Avoiding Rogue Tradespeople

Do not pay a one hour charge when booking a job
Do not book with a company that don’t have people answering 24 hours a day, and also use an automated system
Do not use a company who claim to operate 24 hours (they do not work late evenings)
Do not use a company where tradespeople have not been DBS checked and cleared, some may have served time in prison
Do not pay any hidden extras, parking/congestion charges, travelling time or admin
Do not use a company who franchise/outsource work allowing engineers to bring in illegal and unqualified workers
Make sure you use a company where tradespeople are fully qualified, have photo ID and have company uniform & liveried van
Make sure you are provided with the tradespersons name, photo and vehicle registration before arrival
Make sure you use a company with genuine excellent reviews
Do not use a company that can’t match our standards

Make sure the company and tradesman are fully insured
Make sure company is Gas Safety Registered for heating work
Make sure the company is NICEIC for electrical work
Make sure you check the company rates and obtain written quotes/estimates for larger work
Make sure the invoice shows a full breakdown of labour, time & costs and material costs with receipts
Make sure you check receipts & suppliers for materials, plant hire and scaffold costs
Do not pay for 2 men unless specifically needed, an apprentice can be used at no charge or 80% cheaper
Do not pay more than one hour for time taken away from the job to collect materials or other reasons
Do not pay more than 30% trade markup on any materials
Do not pay a cancellation fee
Do not pay any deposits in cash or for work to the tradesperson. Make sure any payment is by credit card to the company

Do not pay any one hour charge upfront fee when booking
Make sure you book with a real person rather than online
Make sure there is not an admin charge added onto the invoice
Use a company with genuine reviews
Ensure companies have an authentic address & land telephone
Check tradesperson has DBS clearance
Make sure you are provided with the name, photo and vehicle registration of tradesmen before arriving
Make sure tradespeople have company id, qualified, company uniform and a liveried van.
Check the company rates before commencing any work
Obtain written quotes/estimates for larger work
Check what guarantees apply
Make sure the company are not franchising or outsourcing the job to illegal, unqualified foreign labour.

Ensure the company and tradesman are fully insured
Is Gas Safety Registered for gas work
Must be NICEIC for electrical work
Always get an invoice. Make sure the invoice shows a full breakdown of labour, materials, charges and costs.
Check material costs with suppliers
Do not pay any hidden extras parking, travelling or congestion charges.
Check scaffolding costs with suppliers
Do not pay for 2 men unless specifically needed – in most cases 1 + an apprentice
Do not pay more than one hour for time taken to collect materials.
Do not pay more than 30% trade markup on materials
Do not pay a cancellation fee
Do not pay any deposits in cash or pay cash for the job
Make sure your payment is to the company and not the tradesperson

10% off all services!