability period is included in every fitout contract — we'll come back and fix anything that's our work for the agreed period. After that, many of our commercial clients move to a preventative-maintenance plan (HVAC service, electrical safety testing, plumbing checks, general handyman) so the tenancy keeps running smoothly. Same business, same contact, same standard.

Yes — public liability insurance to the level required by Brisbane shopping centres and commercial landlords, and the QBCC head-contractor's licence (QBCC: 15129925) that lets us legally hold a fitout contract above the residential-only threshold. We'll send copies of both with the quote so the tenant rep or landlord's project manager can verify it before we start.

Most hot water systems run 8–12 years on average — beyond that, repair cost usually doesn't make economic sense versus replacement. Common repair-or-replace flags: visible rust on the tank, water around the base, the system not heating fully, the system tripping the safety switch, or it being a brand and model no longer supported for parts. We'll diagnose, tell you honestly which side of the line your unit is on, and quote both paths so you can choose.

Four main paths: traditional electric storage (cheapest upfront, highest running cost), gas storage (if gas is connected — moderate upfront and running cost), instantaneous gas (no tank, only heats on demand — high upfront, low running cost, near-endless hot water), and heat pump or solar (highest upfront, lowest running cost, government rebates available). For Brisbane's climate, heat pump and solar are increasingly the right answer financially — we'll show you the running-cost numbers on a quote.

Same day for common units we keep in stock — electric storage and standard gas storage in popular sizes. Specialty units (heat pump, premium instantaneous, oversized commercial) usually involve a 1–3 day lead time from order. If you're without hot water entirely, call us and we'll get a temporary or like-for-like in as fast as we can.

Often yes — federal small-scale technology certificates (STCs) and Queensland-specific rebates can cut the upfront cost of a heat pump or solar hot water system by a meaningful chunk. We handle the paperwork on the rebate side when we install the unit, and we'll show you the net price after rebates in writing. The running-cost saving (heat pump uses roughly a third of the electricity of resistive storage) usually pays the difference back within a few years.

Yes — that's the main reason customers like that we run both trades in-house. A gas instantaneous unit needs gas line work and a power circuit; a heat pump needs only electrical but it's a high-amperage circuit that often wants a switchboard look. Doing both in one visit, by one team, with one quote, is faster and cheaper than booking a plumber and a sparky separately.

The manufacturer's warranty applies to the unit itself (typically 5–10 years on the tank, 1–3 years on parts depending on brand and model). Our installation labour is covered separately by our workmanship — if a fitting we installed leaks or the install caused an issue, we come back and fix it. We'll detail the warranty terms in writing on the quote and the invoice so it's clear which part the manufacturer covers and which part we do.

Yes — periodic servicing (replacing the sacrificial anode in storage tanks, flushing the tank, checking pressure-relief valves, gas burner servicing on gas units) can add years to a unit that's not yet at the replace-now threshold. Worth doing on storage tanks at year 5 if you've never serviced. Doesn't make economic sense once a unit is past 10 years and showing replacement flags — at that point service money is better spent toward the replacement.

Burst pipes flooding a property, sewer drains backing up into the house, leaks actively damaging floors or ceilings, no water at all to the property, gas leaks (smell of gas, hissing at a fitting), and hot water failures in winter. Those are same-day call-outs and warrant the after-hours rate if it's outside business hours. Slow drains, dripping taps, a tap washer needing replacement — those are better booked next business day at standard rates.

Most genuine emergencies in our core service area (inner Brisbane, eastern suburbs, southside) we'll have someone there within 1–2 hours. Outer suburbs and bayside areas can take a bit longer. When you call, tell whoever answers exactly what's happening — running water, damage being done, hazards — and they'll dispatch accordingly. We don't run a third-party emergency call centre; you'll be talking to someone on the team.

After-hours and weekend call-outs run at a premium rate above standard business-hours work — we'll tell you what that rate is when you call so there's no surprise. Genuine emergencies pay for themselves quickly versus the damage from waiting — water in a wall cavity for 24 hours can become a $20,000 rebuild. We'll be straight with you on the phone about whether the issue truly needs after-hours, or whether shutting off a stopcock and waiting until morning is the smarter call.

Yes — and you should. Every property has a main water stopcock somewhere near the meter (usually at the front kerb or against a side wall). Turning it off stops the source of the leak immediately. For gas, there's a main shut-off at the meter — turn it clockwise, open windows, leave the property and call us from outside. For an electrical issue (water hitting a power point), turn the main switch off at the switchboard. We'll talk you through it on the phone if you can't find them.

