New bathrooms and kitchens show up on the register first

An extension application is a new bathroom, a relocated kitchen or an extra en suite months before anyone is asked to quote for it. Conversions are stronger still: turning one house into flats multiplies the bathrooms, kitchens and boilers on a single address, and the whole intention is public on the register from day one.

Descriptions do a lot of the qualifying for you. "Two storey side extension" is heating and first fix; "conversion to four self-contained flats" is four of everything; "annexe" is a full small dwelling. The application page here gives you the address and the description at a glance, with dates that tell you how far along the project is, so you can time a call for when the budget is real rather than hopeful.

Watch your working area with a daily alert and the register becomes a lead list that maintains itself. On the Trade plan you can watch five areas and hear about decisions as well as new applications; the day a conversion is granted is a good day to be the first plumber to make contact. For reading the timetable between submission and start on site, see how long decisions take.