Checks to run before you hire a handyman

Why there is no single register

Handymen have no compulsory register, so no single search covers them all. A few sign up to voluntary schemes.

On this site, each listing gives the date of every check. Where a search found nothing, the listing stays silent, because a firm may trade on a register under a different name.

Check the company

A firm with Ltd or Limited in its name has a free public record at Companies House. Look for the status Active, and compare the name with the one on your quote.

A sole trader has no Companies House record. Look instead for a real name, a landline or mobile, and the town the person works from.

Search the voluntary registers

These schemes have free searches. Membership is a choice, so many firms are on none of them.

• TrustMark, the quality scheme with government backing for home improvement work.
• Which? Trusted Traders, whose members pass checks designed by trading standards professionals.
• The Guild of Master Craftsmen, searchable by postcode at findacraftsman.com.

Check who takes the waste

If the firm will take rubbish away, ask for its waste carrier registration. Buckinghamshire Council says to check the Environment Agency register before you hand waste over.

If your waste is fly-tipped, you can be fined. Buckinghamshire Council lists a fixed penalty of £600 for a waste duty of care offence.

Agree the price in writing

For a small job, a message is fine. Make sure it names the work, the total and the extras it includes.

Section 51 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 limits you to a reasonable price when none was fixed. Section 49 requires reasonable care and skill.

Sign up at your kitchen table and the law normally gives you 14 days to change your mind. An earlier start needs your written request, on paper or by email.

Where to report a problem

Call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133. Advisers can pass a complaint to trading standards.

Buckinghamshire Council and Surrey County Council have run a joint trading standards service since April 2015. Milton Keynes City Council has its own team. It sends a No Cold Calling sticker to residents who ask for one through the helpline.

Warning signs

Walk away from a trader who does any of the following.

• Turns up unasked and points out work that needs doing.
• Wants full payment in cash before the job starts.
• Gives no full name or fixed address.
• Says the price only holds if you agree today.
• Offers to take waste away cheaply, with no registration.

Questions

Sources