No Find No Fee Leak Detection London
If there is a live leak on your property and our survey cannot pinpoint it, you owe us nothing. The guarantee applies across all three escalation methods — acoustic correlator, FLIR thermal imaging and hydrogen tracer gas — not just the first pass. Two limits, stated in full below: a leak traced beyond your boundary has been found, and a survey that establishes there is no leak is charged for the time.
Written guarantee on your invoice before the engineer attends. Same-day emergency response across Zones 1–3. From £180 for a single-property acoustic survey.
Landline 0207 046 1363 • WhatsApp 07456 975436 • Co. No. 17120057
ERL's No Find No Fee policy: where a live leak originates on your property and our engineers cannot locate it after deploying acoustic correlation, FLIR thermal imaging and hydrogen tracer gas escalation, the survey is charged at £0. Written on your invoice. No exception is made for method, property type or pipe material. The two limits are origin and existence: a source traced beyond your boundary has been located, and a survey that establishes there is no leak is a diagnostic result charged at the survey rate.
What ERL's No Find No Fee guarantee actually means
Most leak detection companies in London charge a survey fee regardless of whether they find the leak. If the first method fails, they quote for a second method — a separate charge — and the customer pays twice for an inconclusive result. ERL operates differently. Our survey fee covers the full escalation chain: acoustic correlator, thermal imaging confirmation and hydrogen tracer gas. If all three methods have been deployed and a live leak on your property is still not located, the survey is free.
The guarantee reaches every type of water leak we survey: mains supply pipes, internal cold and hot plumbing, underfloor heating circuits and communal risers in blocks of flats. It does not apply only when we find a leak easily — it applies even after we escalate through the full three-method chain. It stops in two places. It does not cover a leak that turns out not to be yours: if the survey traces the water to a neighbouring property, a communal pipe or the supply main outside your boundary, that is a located leak and the fee applies. Knowing whose it is, in writing, is usually the finding that saves you the repair bill. And it does not cover a survey that establishes there is no leak at all: pressure loss with nothing escaping, or damp with nothing escaping, is a diagnostic answer and the hours are charged.
Every method of leak, on your own property
Mains supply pipes, internal plumbing and underfloor heating circuits are all surveyed under the guarantee, whatever the pipe material. The one boundary is origin, not type: we survey communal risers and party walls too, but where the source proves to be the riser, a neighbour or the water company main, the leak has been located and the survey is charged.
Not conditional on finding it easily
The guarantee applies even when we escalate through all three methods — acoustic, thermal and tracer gas. If we have deployed every available tool and a live leak on your property still cannot be located, the survey is free. It is a guarantee about locating a leak that is there, not a guarantee that one exists.
Written guarantee on your invoice
This is not a verbal promise. The No Find No Fee commitment is documented on your invoice before the engineer arrives so you have a written record before any work begins.
Insurance trace and access report included
When we do find the leak, the survey fee includes a full written report formatted to the ABI trace and access protocol — most buildings policies cover our survey fee entirely.
Why ERL can make this guarantee
The three-method escalation chain means we find virtually every active leak. Each method addresses what the previous one cannot:
Acoustic ground microphone scan
Picks up leak noise through 250 mm of concrete, screed, tile. Locates leak within 25–40 cm accuracy. Handles mains cold supply, hot water and heating circuits. The fastest and least invasive first pass.
Thermal imaging (FLIR E8)
Confirms hot-water and underfloor heating leaks through floor surface temperature anomalies. Cross-validates the acoustic result. Adds certainty on UFH loops in polished concrete or porcelain tile where acoustic alone gives wide tolerance.
Hydrogen tracer gas (5% H2/95% N2 forming gas)
Gas exits the exact leak point and is sniffed at the surface with a TG-1 sensor. Works on any pipe material, any depth, even on fully plastic systems with no metallic reference — finds what acoustic cannot. The fallback that makes the guarantee possible.
The one exception: a leak so intermittent it is not present during the survey window. If your pressure holds static throughout the visit, we reschedule at no charge for when the leak is active again.
How this differs from other London leak detection companies
Some London leak detection companies do not offer this guarantee. They charge a survey fee whether or not the leak is found, and simply quote for additional methods if the first one fails. A customer with an inconclusive acoustic survey is then presented with a second quotation for thermal imaging — and sometimes a third for tracer gas — paying for each method separately with no guarantee of a result at any stage.
Our guarantee means your survey fee covers the full escalation chain, not just one method. You are not paying for acoustic correlation and then discovering that tracer gas is available as a paid upgrade. Every survey includes all three methods if needed, and the fee is charged only when we find the leak.
| Approach | Standard London surveyor | ERL guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Survey fee if a live leak cannot be located | Full fee charged | £0 |
| Escalation to thermal imaging | Separate quotation | Included in survey fee |
| Escalation to tracer gas | Third separate charge | Charged at difference cost only |
| Written guarantee | Verbal promise at best | On your invoice before survey |
| Insurance report | Often extra charge | Included as standard |
The survey — five steps to no find no fee
Every No Find No Fee survey follows the same escalation procedure. Steps run in order from least invasive to most. If a leak is located at any step, the survey fee applies. If all five steps are completed and a live leak on your property still cannot be located, the survey is charged at £0. If the five steps instead establish that nothing is leaking, that is a result and the survey time is charged.
