When you need some work doing to your property, it can be hard to know where to turn to. It can also be a dauting prospect giving strangers access to your property and sacrificing a good amount of privacy.
The building trade unfortunately has its fair share of crooks and cowboy builders and stories of these dodgy tradespeople leaving people’s homes in disrepair are all too common.
When it comes to your home, nobody wants to cut corners. Even if a tradesperson does not have ill intentions, they may not be up to the job or not be sufficiently qualified, meaning you’ll have wasted money and time on them.
It’s therefore vitally important that when choosing a tradesperson or company to do work on your property that they are reputable and know what they are doing. In this article, we look at how to source the best tradespeople to help you avoid a nasty situation.
How to fund trusted tradespeople
Like most things, home improvements and the building trade have largely moved online. There are a variety of websites out there, such as Checkatrade.com and RatedPeople.com that allow you to search for suitable and reliable tradespeople.
These sites allow you to enter the details of the works you are looking to achieve, as well as your budget, and will match you with tradespeople in your area who match the details you’ve entered. Tradespeople will pay a small fee to be put in contact with you, that way you know they are serious about the job. You’ll receive quotes and you’ll be able to see reviews from previous customers for each tradesperson.
To get on these websites, tradespeople usually have to complete a number of checks to verify their legitimacy, including identity checks, gas safe accreditation checks and Public Liability Insurance.
Ask if your tradesperson can provide a building regulations compliance certificate. This is required for work that involves electrical, plumbing, gas and replacing windows. It is part of the Competent Persons Scheme, a government run accreditation scheme that confirms work has been done in line with building regulations.
Aside from using the Internet, a good way to ensure quality is through recommendations. A recommendation from someone you know will give you the necessary confidence, especially if you have seen their handiwork for yourself.
If you find a tradesperson who has either not been verified on the Internet or through a recommendation, you should ask the tradesperson for at least three references from previous clients. You should ask to speak to them either over the phone or in person, that way you see their work for yourself, or alternatively you could ask them to send you photos of their handiwork.
What to avoid
You should never accept work from people who show up at your door and offer you unsolicited services. There are many con artists who operate in this fashion and no reputable company or tradespeople get work through cold-calling strangers.
Be wary of low quotes. It’s easy for dodgy tradespeople to give an initial low quote in order to attract business, only to significantly increase the final quote, blaming unforeseen costs. You should therefore get multiple quotes from different tradespeople in order to get a sense of how much the work will cost and what a reasonable estimate is.
This article was written by an online estate agent House Sales Direct. If you wish to sell your house fast and for free, then head over to the House Sales Direct website for more property related information and enquiries.
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