Reference
Google review rules for plumbers, heating engineers and electricians, on one page
Ask every customer, offer nothing in return, and never write, filter or trade away a review. What Google's policy and UK law say about each common practice, with the source for every line.
Google review rules for plumbers, heating engineers and electricians come from two places: Google’s own policy, and UK consumer law as explained by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). airstad local sends review requests for trade businesses in Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and London, and every request follows the rules on this page. The table below sets out the common practices one by one, with a link to the source of each rule.
What are the Google review rules for a trade business?
Ask every customer, offer nothing in return, and never write, filter or trade away a review. Google’s policy is stricter than UK law on incentives, so a trade business that follows Google’s policy also stays inside the law.
| Practice | Allowed? | What Google’s policy says | What UK law and the CMA say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asking every customer for a review, with a link to your review form | Yes | Google’s help pages tell owners they can ask customers for reviews with a link or QR code (opens in a new tab) . | Asking customers generally whether they want to leave a review “is not prohibited” (CMA208, 3.6 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| Asking only the customers you think were happy | No | Owners may not “selectively solicit positive reviews from customers” (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | Encouraging “just those who are satisfied to leave reviews” is cherry-picking, which can break the law (CMA208, 4.3 and 4.5 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| Stopping review requests after a bad job or a bad week | No | Google’s policy does not name this practice. It bans owners who “discourage or prohibit negative reviews” (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | Traders should not affect negative reviews “by arbitrarily stopping and starting review invitations” (CMA208, 4.4 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| A discount, cash or a free service in return for a review | No, on Google | Google bans incentives “such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services” for posting any review (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | UK law bans a review that hides it was incentivised. An incentive is lawful only if the review says so (the Act, Schedule 20, paragraph 13 (opens in a new tab) ; CMA208, 3.7 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| A prize draw for customers who leave a review | Our view: no | Google’s list of banned incentives gives examples and does not name prize draws (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | A prize draw “is unlikely to amount to commissioning” a review under UK law (CMA208, footnote 8 (opens in a new tab) ). We would treat a prize draw as an incentive on Google and not run one. |
| Reviews written by you or your staff, or by anyone who has not used your service | No | Google bans reviews based on a conflict of interest, including “current or former employment” (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | A review that is not based on a person’s genuine experience is a fake review, banned since 6 April 2025 (the Act, Schedule 20, paragraph 13 (opens in a new tab) ). Asking staff to write a review counts as commissioning one (CMA208, 2.10 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| Offering a refund or a fix if a customer changes or removes a bad review | No | Google bans incentives for the “revision or removal of a negative review” (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ). | Making a fix depend on a customer not leaving a negative review can break the law (CMA208, 4.4 (opens in a new tab) ). |
| Showing only your best reviews on your website or leaflets | Not if it gives a false picture | Google’s review policy covers reviews on Google, not your own website. | Highlighting positive reviews “when these do not reflect the experience being reported by reviewers overall” can break the law (CMA208, 4.3 and 4.5 (opens in a new tab) ). |
Is it legal to offer a discount for a Google review in the UK?
A discount for a Google review breaks Google’s policy, even in the cases where UK law would allow it. The two rules differ:
- UK law allows an incentive for a review only if the review makes the incentive clear, and the review still reflects the customer’s genuine experience (CMA208, 3.7 (opens in a new tab) ).
- Google’s policy bans offering payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for posting any review, whether or not the incentive is disclosed (Google policy (opens in a new tab) ).
- The safe rule for a trade business is Google’s stricter one: offer nothing in return for a review.
What happens to a business that breaks the review rules?
Google can put a public warning on a business’s listing and stop it taking new reviews. Google agreed these measures with the CMA in January 2025, and the CMA published them (opens in a new tab) . The CMA can now fine a business up to 10% of its global turnover (opens in a new tab) for breaking consumer law.
What routine keeps a trade business inside the review rules?
Ask every customer on the day the job ends, send one reminder, and reply to every review. The first and last steps come from Google’s help page on asking for and replying to reviews (opens in a new tab) . The single reminder after three or four days is our view, not a rule.
- Ask every customer, by text or email, with the direct link to your review form.
- Send one reminder after three or four days, then stop.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, calmly and without details the customer would not want public.
The full routine, with how to answer a bad review, is in our guide to Google reviews for plumbers, heating engineers and electricians .
Can you print or share this page?
Yes. Trade associations, merchants, accountants and trade businesses are welcome to print this page, or to share and copy the table, with a credit and a link to this page. The rules on this page were last checked against their sources on 11 October 2026. If you would rather not run review requests yourself, airstad local does it for every customer you send us .
Sources
This page sets out what Google, the Act and the CMA say, with links to each. It is practical guidance, not legal advice on your own situation.
- Google Maps: prohibited and restricted content in reviews (opens in a new tab)
- Google Business Profile Help: ask customers for reviews and reply to them (opens in a new tab)
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20, paragraph 13 (opens in a new tab)
- CMA: fake reviews guidance (CMA208), 4 April 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- CMA: changes secured from Google to tackle fake reviews (opens in a new tab)
- CMA: the new consumer protection regime and its fines (opens in a new tab)
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