Home improvements

As we begin to move into spring you may be thinking about having home improvement work carried out. Although there are many honest builders who do an excellent job, there are sadly rogue traders who will take advantage and try to get as much money as possible for the least amount of work. Here are some things to consider before you go ahead and agree to have work done.

• If you need a job doing decide what you want doing before you start obtaining quotes, try as much as possible to tell the trader what you want as this will avoid any confusion latter on. If you can, write a detailed description of what you want doing. Remember it is your job and your money so you decide.
• Always take your time and do not be rushed into making a decision, never rely on just one quote and remember the cheapest is not always the best option. We would always recommend at least three quotes.
• Do your research! Make sure you know who will be doing the work, where they are based and always make sure you have the full name and address of the person you are contracting with. Always check if they are a sole trader or a limited company as you will need this information if you need to make a legal claim against them.
• Be wary of social media adverts and always carry out checks. Anyone can create a professional looking advert and profile.
• If you are using online trader schemes, be wary of the reviews as these can sometime be false.
•  Carry out your own research, it is vital you carry out some checks yourself before parting with your money.
• Checks we would recommend as a minimum:
  • Companies House – check if the business is limited: www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company. This will allow you to see who the directors are and what the company address is. You can also see if the company is still trading or if it is about to go into liquidation.
  • The Registry Trust – www.registry-trust.org.uk, for a small fee you can check if an individual has any unpaid county court judgements.
  • A simple internet search of the business or person can provide lots of information, unhappy customers will leave reviews on other websites or social media platforms.
• Ask for references and ask to look at previous work the trader has done and speak to past customers, if they are a genuine trader who is proud of their work they will be happy to do this. Do not rely on written references they provide as these could be false.
• Make sure you have a written agreement of what work will be carried out and how much it will cost. To avoid confusion, draft a schedule of work and if things change amend the schedule. Always keep track with the trader of what is agreed and whether the price has increased, make sure you both agree to any changes to the work and the price of the job, make a record and ask them to sign it. It avoids disputes later on.
• Never agree to pay all the money upfront before the work starts. If a trader wants all the money before the work starts then it should be a red flag and you should look to employ someone else. We would always recommend an agreed payment schedule for the duration of the job. Stick to this, this is very important, if things go wrong and the trader leaves the job you will still have money left to complete the job.

Remember it is your money and you need to keep control over it.

Lifeline Upgrade Scam

We have received reports of an increase in residents being targeted by scam callers claiming to work on behalf of the City Council or a lifeline service.

These callers are asking for Lifeline users to provide bank details over the phone to pay for the digital upgrade of their equipment or risk the service being terminated.

If you receive a call of this nature, do not disclose your bank details or any personal information. Don’t assume a call is genuine if the cold caller already knows your name and address, and to further gain your trust, they may say they're a local health worker, from the Council or a Lifeline provider.

If you are in any doubt, before giving out any details you should get the caller’s name and then inform them that you will verify their identity by contacting Lifeline directly. You can do this by pressing your Lifeline button and check with the Lifeline call handler if the person contacting you is a Lifeline employee before you continue with the call.

Scam Marshals

The National Trading Standards Scams Team are looking to recruit more Scam Marshals. A Scam Marshall is anyone who has been targeted by a scam and wants to fight back. Scam Marshals do this by sending any scam mail that they receive to the National Trading Standards Scams Team so that it can used as evidence in future investigative and enforcement work. The work by Scam Marshals plays a huge role in helping to stop scam mail.

You can find more information here: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scammarshals