Basic plumbing can now be carried out by residents in WA

Among the changes, residents, or someone doing the task for them without being paid, can now legally undertake work including the maintenance, repair or replacement of a shower head, the maintenance or repair of taps (not thermostatic mixing taps), replacement of cistern washers, the replacement of water filter cartridges, and the clearing of blocked fixtures or waste pipes via use of a plunger.

Building and Energy acting executive director Peter Stewart said the change “gives consumers the option of conveniently carrying out certain basic tasks in their own homes if they feel confident to do so”.

“Consumers should note that they can only undertake certain types of plumbing work. They must use a licensed plumber for all other plumbing tasks. Incorrect or uncertified plumbing work can cause property damage and compromise public health and safety,” he did warn.

As part of the reforms, it is also now an offence for anyone who does not hold a plumber’s licence to advertise or imply that they do, which includes people who are not authorised to carry out particular types of plumbing work, a statement from the government said.

It’s the first state in a series of plumbing reforms set to take place across Western Australia. Future changes include protecting consumers against scalding from excessively hot water, while another phase of reforms set to come into effect in 2025 will introduce regulations surrounding plumbing work on unmetered drinking water supplies.

Those regulations also aim to improve the safety of modular plumbing installations (such as bathroom pods and transportable mining accommodation), which will be required to comply with statewide standards.