AVOID COWBOY BUILDERS
As attention turns to home improvements, our guide to making sure you don’t get ripped off
WITH the holiday season coming to a close, homeowners’ minds turn to making improvements to their properties. But many will get caught out by rogue builders this autumn. The Mail on Sunday shows you how to avoid employing dodgy tradesmen – and how to get redress following a botched job.
CONSUMERS throw away billions of pounds every year due to ‘unfair trading’, much of it caused by cowboy builders. While there is no guarantee that any tradesmen you choose will do the job to the standard you expect, there are ways to reduce risks.
Do not go for the first tradesman you come across – or even worse, one who is cheap and immediately available. Find at least two to compare and insist on a written quotation before work starts and stick to it – otherwise they might sting you with hidden extras such as charging for travel time, additional materials and labour if jobs drag on.
Avoid paying upfront, warns Liz Male, chairwoman of the Government-endorsed ‘find a tradesman’ service TrustMark. She says: ‘On some contracts where there are big extensions being built or kitchen refurbishments you may be asked for a deposit. In this case use an escrow account – a special account where you can lodge money with a third party.
‘The tradesman is reassured that money is available, but it is not released until certain criteria are met.’
Additional protection is available if you can pay by credit card. This applies only to credit card transactions between £100 and £30,000, and makes the card provider equally liable if something goes wrong. If you have a problem with a tradesman’s work, contact them to discuss it. Even if you come to an agreement over the phone, follow this up in writing.
Crime reporting agency Action Fraud says consumers throw away £6.6 billion every year to dodgy traders of all kinds, so it is vital to report them. You can complain about rogue tradesmen to Trading Standards, who operate from local councils.
Male says: ‘Trading Standards has the ability to pursue and take legal action against them. It might help get money back, but it’s all about getting evidence together. Trading Standards may have records of others with the same problem to help build a case too.’
Take photos of the botched work to help your argument. Under the Consumer Rights Act, which came into force in October 2015, homeowners who enter into a contract for goods or services can expect these to be supplied with reasonable care and skill. This applies to all tradesmen.
If possible, contact any trade association that a tradesman belongs to – and any website that you used to find them. It may offer a dispute resolution scheme. Traders should tell the customer what access they have to an alternative dispute resolution scheme. This avoids going through the courts. TrustMark has its own approved system, for example.
If none of these steps resolves the issue, you can take action via the courts. Do not be afraid to go to the small claims court – available for disputes of less than £10,000 in England and Wales and £3,000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Even simply threatening action could be enough to prod a builder into action.