Company Facts
Rather Be Plumbing at a Glance
The work
- Best for
- combined plumbing and heating work in older Greater Victoria homes
- Primary service
- Plumbing
Where
- Headquarters
- Victoria, BC
- Service area
- 2 cities
- Emergency service
- Business hours only
Money and guarantees
- Free estimates
- Not advertised
- Financing
- Not advertised
Editorial Review
Our Take on Rather Be Plumbing
The review volume is the standout here, and a 4.8 across more than twelve hundred entries is hard to fake with a small local customer base. The website badly needs an update, with COVID notices and review counts from years ago still sitting on the homepage, so treat it as a services list rather than a current source. Call for pricing, especially for after-hours and for anything out toward Sooke.
Best for: combined plumbing and heating work in older Greater Victoria homes
What We Like
- 4.8 rating from 1,233 Google reviews, read September 27, 2026, a large sample for the local market
- Plumbing and heating under one roof, including boilers, furnaces and fireplace installs
- Published 24/7 hours with stated same day and emergency service
- Perimeter drain and sewer work with both hand and machine excavation
- Family owned and operated, serving Greater Victoria from Sooke to Sidney
- Named strata maintenance service alongside residential work
Things to Consider
- The website carries outdated content, including COVID-era notices and a review count far below the current Google figure
- No pricing is published, so after-hours rates and call-out minimums need to be confirmed by phone
- Claims of Red Seal journeymen, BBB accreditation and a best price guarantee come from the company's own site and are worth verifying
- Broad general service focus rather than specialist new construction or custom build work
Google Reviews for Rather Be Plumbing
Customer ratings shown here come from Google. They are separate from our editorial review above.
Google rating
4.8
Based on 1233 Google reviews
Review data updated September 27, 2026
Rating Distribution
- 5 stars92%
- 4 stars4%
- 3 stars1%
- 2 stars1%
- 1 star2%
iAbout this distribution
The distribution reflects the 1233 Google reviews available when this profile's review data was last refreshed on September 27, 2026. Ratings and counts change continuously on Google, so figures here may lag the live profile slightly. We publish only the values returned by the source, never estimates for missing bands.
Editorial Ranking
Why Rather Be Plumbing Made Our Top 10
It holds position 5 in 10 Best Plumbers in Victoria, BC.
Services Offered
Areas Served
Based in Victoria, BC.
- Victoria, BC · HQ
- Saanichton, BC
iAbout service coverage
Coverage is as the business describes it, cross-checked against where its recent documented work is. A company will often travel beyond the areas listed here for a large job and decline a small one at the same distance, so confirm your address before scheduling.
About Rather Be Plumbing
Victoria's housing stock does a lot to shape what a plumber's week looks like here. Fairfield and James Bay are full of character homes with galvanised supply lines, cast iron waste stacks and clay perimeter drains that have been quietly silting up since the 1950s. Saanich and Langford lean newer, with more PEX, more tankless units and more strata-managed buildings. A company that covers the whole region has to be comfortable in both, and the service list at rather be plumbing reads that way: hand digging or machine digging for drain and sewer replacement, camera inspection, hydro jetting and snaking, copper soldering, water meters, sumps and pumps, along with straightforward fixture swaps and toilet repairs.
Heating is the other half of the business, and it matters more than people expect on the Island. Furnace and air handler work, boiler repair and installation, storage tanks and steam all appear on the company's own list, as do fireplace installs. Plenty of older Victoria homes still run hydronic systems or have a gas fireplace doing most of the winter heavy lifting. Being able to send one crew for a leaking boiler rather than a plumber who defers to a gas fitter is a practical advantage, particularly when the call comes in on a wet January evening.
The Google Business Profile records a 4.8 rating from 1,233 reviews, read on September 27, 2026. That is a substantial sample by local standards, and a score holding at 4.8 across that many entries usually means the everyday small jobs are being handled consistently, not just the showcase installs. Worth noting that the company's own website still refers to more than 300 Google reviews and a top three placing three years running, which suggests parts of the site have not been refreshed in a while. The COVID-19 notice about no contact protocols and virtual estimates is clearly a holdover from 2020. Neither of those things says anything about the plumbing, but it does mean the site is not the best place to check current details. Phone them.
Published hours are 24 hours a day, every day, and the About page describes same day service Monday through Sunday with 24 hour emergency coverage from Sooke to Sidney. That is a long geographic run. A burst line in Sooke at two in the morning is a different proposition from one in Oak Bay, and it is fair to ask what the after-hours rate is, whether there is a minimum charge, and how travel time is billed to the outer edges of the service area. Any honest shop will tell you plainly.
Perimeter drains deserve their own mention because they are one of the recurring expenses of owning a home in this climate. Victoria gets a long, steady wet season rather than dramatic storms, and older drain tile packs with silt and root intrusion until water starts finding the basement instead. The company lists perimeter drains and waterproofing as a named service and offers both hand and machine excavation, which is the right answer on tight Victoria lots where a mini excavator cannot always get past the hedge. If you are quoted for this work, ask for the camera footage before and after, ask whether the quote includes landscape reinstatement, and ask what pipe material is going back in.
