Plumbing and heating businesses for sale

Work on water, drainage and gas installations in Denmark requires authorisation from the Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) and a responsible qualified person in the business. In many small plumbing firms that person is the owner. If the owner leaves, someone else with the right authorisation must step in — you, an employee or a new hire. Ask which areas the firm is authorised for, who holds the role today, and how the firm’s quality management system works in practice. Foreign qualifications usually need Danish recognition, so check this early if you plan to take the role yourself.

Service agreements on boilers, heat pumps and heating systems bring recurring revenue and regular client contact — often the most valuable part of a plumbing business. Bathroom renovations for homeowners carry good margins but need constant sales. New build and subcontracting bring volume, often at lower rates and with the risk of depending on one client. Ask for revenue split across the three, and for a list of service agreements with their terms.

Each fitter usually has a service van carrying stock. Ask for a vehicle list with age, mileage and leasing, and agree how stock in the vans and the store is counted at handover. Fitters transfer on their existing terms; ask about length of service, and whether anyone has personal client relationships that could leave with them.

• Authorisations, responsible person and quality management system.
• List of service agreements with term and annual value.
• Revenue split between service, renovation and new build.
• Vehicle and stock list with leases.
• Open complaints and warranties on completed work.

Read the general advice on buying a trade business, and compare with electrical contractors for sale.