How we Protect Manchester Homeowners from Cowboy Builders
Few things are more upsetting than hearing an older or vulnerable person has been taken advantage of by a scam builder. While most tradespeople are honest, skilled professionals who take pride in their work, rogue traders still plague our industry.
If you’re planning a home renovation project, it helps to know the warning signs when hiring a contractor, and where to find support if you are older or disabled and living in Manchester.
The Real Cost of Scam/Rogue Builders
If you’re feeling nervous about hiring someone to work on your home, you have good reason to. A government survey found that customers lost more £10bn in 2024 on home and garden maintenance services due to losses, overpriced costs or unfair practices by traders.
One in four people who carried out home improvement work in the past 18 months experienced problems – whether it be projects abandoned halfway through, undue pressure on elderly people to overpay for shoddy work or even builders disappearing on holiday with upfront payments and little to no work completed.
Citizens Advice has said home renovations are one of its biggest sources of consumer complaints.
Positive Steps Across The Industry
The good news is that protecting people against cowboy builders is becoming a priority. Last week the government announced plans to keep a database of trusted traders, and to introduce a new payment system to protect people’s money during building projects with payments linked to key project milestones.
Home Repairs Support: How We Protect Our Clients From Rogue Traders
As a Home Repairs Agency, we’ve known about the scale of this problem for a long time, which is what we’ve designed our Home Repairs Support Service around:
We have our own list of trusted contractors
We actively vet, interview, and collect client feedback on all the contractors on our list. We provide a safer, pre-vetted alternative for homeowners who want to proceed independently.
Our trusted contractors will never arrive without identification, leave you without a clear written quote, carry out extra work without agreement, demand upfront payment, or treat you without patience and respect. They keep appointments (or let us know if plans change) work safely and tidily in your home, and remain accountable for any subcontractors they use.
Technical expertise to evaluate milestones
The government is planning to introduce a payment system that releases funds only when project milestones are reached, but homeowners often lack the technical expertise needed to decide if a milestone has actually been completed properly.
Our technical support and supervision solves this exact problem. We act as the qualified visual inspector ensuring work is done correctly before money changes hands. Our Technical Officers draw up a clear schedule of works, establish the project scope from day one, and provide ongoing supervision and inspection.
Safe access to grants and funding
Fraudulent traders are known for targeting government funding schemes. We guide our clients towards legitimate grants and funding options, without exposing them to the fraud that targets government programs.
Who can use this service?
Our Home Repairs Support Service and HELP Loan (Home Energy Loan Plan) is available to anybody. Some support is subject to eligibility checks, and privately funded supervised work carries a 10% fee.
For more information, visit the Home Repairs Support page or call us on 0161 872 5500 to discuss your project.
