A leaking or misbehaving toilet is one of the most common calls we get, and one of the most misunderstood. People either fear the worst, ripping the whole thing out, or assume it’s a five-minute washer job. The truth is usually in between, and the price depends entirely on what’s actually failed.
Most toilet problems live in the cistern, and most cisterns can be rebuilt rather than replaced. The price comes down to what’s worn out and whether the toilet is worth saving.
Here are three real jobs we’ve done around Perth, priced at our current rates. Each one shows what was wrong, what it cost, and why it cost that. Prices include GST.
Got a leaking toilet? There are no call-out fees. Call 1300 634 581 to book one of our local plumbers today.
Three Perth Toilet Repair Jobs and What They Cost
Suburb |
What caused the leak |
Work completed |
Cost including GST |
| Yokine | Worn inlet and outlet valves from age and everyday use | New inlet and outlet valves, plus a leaking garden tap replaced in the same visit | $661.98 |
| Ashfield | Tired cistern parts causing an intermittent leak, plus dripping kitchen taps | Full cistern rebuild, a new shower hose and new washers in the kitchen taps | $1,134.10 |
| Cottesloe | An old cistern reused on a pan it was never designed for, leaking through the bolt holes | New Caroma back-to-wall suite installed, plus shower and basin fixes in the same visit | $1,740.20 |
1. A Tired Toilet Serviced in Yokine
What was wrong
The toilet was leaking, and the cause was nothing more dramatic than age. Inside every cistern, the inlet valve refills the tank and the outlet valve releases the flush, and both rely on rubber seals that harden and lose their shape after years of daily use. Once those seals stop sitting tightly, water seeps past them into the bowl. There was no damage or misuse here, just a toilet that had done its job for a long time and needed its moving parts renewed.
What it cost
$661.98
Why it cost that
We gave the customer several options and they chose a full service: a new bottom inlet valve and outlet valve, the two parts that do all the work inside a cistern and the two that wear out. While we were there, the free plumbing health check we do on every job picked up a leaking garden tap, so that was replaced in the same visit rather than becoming a second call-out later. One visit, toilet sorted, garden tap sorted.
2. A Full Cistern Rebuild in Ashfield
What was wrong
The toilet at an elderly parent’s house was leaking intermittently, the hardest kind of fault to pin down. A leak that comes and goes usually points to a seal or valve that only lets go some of the time, so the toilet can look fine one minute and be running the next. That makes it easy to put off, even though every running flush is water and money down the drain. On top of that, the kitchen taps were dripping, which is exactly the kind of small problem worth sorting for an older homeowner before it becomes a bigger one.
What it cost
$1,134.10
Why it cost that
We gave three repair options and the customer chose the recommended one: a complete cistern rebuild with a new inlet valve, outlet valve, flexi hose, bolster and foam washer, plus a new shower hose. The kitchen taps are the honest part of this story. When we dismantled them we found a previous plumber had fitted a plastic seat that can’t be machined, so we fitted new washers and told the customer straight: the taps may still drip, and the permanent fix is replacing the wall breech. We’d rather explain that on the day than have a customer think a repair failed.
3. The Toilet That Was Never Going to Seal in Cottesloe
What was wrong
A downstairs toilet was leaking through the cistern bolt holes. The cause: somewhere in the past, an old cistern had been reused on a newer pan it was never designed for. Cisterns and pans are made as matching pairs, with their bolt positions, seals and outlets lined up to suit each other, so two unrelated parts never sit quite right. Here there were no bolts and no proper seal, which meant water escaped with every flush, and no amount of servicing would ever fix it.
What it cost
$1,740.20
Why it cost that
This is the job where repair wasn’t on the table, and we said so. We sourced a suite that actually fits the existing set-up, removed the old mismatched pair, and installed a new Caroma back-to-wall suite with a new mini stop isolation tap and flexi hose. While on site we also replaced the ensuite shower head, hose and wall attachment, and cleaned out a basin aerator that was blocked with sand and thread tape. Mix-and-match toilet parts are a false economy: when the cistern and pan don’t belong together, the leak always wins.
Need a Toilet Repair in Perth? Talk to Swan’s Professional Plumbing
If your toilet is doing something it shouldn’t anywhere around Perth or Peel, give us a call. At Swan’s Professional Plumbing, our licensed Perth plumbers will ask you to describe what it’s doing, give you an honest steer on repair versus replace, and explain what’s involved before anyone touches a spanner.
You’ll get upfront pricing with no call-out fees, and we’ll talk you through your options before any work starts. No surprises on the invoice, just a toilet that works properly and peace of mind.
Members get 15% off the labour on every job, so if you use us regularly it’s worth asking how that works when you book.
Call us on 1300 634 581 or book online below.
FAQ
Most toilet repairs are cistern work, such as new valves or a full rebuild, and sit in the hundreds. In the jobs above, the Yokine service came to $661.98 and the Ashfield rebuild to $1,134.10, both including extra fixes done in the same visit. Where the toilet itself was the problem, a new suite at Cottesloe cost $1,740.20.
Usually, yes. Most toilet problems live in the cistern, and most cisterns can be rebuilt rather than replaced. The exception is when the toilet is beyond saving or made up of parts that don't belong together, and then replacement is the honest answer.
The inlet valve and the outlet valve. They're the two parts that do all the work inside a cistern, so they're also the two that wear out. Replacing them is often all a tired toilet needs.
One cause is a cistern and pan that were never designed to go together. At Cottesloe, an old cistern had been reused on a newer pan, with no bolts and no proper seal, so no amount of servicing would fix it. When the parts don't match, replacing the suite is the only lasting fix.
Yes. In all three jobs above, we sorted other issues while we were there, from a leaking garden tap at Yokine to a new shower hose at Ashfield and a blocked basin aerator at Cottesloe. It saves you a second call-out later.
