Published 7 November 2026 · Last updated 10 November 2026
Quick answer: Before you sign with a walk-in shower or wet room installer, check who the business really is on Companies House, whether it is registered with TrustMark or a trade scheme for this kind of work, and who will do and certify any electrical or gas work. Get a written fixed quote, keep any deposit small, pay by card where you can, and know that a contract signed at home usually gives you 14 days to cancel.
Last checked: 7 November 2026. What we checked: GOV.UK (Companies House, competent person schemes, Approved Document P, Disabled Facilities Grants), Planning Portal, TrustMark, HSE on Gas Safe Register, and Citizens Advice on home improvements, card payments and cancelling building work.
Who this is for: anyone choosing a firm to fit a walk-in shower, wet room or walk-in bath, whether paying privately or through a council grant.
This is general consumer information, not legal advice. An occupational therapist (OT) or council assessment is the best way to confirm which adaptation suits the person who will use it.
Start with the person, then the firm
If the bathroom is for someone with a disability or long-term condition, ask the council for an OT assessment before you collect quotes. It tells you what the room needs to do (a level floor, a seat, space for a carer, where the rails go), so every installer quotes for the same thing.
If a grant may pay, the order matters more. GOV.UK says starting work before a Disabled Facilities Grant is approved may make you ineligible, and that planning permission or building regulations approval has to be applied for separately. Councils handle contractors in different ways. Amber Valley Borough Council, for example, normally asks for three written estimates and lets applicants use its grants team or their own agent and contractor. Ask your council how it works before you commit to any installer. Our Disabled Facilities Grant guide covers the process.
Want a shortlist first? Our list of accessible bathroom companies is a starting point, not an endorsement. The checks below apply to any firm.
Check 1: who is the business?
Search the company name on Companies House. GOV.UK says the free service shows the registered address, incorporation date, current and former officers, previous company names and insolvency information.
What to look for:
- the name on the quote matches the registered name and number
- the company is active, not dissolved or in liquidation
- how long it has traded, and whether the directors have run firms that closed recently
- previous names, which can show a rebrand after problems
Sole traders and partnerships do not appear on Companies House, so a missing record is not a warning sign by itself. Ask for a trading address and landline as well as a mobile; Citizens Advice suggests being wary of a trader who only gives a mobile number.
Then look the firm up in our directory of mobility and bathroom companies and read what other customers say.
Check 2: TrustMark and trade schemes
TrustMark describes itself as the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in or around the home. According to TrustMark, registered businesses must:
- have a complaints process
- give a guarantee of at least two years
- carry insurance in case they stop trading, covering workmanship for two years after completion, putting right defects or major damage, and failure to meet building regulations
Check that the business is registered for the trade it is doing for you, not just a related one. TrustMark’s complaints route runs from the business, to its scheme provider, then to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. It cannot help if the firm was not registered when the work was done.
Citizens Advice adds a simple habit: if a trader names a scheme or association, check the member list on that body’s own website. A logo on a van or quote proves nothing.
Check 3: electrical work and electric showers
Most walk-in showers and wet rooms involve electrics: an electric shower, extractor fan, lighting or underfloor heating. In England, Approved Document P (building regulations for electrical safety in homes) makes these jobs notifiable:
- installing a new circuit
- replacing a consumer unit (fuse box)
- adding to or altering circuits in a “special location”, which includes the space around a bath or shower
So if fitting an electric shower means running a new circuit, or changing a circuit in the bathroom zone, the work is notifiable. Straight replacements and repairs are not.
The simplest route is an electrician registered with a competent person scheme. Approved Document P says they should give whoever ordered the work a BS 7671 electrical installation certificate, and that the occupier should receive a building regulations compliance certificate within 30 days. If the installer is not registered, building control must be notified before work starts.
Nations: Approved Document P is for England. The Welsh Government authorises its own competent person schemes, including for electrical work in homes. Outside England, ask your council’s building control team which electrical work in a bathroom must be notified, and whether your electrician can self-certify it.
