Right to repair in Europe: what are you actually allowed to fix yourself?

Why are you hearing more about this?

"Right to repair" keeps popping up in the news — from smartphones to washing machines. For kitchen and bathroom products, things are changing too, though more slowly than for electronics. What does this concretely mean if you have a leaking tap or a broken Quooker?

What does right to repair actually mean?

It's not a single law, but a collection of EU rules requiring manufacturers to make products more repairable: keeping spare parts available longer, sharing repair information, and sometimes setting design requirements so parts are easier to replace.

What does this mean for you as a consumer?

• Manufacturers of an increasing number of product categories must keep spare parts available for years after purchase.
• You have the right to repair it yourself or bring in an independent party (like us), without this automatically voiding your warranty.
• For purely mechanical parts — taps, gas struts, sink components — DIY repair was already common practice, but legislation now puts this on firmer legal ground.

Where is the legislation still lagging behind?

The focus for now is mainly on electronics and household appliances (washing machines, fridges). For purely mechanical products like tap parts, a repair culture already existed, driven by the market itself — specialists like us have existed for 20+ years precisely to fill this gap.

What can you do with this practically?

Know that with a broken part, you're not automatically stuck with the manufacturer or an expensive service contract. An independent spare part of the same brand and quality is often legal, affordable, and just as sustainable.

Done? Here's your next step

Check whether the part you need is available separately — for most tap, gas strut and Quooker parts, it is. Not sure? Send a photo and we'll figure it out for you.