How we chose
We started from the Telford heating firms shown on Google Maps. Scheme memberships were sourced from the Gas Safe Register, each firm's own website and the HETAS and OFTEC listings, each recorded with where it was found [1] [8] [9]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Twelve firms were researched and six met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the person to the job first. A heating engineer owns your boiler and the whole heating system: installation, servicing, repair, controls and radiators. Any work on gas, from a boiler swap to a cooker connection, must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and working on gas appliances without registration is illegal [2] [6]. Oil boilers belong to an OFTEC technician and stoves to a HETAS-registered installer [8] [9]. If your job mixes trades, say a bathroom move with the boiler staying put, ask who does which part before anyone starts.
Check the registration before you book. Ask for the Gas Safe number, type it into the search on the Gas Safe Register site and check the name that comes back matches the business you are hiring [1]. When the engineer arrives, ask to see the Gas Safe ID card and check the back: it lists the appliances and fuels they are qualified for, so a boilers-only card does not cover your gas fire. A logo on a van proves nothing on its own. If the number does not match or the firm cannot give you one, find out why before anyone touches the boiler.
If you let property, the annual gas safety check is your core document. Landlords must have every gas appliance and flue checked once a year by a Gas Safe engineer and give tenants the written record [3]. A landlord certificate typically costs less than a full service [6]. Put the check in the diary for the same month each year and keep every record with the tenancy papers, since you will need them if anything goes wrong. Owner-occupiers face no such legal duty, but manufacturers usually require an annual service to keep the warranty valid [5].
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, so you compare like with like [7]. Each quote should name the boiler make and model, the flue route, whether a system flush and filter are included, which controls come with it, the start date and how long the heating will be off, how mess and making-good are handled, and payment stages. A deposit for the boiler is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Treat an outlier far above or below the others as a question, not an answer, and ask what it leaves out.
For a new boiler, ask whether the quote assumes a straight swap or allows for pipework changes, moving the boiler, upgrading the flue or condensate route, and scaffolding if the flue is hard to reach [4]. Ask what system cleaning is included, since sludge left in old radiators shortens a new boiler's life, and confirm the magnetic filter and smart controls are itemised rather than assumed [4] [6]. Agree who registers the warranty and what commissioning paperwork you will receive, and do not pay the balance until you hold it.
On the day, expect the engineer to test before and after the work and to leave you the commissioning paperwork for the boiler with the warranty registration details [5]. File these with your house papers alongside the quote and invoice. You will need them at sale or re-let, and for any warranty claim. If anything feels rushed or the heating behaves oddly afterwards, call the firm back first with dates and symptoms written down.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a like-for-like combi swap usually costs £2,500 to £4,000 fitted, with installation labour around £1,000 to £2,000 of that total [4]. Moving the boiler or changing its type can push installation costs past £3,000 as pipework, flue and controls change with it [4]. Smart controls add around £150 and a magnetic filter around £60 to £160 plus fitting [4]. These figures come from a national cost guide updated in spring 2026, so treat them as brackets, not quotes.
A one-off gas boiler service typically costs £80 to £120, averaging around £100 [5]. A landlord safety certificate runs £55 to £90, a service with a power flush £350 to £650, and a service with a filter fitted £140 to £250 [6]. Repairs average £120 to £750, with emergency call-outs typically £225 to £675 [5]. Boiler cover sits around £8 to £13 a month, or £180 to £300 a year with central heating included [5].
Access moves the price most: relocating the boiler, rerouting the flue, draining down an awkward system, and travel and parking across Telford all add time [4]. The age and sludge in the existing system, whether radiators need upgrading, and add-ons such as filters and controls move it further. Ask whether the quote includes a call-out fee and whether VAT sits on top, since guides and quotes do not always treat it the same way.
Firms in this round all offer quotes or quote forms but publish almost no example rates, so treat any single fixed price for a large job with no breakdown as a question, not an answer. Get the scope in writing before work starts: the exact boiler, flush, filter, controls and certificates included, and what changes the price if the engineer finds worse pipework than expected. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice and certificate together [7].
Red flags
Touches a gas appliance but cannot give a Gas Safe number you can check yourself on the register [1].
Prices a new boiler without visiting or asking for photos of the boiler, flue and controls.
Gives one fixed price for a full install with no breakdown of boiler, labour, extras and VAT [7].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [7].
Finishes an install with no commissioning paperwork and no warranty registration [5].
Treats a failed landlord safety check as nothing to worry about instead of quoting the remedial work [3].
Will not put the scope, price and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with LMS Heating Solutions: stated Gas Safe cover, mainstream brands fitted and help round the clock for installs and servicing. Its insurance reads only as fully insured and its pricing stops at clear quotes, so ask for the insurance papers and an itemised fixed quote first. If you want one established firm for heating, cover and stoves instead, Shropshire Gas is the close alternative.
Match the firm to the job: Shropshire Heating and Plumbing where an insurance statement and guarantee matter, Shropshire Gas and Heating for a family firm with upfront costs, and 365 Plumber or Heating Services Telford for repairs with plain pricing. Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, and hold the commissioning paperwork and warranty details before you pay the balance.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.