Usually the call-out cost itself isn't covered, but the damage from the leak often is — and most home insurers want a licensed plumber's report and invoice as part of the claim. Keep the invoice we send and any photos we take of the failure point. If your insurer asks for a written cause-of-failure assessment, we can provide one. We're not an insurance company, so don't take this as advice — check your specific policy wording.

Yes — we take EFTPOS card on-site at the end of the job. For larger emergency jobs (sewer reroute, multi-day work), an invoice with 7-day terms is more common. For body corporates and commercial accounts, we invoice on standard 14- or 30-day terms. Whichever applies, we'll be clear before we start the work, not after.

Sometimes a midnight call-out reveals a problem that can't be properly fixed at 2am — sewer pipe collapses, slab leaks, structural water damage. In that case we'll do the make-safe (stop the active damage, isolate the system, dry the area), document the scope with photos, and quote the full repair for the next business day. The after-hours call-out at minimum stops the property getting wrecked while you wait.

Queensland has phased in interconnected photoelectric smoke alarm requirements: every owner-occupied home being sold or leased after 1 January 2022 must have photoelectric alarms in every bedroom, between bedrooms and exits, on every level, and they must be interconnected (when one goes off, they all do). By 1 January 2027 the same standard applies to every owner-occupied home, regardless of sale or lease status. We install to the full standard now — there's no value in installing a half-compliant setup that needs redoing in a couple of years.

10-year sealed lithium battery photoelectric alarms are compliant under the legislation, as long as they're interconnected. Hardwired alarms (with battery backup) are arguably more reliable long-term but more expensive to install. For most existing homes, the 10-year sealed battery option is the practical retrofit — they meet the law, they don't beep at 3am because of a flat 9V, and after 10 years the whole unit gets replaced rather than serviced. We can quote either path.

Depends on the layout. A typical 3-bedroom single-storey Queenslander or post-war is usually 4–5 alarms (one per bedroom, one in the hallway between bedrooms, one near the living area or as required by the layout). Two-storey homes need at least one alarm on each level plus the per-bedroom rule. We'll do a quick site walk-through when we arrive, count what the layout actually needs, and quote on the spot.

Yes. After install we issue a Certificate of Compliance covering placement, interconnection and that the alarms meet AS3786:2014. This is the document a property manager, sales agent, conveyancing solicitor or insurer can keep on file. For rental properties this is part of the standard handover; for sales, it's part of the disclosure your solicitor will want copies of.

Average 3-bedroom home: usually 1.5–2 hours for the full interconnected install, including testing. Larger homes or two-storey homes can run 3–4 hours. We don't make a mess — patching is rarely needed because the alarms surface-mount to the ceiling and we use existing wiring paths where possible. You can be home or out; we just need access.

Yes — many of our property-manager clients book us across a portfolio in a scheduled rollout. We can coordinate access, work to tenant-friendly hours, and produce the compliance certificate per property in a batch the agent can keep on file. Pricing is usually better per-property at portfolio scale than booked one-off.

Yes — annual testing is a sensible routine even with sealed 10-year alarms (battery health, interconnection still working, no nuisance triggers). We can roll this into a wider preventative-maintenance plan that also covers safety switches, RCD testing, and general electrical compliance for landlords, body corporates or aged-care facilities.

We attend the property (usually arranged through your conveyancer or buyer's agent during the contract cool-off or building-and-pest window), and we inspect: the switchboard (age, RCD coverage, asbestos backing risk on older boards), visible wiring condition, power points and switches, ceiling-space wiring where access allows, hot water unit, hardwired smoke alarms (or lack of), exterior wiring, and any obvious DIY work. We then write you a report with photos and itemised observations, so you can either negotiate on the contract or budget for known work post-settlement.

Standard building and pest inspections cover structural condition, pest activity, moisture and visible defects. They generally do NOT cover electrical compliance, switchboard age or condition, smoke alarm law compliance, or wiring quality — most building inspectors will explicitly disclaim electrical scope. A pre-purchase electrical inspection sits alongside the building and pest, not in place of it. Both are recommended for older Brisbane homes (pre-2000 especially).

Common findings in older Brisbane homes: switchboards without RCD safety switches on all circuits, ceramic fuses still in service, asbestos-backed boards from the 1950s–1970s, smoke alarms that don't meet current law, DIY power point work without compliance certificates, perished rubber-sheathed wiring still in use, and undersized circuits running modern appliances. None of these necessarily kill a deal — but you should know about them before you sign.

