What a boiler repair actually costs

Most boiler repairs in this part of the country land somewhere between about £150 and £450 with the part fitted, on top of or including a call-out and diagnosis charge of roughly £60 to £130. A circuit board, gas valve or heat exchanger can go higher. An annual service is usually around £70 to £120.

Those are general market ranges, not quotes. The figure for your boiler depends on the fault, the part, and the make and age of the boiler, and nobody can give an honest price without diagnosing it.

The part is the biggest variable. A sensor, thermistor or ignition electrode is cheap; a fan or pump sits in the middle; a printed circuit board, gas valve or heat exchanger is at the top, and on an older boiler a heat exchanger can cost enough to make replacement the better choice.

How the engineer charges comes next. Some charge a fixed call-out that includes the first hour, some charge by the hour from arrival, and some quote a fixed price per repair. Ask before anyone arrives, and ask whether the call-out is deducted if you go ahead with the repair.

Timing matters too. Evening, weekend and bank holiday rates are often higher, and the first cold week of the winter is when every engineer in West Norfolk is busiest.

Distance can matter in a rural area. An engineer travelling a long way to a village may build travel into the price, and it is fair to ask.

What is the call-out or diagnosis charge, and what does it include? What is the hourly rate after that? Is VAT included? Is the engineer Gas Safe registered for this appliance, or OFTEC registered for an oil boiler? Do they carry common parts, or will a part need ordering? Is there a guarantee on the part and the labour, and for how long?

Ask for the price of the part before it is fitted. A good engineer will tell you the options, including when a repair is not worth it.