How to Find the Best People to Work on Your Home

Don’t Get Caught Out By a Rogue Plumber or Builder.

Broken boiler, burst pipes, window restoration done only half way through, and all these when the temperature is below zero. These are only a few of the horrors people face when they hire the wrong contractor. If you don’t want to get caught in similar situation, these are some of the things you should pay attention to.

Don’t get caught out by a rogue plumber or builder, a few tips on how to find the best people to work on your home.

• Ask for recommendations. Contact your friends and family and see if they have some plumber, electrician or builder to recommend. If they can’t think of someone to put you in touch with then check within the industry. You can ask some of the professionals whose services you have used in the past to recommend someone who they think might be a good fit. If you end up hiring that person let them know where did you find their number and you might even get a discount.
• Check with the local authorities for recommendations. Call your local office and see if they have someone to recommend. The Local Authority Assured Trader Scheme Network (LAATSN) can help you find a reliable contractor as they cooperate only with businesses that comply with the standards, legislation and obligations.
• Try an approved trader scheme. You can visit the online data base and search for the best contractors in your area just by entering your postcode. Each suggestion will refer to a reputable business that has good skills, provides high quality service and can deliver outstanding results. In addition, they must have insurance, health and safety practices and to provide extraordinary customer service. These businesses are monitored on on-going bases to ensure they work in line with the requirements.
• Use online recommendation service. In the UK there are a number of websites that can help you find the best professional help for your upcoming project. Before you make the final decision, find other reviews for the chosen contractor, to confirm the feedback given on the website. Here are some suggestions of websites you can use:

RatedPeople –  this is probably one of the largest services of this type in the entire UK. You need to enter your location, describe the project and you will get up to three recommendations. The companies will send you quotes and you can see what they have to offer. Then you can read their feedback and decide if you want to do business with them. Once the work is done make sure to rate their work and share your experience with other users.

The only problem with this service is that the companies are being charged for each offer they need to send, regardless whether they get the job or not, and sometimes the only thing the client wants is to check the prices so they can compare them with their local contractor.

Trustatrader.com – it works in similar way like the one we have mentioned before. You will be asked to enter your postcode and then get a list of contractors close to the area you live. You can check their feedback, see some photos of previous work and make your final choice.

mybuilder.com – enables you to check the reviews and see if the company has good reputation and provides high quality service.

What is the best way to get the right person for the job30

Before choosing a trader or a contractor, always make thorough investigation. The best way to do it is by asking the right questions. Here are some of the things you might find useful.

• Ask for quotes. When you do that be as specific as possible so you can get better estimate for the cost. Always try to find at least three offers and make a detailed comparison of what they can do for you. The lowest price should never be a deciding factor, as they might not cover the scope of your project, or they might offer you low quality service. Check with the most expensive company why their price is so high so you can see what makes them different from others.
• Try not to get offers over the phone. It is always better if you can get them to see the work they need to do so they can give you a more precise estimate of the cost.
• Check their licenses. Choose a company that has full insurance to protect both yourself and your property.
• Ask for references and find online reviews. It might be good if they can show you some of their previous work. Go through their social media sites and see how they interact with their clients.
• Ask for their experience in the industry. Long years of work can mean good quality of service, although this should never be your deciding point.
• Do they have money back guarantee? Traders that have faith in the work they do will have no issues in offering you refund.
• Use legit companies. Ask for their official address and office number.

When you make your decision, ask them to give you final quotation in writing and include the start and end date, as well as the payment schedule. Sign a written contract and make sure it contains all relevant details. Never give upfront payment and make sure you pay only the services that were delivered. If the trader needs to procure materials for the project, it would be acceptable to ask you to pay a bigger amount of money at the beginning of the project. For extensive work have a penalty clause in case the project gets extended.