Yes — that's one of the main reasons buyers commission these inspections. A formal report from a QBCC-licensed electrical contractor (us) with photos and itemised findings gives you a concrete basis for negotiating a price adjustment or asking the vendor to rectify before settlement. Conveyancers see these regularly and know how to handle the negotiation. We don't get involved in the negotiation itself — we just provide the factual report.

Inspection on-site is usually 1.5–2 hours for a standard residential property. Larger properties or commercial pre-purchase inspections take longer. The report is back to you within one business day in nearly all cases — we know contract cool-off and inspection windows are tight. Tell us your contract deadline when you book and we'll prioritise accordingly.

Less critical for genuinely new builds (under 5 years old) with the original compliance paperwork — the wiring should be modern, the board should be RCD-protected on all circuits, and the smoke alarms should be current. For anything 10+ years old, or anywhere the previous owner has done renovations or additions, an inspection is usually worth the relatively small cost compared to discovering issues post-settlement.

Yes — we can quote any rectification work the inspection identifies. You're not obligated to use us for it (and we explicitly say so in the report — the report is an independent assessment, not a sales tool). But if you'd rather have one team that already knows your property handle the post-settlement upgrades, we can scope and quote that on a separate line.

Depends on the property type, but a typical plan covers: tap and cistern checks, hot water unit inspection, gutter and downpipe check, smoke alarm test and battery replacement where applicable, RCD safety switch test, roof inspection (visual from below + drone or ladder check on the roof itself periodically), and general handyman items (door alignment, exterior caulking, fence inspection). We tailor it per property — a body corporate apartment block has different needs to a freestanding rental.

Most owner-occupier homes are well served by an annual maintenance visit. Rental properties and body corporates often benefit from six-monthly visits given the higher wear-and-tear and tenant turnover. Commercial properties depend on the use — restaurants and high-traffic retail often want quarterly, offices typically annual. We'll recommend a schedule based on the property and adjust based on what we find in the first year.

Property managers running rental portfolios (the compliance and routine maintenance saves emergency call-outs), body corporates and strata managers, commercial facilities managers, aged-care and healthcare facilities, and owner-occupiers in older homes (40+ years) where small issues found early prevent large bills later. The economics generally work whenever the cost of preventing one major failure exceeds the cost of the routine visits.

Standard maintenance plan: an annual fixed fee that covers the scheduled visit(s) and routine inspection items. Anything found during the visit that needs repair is quoted separately on the day — we won't quietly do extra work without your sign-off. The fixed fee gives you predictable budgeting; the separate quotes for repairs mean you stay in control of which issues you action now versus later.

Yes — that's most of the value of the plan. Common early-warning catches: rust on hot water tanks before they leak, perished tap washers before they fail, blocked guttering before storm season damages the roof, RCDs that have stuck on, smoke alarms approaching their 10-year replacement. We write up findings with photos and our recommendation (action now, action in 6 months, monitor only) so you can plan rather than react.

Yes — that's the main reason customers go this route. A standard plan covers our full trade lineup: plumbing checks, electrical safety, roof and gutter, basic carpentry/handyman items. You're not booking a plumber, then a sparky, then a roofer separately — it's one visit, one report, one invoice. For multi-property portfolios this saves significant admin time on the property manager's end.

Customers on a preventative maintenance plan get priority response on emergency call-outs — we already know your property, we already have access notes on file, and you sit higher in the queue than ad-hoc bookings. The plan doesn't include the emergency labour rate (that's billed separately), but the response time is meaningfully better, which often matters more than the dollar saving.

We use thermal imaging (a leak shows up as a temperature anomaly through walls and floors), acoustic listening equipment (water pressurised in a pipe makes a characteristic sound that specialised microphones pick up through tiles and concrete), and tracer-gas where the leak is gas rather than water. Combined, these usually narrow a slab leak or wall-cavity leak to within a 200–400mm radius before any cutting is needed. Cheaper, faster and less damaging than the old approach of opening sections until you find it.

Unexpected jump in your water bill, a section of the floor that's persistently warmer (could be a hot water line leaking) or persistently damp/cool, the sound of running water when no taps are on, water meter ticking over with everything off, paint blistering or skirting board lifting on an internal wall, or musty smells without an obvious source. Any of those warrant a leak detection call — letting them run silently is the expensive path.