Pressure test and isolation
15–25 minEngineer isolates the mains at the internal stop, fits a calibrated gauge and confirms the leak is active. Identifies which circuit — cold mains, hot water or heating — is losing pressure and re-isolates and re-tests the affected loop.
Acoustic ground microphone scan
30–45 minA calibrated ground microphone is walked along the pipe run, identifying the loudest point above the floor or wall surface. Picks up leak noise through 250 mm of concrete, screed or tile and narrows the search to a 25–40 cm window.
Cross-correlation pinpoint
20–40 minTwin sensors clamp to accessible pipe metalwork either side of the suspected leak. The correlator computes the time-of-arrival difference of the leak noise and triangulates the location to within 25–40 cm — even through 100 mm of concrete.
Thermal imaging confirmation
15–30 min (if needed)FLIR E8 thermal camera scans the screed, tile and floor surface for hot or cold anomalies. Cross-validates the acoustic result for hot water and underfloor heating leaks. Used when acoustic alone leaves any doubt.
Hydrogen tracer gas
Additional 30–60 min (if needed)5% H2/95% N2 forming gas is introduced under pressure. Gas exits the exact leak point and is sniffed at the surface with a TG-1 sensor. Works on any pipe material, any depth, even on systems with no metallic reference. Finds what acoustic cannot.
If all five steps have been completed and a live leak on your property cannot be located: survey is charged at £0. A survey that establishes there is no leak is charged for the time.
No Find No Fee leak detection pricing — London 2026
Every survey listed below is covered by the No Find No Fee guarantee. The fee shown is what you pay once the leak is located. If a live leak on your property is not located after full escalation, you pay nothing. Prices are fixed by job type and confirmed on the call.
| Service | Scope | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| No Find No Fee acoustic survey | Standard property, full acoustic correlator scan, no charge if a live leak cannot be located. | £180–£320 |
| No Find No Fee whole-house correlator | All pressurised circuits tested and isolated systematically. | £280–£420 |
| No Find No Fee supply pipe trace | MDPE boundary stop to internal stop including driveway. | £320–£480 |
| Acoustic + thermal combined (No Find No Fee) | FLIR thermal imaging added to correlator scan for screed and UFH. | £340–£500 |
| Hydrogen tracer gas (escalation) | Added at difference cost when acoustic is inconclusive — not a new full-price survey. | £380–£550 |
| Same-day emergency (No Find No Fee) | Engineer in 60–120 min across Zones 1–3. | £380–£600 |
* Prices include VAT. Full pricing list on the call-out fee & pricing page. No Find No Fee guarantee applies to all rows — if a live leak on your property cannot be located, the survey is free. Insurance trace and access cover usually pays the full survey cost.
Why customers choose ERL for no find no fee leak detection
- Written no find no fee guarantee — documented on your invoice before the engineer attends, not a verbal promise.
- Three-method escalation on every survey — acoustic correlator, FLIR thermal imaging, hydrogen tracer gas.
- The only leak we cannot find is one that is not running during the survey window.
- Insurance trace and access report included — most buildings policies cover our survey fee entirely.
- Same-day emergency response across Zones 1–3 — engineer on site in 60–120 minutes.
- £160 an hour, or a fixed price quoted on request for larger buildings — confirmed before an engineer attends, with no surprise escalation fees.
Frequently asked questions — No Find No Fee
What exactly is 'no find no fee'?
What if the leak turns out to be coming from a neighbour's property?
What if you find the leak but it's in a hard-to-reach place?
Does no find no fee include tracer gas escalation?
What if the survey establishes there is no leak at all?
What about intermittent leaks?
Can you guarantee no find no fee on supply pipes under driveways?
Do I still pay if you find the leak but I choose not to repair it?
Is this the same as 'no trace no fee'?
Book your No Find No Fee leak detection survey
From £180 for a single-property acoustic survey. Written No Find No Fee guarantee on your invoice. Three-method escalation — acoustic, thermal, tracer gas — at no extra cost if needed. Same-day emergency response across Zones 1–3. Insurance trace and access report included.
Fully insured £5M PL • IWA methodology • Written guarantee • 24/7 response • Co. No. 17120057
Service area
No Find No Fee surveys across all London boroughs
The No Find No Fee guarantee applies across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. Same-day attendance in Zones 1–3 within 60–120 minutes; Zones 4–6 within 2–4 hours.
A live leak we cannot locate — you pay nothing
Written guarantee on your invoice. Acoustic, thermal and tracer gas escalation included. Same-day emergency attendance across London.