How to Write a Letter to a Homeowner Who's Just Got Planning Permission

The first letter I sent out to a planning applicant got binned. I'm fairly confident of that, because I never heard a word back, and the job - a rear extension needing a full new bathroom - went quiet for months before someone else's van started turning up on the street. The second letter, sent to a near-identical job a few streets over, got a reply inside four days and turned into a £2,400 bathroom fit.

Same idea. Same target. Completely different letter. That gap is the whole point of this post - the planning approval gets you the address, but the letter is what actually gets you the reply. Here's the template I landed on, what to put in it, and just as importantly, what to leave out.

What a Better Letter Is Actually Worth

Most plumbers who try this send something close to a generic sales flyer - "we do bathrooms, call us" with a logo slapped on. It gets treated like every other bit of post that lands the same week: junk. A letter that reads like it was written by a real person, about their real project, gets treated completely differently.

	Generic flyer	Targeted letter (this template)
Letters sent per year (12/month)	144	144
Response rate	2-3%	8-10%
Replies per year	~4	~13
Jobs won (roughly half convert)	~2	~6-7
Revenue at £2,500 avg extension job	£5,000	£15,000-17,500

Same council portal, same stamps, same twelve letters a month. The only thing that changed is the words on the page, and it's worth £10,000 a year or more. Read that last number again - that's not the value of finding the leads, that's just the value of writing to them properly once you have.

The Letter Template

Keep it to one side of A4. Reference the specific approved work - this is what separates you from a generic flyer and proves you're not spamming the whole street. Here's the structure I use:

Dear [Homeowner name, or "Resident" if not known],

I noticed your planning application for [specific work, e.g. "the rear extension at [address]"] was approved recently - congratulations on getting it through.

I'm [name], a Gas Safe registered plumber based in [area], and I work on a lot of extensions and loft conversions like this one. Jobs like yours usually need [1-2 specific things, e.g. "a new bathroom supply and waste run, plus moving a radiator or two"], and I'd be glad to have a quick look and give you an honest quote - no obligation either way.

If you've already got someone lined up, no bother at all, and I won't contact you again about this. If not, feel free to call or text me on [phone number], or reply to this letter with your email and I'll get back to you.

Best of luck with the build,
[Name]
[Phone / email]
[Gas Safe number]

That's it. No logo header, no "10 reasons to choose us," no price list. Just a specific, short, human letter.

What to Include

• The specific approved work - not "I heard you're doing building work," but the actual project type from the application. This is the single biggest driver of response rate, because it proves you've actually looked at their case.
• Your Gas Safe number - the one credential that matters to a homeowner vetting a stranger who wants into their house.
• An easy way to say no - "if you've already got someone, no bother" removes the awkwardness of ignoring a sales pitch, which paradoxically makes people more likely to reply either way.
• A real phone number you'll actually answer - if the reply goes to voicemail and nobody calls back, the whole exercise was wasted.

What to Leave Out

Here's the contrarian bit, because most direct mail advice gets this backwards for this specific use case: I think a professionally designed letter hurts you more than it helps. The moment it looks like a printed flyer - glossy paper, a logo, a tri-fold - the brain files it as junk mail before reading a word of it. A plain, slightly rough one-side-of-A4 that reads like an actual person wrote it about their actual house gets read. A polished marketing piece gets binned with the same afternoon's pizza menus.

Skip the price, too. Quoting a number before you've seen the job either scares people off or locks you into an estimate you'll regret. The letter's only job is to get a reply - the quote happens after you've actually looked at the work.

For the fuller picture on which applications are worth writing to in the first place and how to time it - roughly one to three weeks after approval is the sweet spot - see how to find plumbing jobs on council planning portals.

What The Best Plumbers Do About It

The plumbers who make this work treat the letter as a template they refine, not a one-off they write from scratch each time. Same structure, same tone, just the specific job details swapped in - printed in batches of ten or twelve once a week alongside the portal search. It's a fifteen-minute habit, not a marketing project.

I write and test these letters myself, sending them out to real addresses to see what actually gets a reply rather than guessing. The version above is the one that's worked best so far - short, specific, and clearly written by a person rather than a marketing department.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need permission to write to a homeowner from a planning application?

No prior consent is needed. Planning applications are public record specifically so interested parties - including tradespeople - can see them. A physical letter to the site address is standard, legitimate business post. Include a clear line offering not to contact them again and you're on solid ground.

Should I include my prices in the letter?

No. A number quoted before you've seen the job either undersells or overshoots, and either way it's the wrong first impression. The letter's only job is to get a reply - the quote comes after a proper look at the work.

How many of these letters will actually get a reply?

A generic flyer-style letter typically gets a 2-3% response rate. A specific, personalised letter referencing the actual approved work tends to land closer to 8-10%. Out of 144 letters a year, that's the difference between roughly 4 replies and roughly 13.

Should I follow up if I don't hear back?

One follow-up a few weeks later is reasonable if the project hasn't started on site yet - a builder's skip appearing is usually your signal that the plumbing has already been arranged. Beyond one follow-up, further contact starts to feel like pestering rather than a genuine offer.

What if I don't know the homeowner's name?

Planning applications don't always list a name you can use with confidence. "Dear Resident" is a perfectly acceptable opener - it's a small thing compared to referencing the specific approved work correctly, which is what actually earns the reply.

Writing a good letter gets you the reply. Finding the right addresses to send it to in the first place is the part that eats the real time - checking multiple council portals every week, filtering out anything that isn't plumbing-relevant. That's exactly what Planning Leads automates: a weekly digest of approved, plumbing-relevant applications in your area, with a letter template ready to personalise using the structure above. Founding members lock in £19/mo for the first 50 plumbers - free to join, no obligation: plumberproai.co.uk/planning-leads

Written by Alexander McVicar