Did you know that the Police Force is the most trusted profession in the UK? Beyond that, in second, third, fourth and fifth place, you will find gardeners, electricians, painters/decorators and plumbers respectively. This is a great indication that we are inclined to trust those who we let into our home to carry out improvements or repairs.
But this isn’t always the case. In fact, some people are incredibly sceptical towards tradesmen because of bad experiences, and would rate them as trustworthy as politicians, car salesmen, journalists and estate agents (the four least trustworthy professions in the UK). It’s quite ironic really that we trust the people fixing our homes, but not the ones selling them!
How to spot a good egg from a bad egg
We’ve put together some tips and tricks that can help you hire an industry professional instead of a disaster-waiting-to-happen cowboy.
Are their rates well below the industry average? This could be a sign that they are not a professional.
Try getting quotes from multiple companies; don’t go with the first company you contact.
Put your postcode into TrustMark and use the results to inform your decision-making process.
Trusted Traders from Which? Is also a great source of reputable tradespeople.
You can also use Checkatrade, Trustatrader, and RatedPeople.
Ask for recommendations from trusted friends and family members.
Ask to see their certificates and licenses.
Get an agreement in writing on costs, materials and time taken – this will stop them from trying to take advantage of you.
Never pay up-front – this will encourage a cowboy to disappear into thin air!
Make sure your tradesmen has insurance in case something goes wrong.
If you want to check a tradesman, use these resources:
Builders
National Federation of Builders
Electricians
NICEIC Building Regulations Schemes
Inspectors and Testers
NAPIT – National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers
Plumbing and Heating
Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors
Windows and Doors
Roofing
National Federation of Roofing Contractors Limited
Tackling waste crime…
New powers have been granted to the Environment Agency to tackle illegal waste sites by locking them up or blocking them, in a bid to stop the sites from growing and causing harm to the environment. They can also force rogue operators to clear all of the waste at a problem site, not just the illegal waste. Granting additional powers to the Environment Agency received 90% support from respondents.
This comes after the Government granted £30m in funding at the end of 2017 to tackle waste crime, an activity that is harmful to legitimate operators, communities and the environment. We believe that this is very necessary, as the number of rogue waste management operators out there is far higher than people see or believe.
Between April 2016 and April 2017, the Environment Agency brought 138 prosecutions against businesses or individuals for waste crime offences, resulting in over £2m in fines.
Do you really want to be the next horror story?
Unlike many skip hire companies, we do our due diligence when it comes to deciding who we work with. Background checks, reviews and referrals all come in to play, and not just any skip hire team can work with ClickaSkip. Quality comes first, because as much as we don’t want you to be the next horror story, we don’t want to risk our great reputation for only working with trusted tradesmen.