Often yes — most home insurers cover the cost of locating a hidden leak (the so-called 'cost of investigation') as part of an escape-of-water claim. The repair work itself usually has separate cover. We'll provide a written report and photos of what we found, which is what your insurer will want to assess the claim. Check your specific policy wording or have your insurer confirm before you book — but in practice we very rarely see this knocked back.

We'll show you exactly where the leak is, what's causing it (perished joint, hot water line corrosion, slab settlement, etc.) and quote the repair. The repair scope is usually small once the location is precise — a tile or two lifted, a section of wall opened, the affected pipe section replaced and rejoined, restoration of finishes. Compared to the 'guess and dig' approach, the repair is usually 70–80% smaller scope.

Yes — water ingress through a roof or a poorly-flashed wall penetration is detected with a combination of moisture mapping (where in the ceiling does the moisture sit relative to roof structure), water testing (controlled hose to suspected ingress points), and thermal imaging from inside. Stormwater leaks (e.g. a buried agi-pipe blocked or collapsed) are detected with camera inspection and pressure testing of the line.

Standard bookings within 1–2 business days. Active leaks where water is currently flowing and causing damage — same day, treated as emergency call-outs. The faster a leak gets isolated, the smaller the eventual repair and remediation cost. We'd rather come and locate it today than have you mop for another week.

Sometimes — depends on the access (is the pipe in an accessible cavity or under a tiled slab) and the materials (replacement section, fittings). For simpler leaks (accessible copper joint, a tap valve, a visible-cavity pipe), yes. For slab leaks or hidden cavity work that needs tile removal and reinstatement, we usually schedule the repair as a follow-up so the affected area can be properly opened, repaired, dried, and finished. We'll quote both the detection and the repair scope together.

Don't keep using the fixture (a backed-up sewer drain that keeps getting water will overflow). If you can shut off appliances draining into the same line (washing machine, dishwasher), do that. Then call us. We start with mechanical clearing using a drain machine and a cutter head — this clears most blockages (tree roots, soap or grease build-up, foreign objects) in a single visit. After clearing, we recommend a CCTV camera inspection so you can see what was causing it and whether the pipe itself needs further work.

Tree roots are the number-one cause — Brisbane's older sewer and stormwater pipes are typically clay-jointed and tree roots find the smallest hairline gap, expand inside, and over time form a root mass that catches everything else. Soap and grease build-up in kitchen and bathroom drains is the second. Foreign objects (wipes, sanitary products, kids' toys) round out the top three. Storms can cause stormwater blockages from leaves and debris when gutters and drains aren't kept clean.

Because clearing a blockage doesn't fix the cause — and if the cause is a cracked pipe with tree roots, the same blockage will recur every few months. The camera shows you the pipe wall, the joint condition, any root intrusion, any pipe-bellying (low points that hold water). With that information you can choose: clear and forget, schedule annual preventive clears, or pipe-line repair (relining) to fix the root cause once. We don't push relining unless the footage clearly warrants it — most blockages don't need it.

Trenchless pipe relining inserts a resin-impregnated liner inside the existing pipe and cures it in place — effectively a new pipe inside the old one, without digging up the yard. It makes sense when: the existing pipe is cracked or root-infiltrated in multiple sections, the cost of repeated clearing is exceeding what the reline would cost, or excavation isn't practical (under a slab, under landscaping, through a driveway). For a single small blockage, relining is overkill. We'll show you the camera footage and the price comparison.

Stormwater blockages (overflowing pits, water sitting around the house in heavy rain, downpipes draining into the wall cavity) we clear the same way as sewer — mechanical clearing first, camera inspection second, and we'll trace the line to see where the blockage is. Sometimes the issue isn't a blocked pipe at all — it's the original install having no fall on the pipe, or a buried connection that's been crushed by a tree or shed. Camera tells us which.

Same day — usually within a few hours during business hours, and within 1–3 hours after hours. A blocked sewer that's flooding inside is a genuine emergency. Call straight through, tell whoever answers what's overflowing and from where, and we'll dispatch. If you can hold off using anything that drains into the line (shower, washing machine, second toilet) until we get there, that limits the damage.

Standard residential drain clear: usually a fixed call-out plus a fixed clearing fee for blockages reachable from an accessible inspection point — we quote this on the phone before we book. Complex blockages (no accessible point, multiple drain lines, sewer blockage requiring excavation to reach the council connection) are quoted on inspection. The camera inspection if you add it is a separate fixed fee. You'll know the numbers before we start.