How much water does a dripping tap waste?

A steady drip can run to thousands of litres a year. On an unmetered domestic supply that is not a bill issue, but it will stain the basin and corrode the fitting.

Why does the tap drip again a week later?

Usually the seat is pitted rather than the washer worn. The seat needs regrinding or the tap replacing.

Small works

Leaking taps and running toilets

The smallest plumbing job, and the one most often left

The short answer

Most dripping taps are a worn washer or ceramic cartridge and most running toilets are a failed inlet valve or flush seal. Either is usually a 30–60 minute visit with a low-cost part. It stops being small when the isolating valve seizes, the tap tail shears, or the leak has already soaked a floor or a ceiling below.

What the work involves

Isolating the supply, stripping the tap or cistern, replacing the washer, cartridge, inlet valve or flush seal, then testing under pressure and checking the connections stay dry.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

There is no certification requirement for a tap or cistern repair. In a tenement, a leak that reaches a neighbouring flat becomes a shared-repair and insurance matter, so evidence of when it started and when it was fixed is worth keeping.

What commonly goes wrong

Overtightening a modern ceramic tap and cracking the cartridge, and ignoring a slow overflow that is quietly running to the drain for months.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

Parts are usually a few pounds; the visit is the cost.
Several small plumbing jobs in one visit is far cheaper than three separate call-outs.
A seized isolating valve turns a 30-minute job into a supply-off job for the flat.

What to do, in order

1Find and test the isolating valve before anything else.
2Photograph the tap or cistern make and model.
3List every other small plumbing job in the property.
4Book them together as one visit.
5Check the fitting again a day later.

Local detail for the Lothians

Many Edinburgh tenement flats still have a shared stopcock or a valve in a neighbouring cupboard, so allow time to find it.
Older Lothians properties on hard water show scaled cartridges sooner.
Water leaking into the flat below is a common source of tenement disputes; report and record it early.

Read the Edinburgh page for leaking taps and running toilets

When you need a professional

Any leak that has reached a ceiling, a light fitting or a neighbouring property needs a plumber and, usually, an insurance conversation.

Common questions

How much water does a dripping tap waste?: A steady drip can run to thousands of litres a year. On an unmetered domestic supply that is not a bill issue, but it will stain the basin and corrode the fitting.
Why does the tap drip again a week later?: Usually the seat is pitted rather than the washer worn. The seat needs regrinding or the tap replacing.

Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.

Blocked sinks and slow drains
Clearing a kitchen, basin or shower waste before it becomes a leak under the unit.
Silicone and sealant renewal
Replacing failed bath, shower and worktop seals before the water gets into the structure.
Replacing a basin, toilet or tap
Swapping a cracked basin, dated toilet or failed tap without retiling the whole bathroom.

Last reviewed 5 September 2026.