Check 4: gas work
If the job touches a gas boiler, gas water heater or gas pipework, the engineer must be on the Gas Safe Register. HSE says this is a legal requirement, and the register covers Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey. Ask to see the ID card. HSE notes the back lists the types of gas work the engineer is qualified for, so check it covers what they are doing.
Check 5: building regulations and planning
Planning Portal says internal changes, such as converting a bathroom into a wet room, do not need planning permission. It says building regulations approval is likely when the work affects the room’s structure, drainage, ventilation or electrics, or when a bathroom is added where there was none. Replacing a toilet or basin with an accessible model needs neither.
Do not assume every refit needs a full application, and do not assume none does. Ask the installer in writing:
- Does this job need building regulations approval?
- Who will apply or self-certify, and which certificate will I get at the end?
- Are the fees in the quote?
Listed buildings are different: Planning Portal says significant internal or external works need listed building consent.
Check 6: wet room waterproofing
A wet room floor and walls have to hold water that would normally sit in a tray. Ask what waterproofing (tanking) system the installer uses, whether it is a named manufacturer’s system, and whether that manufacturer’s guarantee depends on approved installers. Ask how they will form the slope to the drain and how they treat a timber floor. We have not set out a British Standard here because we could not confirm which one applies to the whole job; ask the installer which standards or manufacturer instructions they work to. Our wet room installation questions and walk-in bath installation questions cover product-specific points.
The quote and the contract
Citizens Advice explains the difference plainly: a quote is a fixed price, an estimate is a rough guess. Get written quotes from at least three firms. Its guidance says a quote should show:
- the fixed total price
- a breakdown of work and materials
- how long the quote is valid
- whether VAT is included
- when, if ever, the price could change
The contract should add start and finish dates (and what happens if they slip), who removes waste and pays for skips, who buys materials, how and when you pay, and how long the guarantee lasts, what it covers and whether it passes to a future owner.
If the person is disabled or chronically ill, ask how the installer will handle VAT relief. Our guide to VAT relief on walk-in showers and bathroom adaptations covers what HMRC lets installers zero-rate, and our guide to VAT exemption on mobility equipment covers everything else.
Deposits and how to pay
Citizens Advice advice on payments:
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Pay in stages tied to finished work | Paying everything upfront |
| Keep any deposit to 25% or less, with a receipt | Cash-only traders |
| Ask whether the deposit is insured or held in an escrow account with an FCA-registered firm | Bank transfers for large sums where you can pay by card |
| Pay by credit card where possible | Daily-rate pricing that can draw a job out |
Paying by credit card can give you a Section 75 claim against the card provider if something goes wrong. Citizens Advice says it applies to items costing from £100.01 to £30,000, and that paying even part, such as a deposit, by credit card can cover the full price. Debit card payments may be covered by chargeback instead, but only for the amount paid on that card. Cash and bank transfers get neither.
If the firm fails mid-job, our page on what happens when a mobility company goes bust covers deposits and guarantees.
Your 14 days to cancel
If you agreed the work at home, by phone or online, Citizens Advice says you usually have a 14-day cooling-off period, starting the day after you give the go-ahead. If the firm did not give you cancellation information, the period is extended, up to a maximum of one year. If you ask for work to start inside the 14 days, you may have to pay for what has been done. Made-to-measure products may be excluded.
Citizens Advice gives the same rules in its separate pages for Scotland and Wales. Be wary of anyone pressing you to let work start straight away. Our guide to cancelling a contract signed at home has the detail.
Aftercare
Before you sign, ask:
- How long is the workmanship guarantee, and is it insurance-backed if you stop trading?
- Who do I call if the shower leaks or the drain blocks, and how fast do you attend?
- Are product warranties registered in my name?
- Will I get all certificates (electrical, building control, Gas Safe) when you finish?
