May 02
With all this wet and stormy weather around the UK, TrustMark, the Government endorsed quality mark for tradesmen, is urging homeowners to be aware of rogue traders offering to do property repair work and to only use reputable and honest companies.
Stuart Carter, Head of PR and Marketing at TrustMark, said: “Whilst rogue traders operate throughout the year, there is likely to be an increase in their numbers following extreme weather conditions involving high winds, a cold weather snap and floods. Bogus property repairers often trick people into paying high prices for unnecessary or shoddy work so I would advise consumers to be extra vigilant and only use reputable and legitimate tradesmen. Never agree to have work done by somebody who turns up uninvited on your doorstep.
“TrustMark was set up six years ago to signpost consumers to good quality and trustworthy firms and to help homeowners select a local tradesman with confidence. With more than 20,000 licenced trades searchable on our database by postcode, we are able to help people find a good quality firm enabling them to get the best job done at a fair price. We want to give people a better-informed choice of tradesmen and if things don’t go quite right, to provide a clear and easy to use complaints procedure to resolve any problems.”
Below is a checklist that offers some simple steps for householders to repair their property following weather damage:
- In the first instance check with your insurance company to see whether they have a procedure for dealing with damage as a result of the weather.
- If you do need to find a tradesman to do work, get quotes from two or three local firms and be specific with a detailed, clear brief of the work you want done.
- Ask friends and family for a recommendation and check the TrustMark website at www.trustmark.org.uk to ensure that the tradesman is registered for the particular trades you require.
- Use a firm that has a fixed address and uses a landline phone number. Be very wary of those only willing to give you a mobile number.
- Don’t just go with the cheapest, consider your ability to communicate with the firm and their quality of their work.
- Only pay for work that has been done and do not pay in advance. Ensure that you obtain clear invoices of the work carried out and ideally pay by cheque or credit card.
- If materials need to be bought in advance by the tradesman, it is reasonable that the customer is asked to pay a fair percentage of these costs as the job progresses.
- Always use a written contract as it offers you protection should anything go wrong.
- Agree in writing any changes to the agreed contract value and ensure these are made in writing before the work is done.
TrustMark is the only scheme supported by Government, industry and consumer protection groups. It has the support of many partner organisations, including the Trading Standards Institute and Citizens Advice which are aiming to raise standards within the industry and provide greater protection for householders in their search to find local, quality tradesmen.
For further information about TrustMark, visit www.trustmark.org.uk
If you are looking for a trustworthy and reliable tradesman you can click onto our ‘Find a Tradsman’ page on DIY Doctor to find Trustmark tradesmen in your local area.
Apr 02
The DIY Doctor team are now back at the office after a brilliant four days at The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Birmingham. Thank you to everyone who came to the show at the NEC, and especially if you came to see us at the Tricks of the Trade stage.
Mike Edwards was kept busy giving presentations on skim plastering, how to tile a bathroom and of course giving advice on how to avoid cowboy builders. And when he wasn’t on stage, he was answering individual questions from visitors to the show and signing copies of ‘Master Basic DIY’. Phew!
DIY Doctor will be appearing at several more shows during the year, the next being the Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Surrey at the end of June.
Mar 23
The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show opens next Thursday, so DIY Doctor HQ is starting to get packed up to hit the road to Birmingham next week.
There is still time to get online and register for two free tickets to the show which is being held at the NEC in Birmingham. All you have to do is click here or on the banner below to register – and it saves you up to £30!!!
The show is open from Thursday 29th March to Sunday 1st April and there will be so much to see and do you need to take a look at their website so you can plan your day, although obviously the most important thing is to visit us at the Tricks of the Trade stage!
We will be there for the four days giving demonstrations on ‘How to Tile a Bathroom’, ‘How to Skim Plaster a Wall’, and a definate must is finding out ‘How to Avoid Cowboy Builders’. For the timetable of these click through to their website.
We will also be selling our ‘Master Basic DIY’ book at the show, but if you can’t make it to Birmingham don’t forget you can still get a copy via the website by clicking here.
Mar 09
We are introducing our new Find a Tradesman service today to help you find all types of tradesmen in all areas of the UK.
DIY Doctor have teamed up with Trustmark, who are a not for profit organisation, licensed by Government and supported by consumer protection groups. This means you can be assured that the tradesmen are trustworthy and reliable, with codes of practice including insurance, health and safety practices and good customer care. You can read more about Trustmark’s advice on employing a tradesman so you know how to avoid the cowboys.
Along with Trustmark, we would always recommend that you always get three quotes, get references from previous jobs done, and as well as setting a clear brief for the work you want doing, you and your chosen tradesman should use a written contract such as our ‘Desired Outcome Contract’ – which is free!
Jan 31
The Federation of Master Builders is again asking the Government to reduce VAT on home improvements after a comment was published in the Telegraph by the HMRC Permanent Secretary. A cut in Vat from 20% to 5% would help protect homeowners and legitimate businesses by reducing the advantage that cowboy traders have when offering cash-in-hand deals.
Brian Berry from the FMB said “We are pleased HMRC is becoming more vocal about the damaging effect cash in hand payments have on individual businesses and the economy at large. Businesses that avoid paying VAT have a 20% head start, but all too often this cheap deal comes without a proper written contract or any kind of paperwork meaning the enforcement of consumer rights is almost impossible if something goes wrong.”
Berry continued:
“The Government can reduce the competitive advantage of these rogue traders and help protect consumers by cutting VAT to 5% for all home repair, maintenance and improvement work. This simple, single action would help reduce the size of the ‘informal economy’ in the home improvement market, which is now estimated to be worth an astonishing £9.3 billion per year.”
Berry concluded:
“Over 5,000 construction businesses have gone into insolvency since 2010. At a time when the economy is on the brink of tipping back into recession, the Government should be doing everything it can to support legitimate businesses, not adding to the total number of unemployed. According to research by the analysts at Experian, last year’s rise in the standard rate of VAT to 20% resulted in nearly 4,000 job losses in the home improvement market in 2011 alone.”
