Quote break-even calculator

Guidance only. An engineer on site confirms it.

Enter the other firm's time-based rate and the hours to see the comparison.

On this page

What the calculator does

You enter the rate and the hours that another firm gave you, any extras listed on top, and whether VAT is in their figure. The calculator multiplies them, adds VAT where it was left out, and sets the result beside the price of the detection visit.

It shows two things: the difference between the two totals, and the break-even point, the number of hours at which a search charged by time costs the same as the visit price. It puts no rate on our side, because there is none: the visit is one price.

Why the hours are the unknown

A rate looks small until it is multiplied. The rate is known before the visit and the hours are not, so the total only becomes certain when the search ends. A leak under a screed or behind a tiled wall can take longer than one on an exposed pipe, and neither you nor the firm knows which before work begins.

That is why the figure to compare is a total, not a rate. If a quote says "about four hours", ask what happens at five, and whether the firm will state its limit in writing.

Reading the break-even hours

The break-even hours are a simple division: the visit price, less any extras, over the rate. If your search is shorter than that, the quote charged by time is lower on the day. If it runs longer, the visit price is lower. Neither outcome is known in advance, which is the point of the exercise.

One fixed price of £480, every method included, agreed before we attend. No VAT is charged. For the full list of lines to compare across any two quotes, use the quote checklist.

Leave the repair out of both sides

Compare detection with detection. The repair is a separate job with its own quote at any firm. Repair work is quoted separately in writing before it starts, as one fixed price with labour, parts and materials set out. If a quote you hold blends finding and repairing into one rate, ask for the two to be split before you enter anything here.

The pricing page shows what the detection price covers, and the costs pages explain why leak detection prices vary and how published London prices compare.

What the result cannot tell you

The result is arithmetic on three figures. It cannot say how long your search will really take, whether the other firm's method suits your pipes, or what a quote leaves out. A lower total is not a better quote if it omits the report, the VAT or the conditions around a leak that is not found.

Use the number to ask better questions. Ask the firm for its expected total and its limit in writing, then put the same questions to us. The written scope lists what is in the visit and what is quoted separately.

Sources and method

  • Your own quoteThe calculator uses only the figures you type in. VAT is added at 20 per cent where you say it is not in the figure. It stores nothing and sends nothing.

Questions customers ask

Is this a quote?

No. It is an illustration from the numbers you enter. A quote is written, specific to your property and agreed before anyone attends.

Which rate should I enter?

The one on the quote you hold from another firm. The calculator does not suggest a rate and does not assume a firm.

What if the hours are not stated?

Ask the firm for an expected total and its limit in writing, then enter the hours it implies. A quote with no hours and no limit cannot be compared until it has them.

Does the detection price include the repair?

No. The repair itself, opening up and making good, commercial or multi-unit buildings, and underground work that needs a different set-up are quoted separately, in writing, before any work starts. See what is included. No VAT is charged.

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