On credentials, the site states Red Seal journeymen, Better Business Bureau accreditation, financing on repairs and installations, and a best price guarantee. Those are the company's claims and are worth confirming directly, along with current BC trade licensing and liability insurance, which is standard due diligence for any contractor. The BBB profile linked from the site is a reasonable second place to look.
Who does this suit. Homeowners who want one contractor for plumbing and heating, people dealing with drains and sewer lines on an older property, and strata councils, since strata maintenance is a named part of the business. It is a general service and repair company rather than a specialist in, say, high-end fixture installation or new construction rough-in, so a custom build might be better served elsewhere. For repair, replacement and the sort of call that cannot wait until Monday, rather be plumbing sits squarely in the group of Victoria shops worth phoning for a quote, and the volume of feedback behind that 4.8 gives you more to go on than most.
iWhere this information comes from
Company history, ownership and capability details on this page are provided by the business and reviewed by our editors for plausibility and consistency. They are not the same as the credentials block, where each item carries its own verification status and source.
Reputation by Source
We show each source separately rather than blending them into a single score, because they measure different things.
Google
4.8/ 5
1233 customer reviews
TenBestFind
Editorially reviewed
Ranked #5 in Victoria plumbers, September 2026
Project Photos
Business-submitted, reviewed by our editors
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Rather Be Plumbing FAQs
Does Rather Be Plumbing offer 24 hour emergency service in Victoria?
Yes. Published hours show open 24 hours every day of the week, and the company's own site describes same day service Monday to Sunday with 24 hour emergency coverage. Rates for after-hours calls are not published, so ask what the call-out charge and hourly rate are before dispatching someone late at night.
What areas around Victoria does the company cover?
The About page states service across Greater Victoria from Sooke to Sidney. That takes in Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Langford, Colwood and the peninsula. Because the western and northern edges are a fair drive from the Chesterlea Road base, it is sensible to confirm travel charges if you are out near either end.
How is Rather Be Plumbing rated?
Its Google Business Profile shows 4.8 stars from 1,233 reviews, read on September 27, 2026. That is a large review base for a Victoria plumber, and a score at that level across so many entries generally reflects steady handling of routine service calls rather than a handful of standout jobs.
Do they handle heating as well as plumbing?
Yes. The service list includes furnace and air handler work, boiler repair and installation, storage tanks, steam systems and fireplace installs alongside the plumbing side. For older Victoria homes running hydronic heat or relying on a gas fireplace, having one company able to cover both can save arranging a second trade.
Can they replace perimeter drains on a tight lot?
Perimeter drains and waterproofing are a named service, and the company states it digs by hand or by machine. Hand digging matters on the narrow older lots common in Fairfield and James Bay where an excavator cannot reach the side of the house. Ask for camera footage before and after the work, and check whether the quote covers putting the landscaping back.
Is financing available for larger jobs?
The website says financing is available for repairs, installations and service. No lender, terms or rates are listed, so confirm the details directly. For a hot water tank replacement or a full perimeter drain dig, it is worth getting the total in writing alongside any payment plan terms.
Do they work with strata buildings?
Yes, strata maintenance appears as a distinct part of the business on the company's site. Strata work usually involves scheduling around multiple units, coordinating with a property manager and documenting the work for the council, so ask how they handle access and reporting before booking.
Is Rather Be Plumbing licensed and insured?
We have no credential records on file for this company yet. Ask for the certificate directly from the insurer before booking work.
What areas does Rather Be Plumbing serve?
Victoria, Saanichton. Coverage is as the business describes it, cross-checked against where its recent documented work is. Confirm your address before scheduling, particularly at the edge of a service area.
Does Rather Be Plumbing offer emergency service?
Emergency availability is not listed for this company. If you need an urgent call-out, check the ranking for companies that do list it.
What warranty do they offer?
Warranty terms are not on file. Ask for them in writing before work starts.
How was this profile built?
Credentials come from issuing authorities, ratings from the company's Google Business Profile with the date we read them, and the editorial take from our own review of estimates, warranty documents and public feedback. Anything the business told us is labelled as reported.
Can a business pay to improve its profile?
A business can subscribe to manage its own listing details, and it can buy a labelled sponsored placement. Neither changes a ranking position or the editorial assessment on this page.
Is Something Incorrect?
Business information changes. Tell us about an address, phone, website, service area, credential or ownership change, or let us know if this company has closed.
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iWhat claiming does
Claiming lets you correct and maintain the factual information on this profile. Claiming or upgrading a profile does not guarantee inclusion in a TenBestFind ranking and never affects ranking position, which is decided editorially.
About This Business Profile
- Last reviewed
- September 2026
- Profile last updated
- September 27, 2026
- Google review data updated
- September 27, 2026
- Reviewed by
- Dana Whitfield, Senior editor, home services
- Sources checked
- Google Business Profile, Company website
- Sponsorship status
- No commercial relationship
Dana runs the editorial side of TenBestFind. She built the research process, decides which markets get covered next, and writes the plumbing and chimney rankings herself. Before this she spent eleven years as a consumer reporter covering contractor licensing and home improvement fraud.