People ask us for “a report for the insurance” or “something for Watercare” as if it’s paperwork. It is, but it’s paperwork with one job. Everything in a plumber’s report exists to support a single sentence:
The leak has been repaired, and water is no longer escaping.
An insurer won’t settle a water claim while water might still be running. Watercare won’t credit lost water while it might still be leaking away. Both of them need someone qualified to put their name on “it’s fixed”, and to show how they know. That’s the report.
How we prove “it isn’t leaking any more”
Saying it isn’t proving it. The proof is the same tool we use to find leaks in the first place: the water meter. After the repair, with every tap in the house off, the meter has to stand still. We check it, we note it, and that observation goes in the report. The one-minute meter check that finds a leak at the start of a job is the same check that closes it.
So a proper report reads like a short story with an ending: what failed, why it failed, what we did about it, and the meter standing still afterwards. Photos before and after, because the reader wasn’t there.
The insurance version
An assessor reads the report to answer their own questions: was this sudden or gradual, what was the cause, has the cause been fixed, and is the remaining damage a consequence of that event. So the insurance version leans into cause and timeline: what let go, whether it had been weeping for months or failed that morning, what we did to make it safe, and what the repair involved. We write it knowing an assessor will read it, and honestly, because the sudden-versus-gradual line decides claims and a report that oversells gets the whole claim treated with suspicion.
If a claim is on the cards, tell us when we quote; photos get taken with the assessor in mind from the first visit.
The Watercare version
Watercare’s leak allowance can credit part of the water a hidden leak sent through your meter, but the application needs evidence that the leak has been properly repaired by a plumber. The Watercare version of the report is shorter and points a different direction: where the leak was on your side of the meter, the repair carried out, the date, and the confirmation that the meter now stands still. Recently we supplied exactly this for a repaired water pipe at a Birkdale rental, and the property manager attached it to the allowance application.
If we fix a leak that has been running for a while, ask about the allowance; the wider leak guide covers who owns which pipe and where the meter boundary sits.
What’s actually in ours
- Property, date, and who attended
- What we found: the failed component and the cause, in plain language
- Whether the failure was sudden or long-running, stated honestly
- The repair: what was replaced, and with what
- Verification: the meter check after repair, standing still
- Photos, before and after
- Licence details, because the reader needs to know a certifying plumber stands behind it
No padding, no drama. Assessors and Watercare both read dozens of these; the useful report is the one that answers their questions in one pass.
Common questions
Do I have to pay extra for the report?
If we did the repair, the report is part of the job. Ask for it; writing it is not a favour.
Can you write a report for a repair someone else did?
We can inspect and report on what we can verify ourselves: the current state, and whether the meter stands still. What we can’t do is certify work we didn’t see. An honest report about a stranger’s repair says what was observed, and assessors respect that more than guesswork.
How fast can I get it?
Usually with the invoice, and same-week when a claim or application is waiting on it. Tell us the deadline and it gets written to it.
Related reading
- Re-piping a house: when repairs have stopped being the answer
- A plumber’s guide for property managers: triage, access and reports
- How we actually find a hidden leak, and what each stage costs
- A water stain on the ceiling: bathroom above, roof, or something else?
- Water damage insurance claims in NZ: what the plumber sees
- Water leaks in Auckland homes: the full guide
- The one-minute meter check
- Is your leak covered? The mistake that gets claims declined
Need a report for a claim or a Watercare application? Call us or email [email protected] with your deadline.