The Nice-House Tax: Did Your Plumber’s Price Go Up When He Heard Your Address?

I had a plumber ask me, “Are you in that complex? The condos?”

I said yeah.

“Oh. Oh, okay. Well, we usually charge… but this is going to be…”

I knew it right there. That’s the tax.

Just because we have a condo doesn’t mean we’re billionaires. We’re like everybody else who owns a home.

What the nice-house tax is

It’s when the price changes because of where you live, not because of the job.

Same clogged toilet. Same 30 minutes of work. But your zip code looks expensive, or your driveway has a nice car in it, so the number goes up.

Say you live out in the Hamptons. Watch what happens to the quote.

Some of it is just instinct. A guy sees a big house and figures you can afford it. I get it. But it’s not right, and it’s not ethical.

How to see it coming

Before you say anything about your house, call and ask it straight. Something like:

“I have a clogged toilet. I’m in [your town]. What do you usually charge for that?”

If they come back with, “Why are you asking what we usually charge?” just be honest:

“Sorry, I’ve had bad experiences with people charging me more.”

An honest plumber will just tell you the number. It gives the other kind a little jolt. Now they know you’re paying attention.

What’s fair and what isn’t

Some things really do change the price. That’s fine:

• Distance. If they’re driving way out to you, that costs them time and gas.
• Off hours. Middle of the night, weekends, holidays. Like when a frozen pipe bursts at 3 AM.
• A harder job. If the problem turns out to be bigger, the price can go up. That’s real.
• Your house looking expensive. No. That’s a load of crap.

To the plumbers reading this

You might think somebody with a $3 million house won’t notice. They will. And they’ll respect you a lot more if you charge them the same as everyone else.

You’d never do that to somebody’s grandma. So don’t do it to anybody.

At the end of the day you have to look at yourself in the mirror. I get it, you have bills too. Everybody does. So set fair prices, and if costs go up, just say so. “Hey, prices went up, I hate to do it.” People get that.

And word gets around. People talk. There’s this thing called the telephone, and the internet. If you charge different numbers in different neighborhoods, somebody’s going to compare.

Oh, and the credit card fee

Don’t even get me started on the “3% extra if you use a card” thing. It’s insulting. Same with “well, if you pay cash, it’s this price.” We all know why some guys want cash.

Here’s something most people don’t know. In New York, since February 2024, a business that adds a credit card surcharge has to post the highest total price, with the surcharge already in it, up front. And the surcharge can’t be more than what the card company actually charges them.

So if a plumber springs a card fee on you at the end, after giving you a lower number, that’s not how it’s supposed to work.

My take? Just build it into your price. Do it the honest way.

Bottom line

Ask for the usual price before you mention anything about your home, and expect the same price your neighbor would get. A good plumber tells you the price before starting. If the number jumps the second they hear your address, keep calling around.

Sources: NY Department of State, Credit Card Surcharge Guide (2024), Erie County Consumer Protection, GBL §518.