Printable installer checklist
| Check | Where | Done |
|---|---|---|
| OT or council assessment, if needed | Council adult social care | |
| Grant approved before any work starts | Council grants team | |
| Company active, name and number match quote | Companies House | |
| Reviews read | Review Mobility directory | |
| TrustMark or trade scheme, for this trade | Scheme’s own website | |
| Electrician registered with a competent person scheme | Scheme register | |
| Gas Safe ID card checked (if gas work) | Card and register | |
| Building regulations: who applies or self-certifies | Written answer from installer | |
| Waterproofing system named, with guarantee terms | Quote | |
| Written fixed quote, VAT stated | Quote | |
| Deposit 25% or less, receipt, paid by card | Contract and receipt | |
| Cancellation information given in writing | Contract | |
| Guarantee length and cover in writing | Contract |
What to do next
- Book an OT assessment, or contact the council first if a grant may pay.
- Get three written quotes for the same specification.
- Run the Companies House and scheme checks on each firm.
- Ask who will certify electrical, gas and building work, and get it in writing.
- Pay a small deposit by credit card and keep the cancellation notice.
- Look each firm up in our directory and read reviews before you sign. If something goes wrong later, use our guide on how to complain about a mobility company.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need building regulations approval for a wet room?
Not always. Planning Portal says approval is likely when the work affects structure, drainage, ventilation or electrics, or adds a bathroom where there was none. Many wet room jobs touch at least one of these. Ask the installer in writing whether approval is needed and who will get it. Electrical work can be self-certified by a registered electrician, which avoids a separate building control application for that part.
Can a plumber fit an electric shower?
A plumber can fit the shower unit, but the electrical connection needs to meet building regulations. In England, new circuits and changes to circuits near a bath or shower are notifiable. A registered competent person can self-certify and should give you a certificate. Ask whether the electrician is registered, or whether building control will be notified.
How much deposit should a bathroom installer ask for?
There is no legal maximum. Citizens Advice suggests not paying everything upfront, keeping any deposit to no more than 25%, getting a receipt, and checking whether the deposit is insured or held in escrow. Paying the deposit by credit card can give you Section 75 protection on the full price, within the limits.
Does the council choose the installer if I get a grant?
It depends on the council. Some run their own grants team or home improvement agency, and some ask for several written estimates before agreeing the grant amount. Amber Valley, for example, normally asks for three estimates and lets you use your own contractor. Ask your council before signing anything, because starting work before approval may make you ineligible.
Is a TrustMark installer guaranteed to do a good job?
No scheme can guarantee that. TrustMark says registered businesses are vetted, must have a complaints process and must give a minimum two-year guarantee backed by insurance. That gives you a route to complain and some cover if the firm stops trading. It is one check among several, alongside reviews, Companies House and a clear written contract.
Can I cancel if the installer has already ordered materials?
Within the 14-day cooling-off period you can usually cancel a contract agreed at home. Citizens Advice says made-to-measure products may not be covered, and if you asked for work to start early you may have to pay for work already done. Cancel in writing and keep proof you sent it.
Sources
- Get information about a company – Companies House, GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Disabled Facilities Grants: Eligibility – GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Agents and contractors – Amber Valley Borough Council, accessed 7 November 2026
- TrustMark – TrustMark, accessed 7 November 2026
- Consumer Protection – TrustMark, accessed 7 November 2026
- Complaints Process – TrustMark, accessed 7 November 2026
- Electrical safety: Approved Document P – Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities / GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Approved Document P: electrical safety, dwellings (2013 edition, PDF) – GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Competent person schemes – GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Building work: competent person schemes – Welsh Government, accessed 7 November 2026
- Gas Safe Register – Health and Safety Executive, accessed 7 November 2026
- Accessible adaptations – Mini Guide – Planning Portal, accessed 7 November 2026
- Before you get work done on your home – Citizens Advice, accessed 7 November 2026
- Getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal – Citizens Advice, accessed 7 November 2026
- Cancelling building or decorating work – Citizens Advice (England), accessed 7 November 2026
- Cancelling building or decorating work – Citizens Advice Scotland, accessed 7 November 2026
- Cancelling building or decorating work – Citizens Advice (Wales), accessed 7 November 2026
Published 7 November 2026 · Last updated 10 November 2026
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