How to avoid being taken for a ride by rogue tradesmen

Every year, cowboy builders and rogue traders clock up around £1.5 billion worth of problems for homeowners across the country. From shoddy kitchens, to improperly installed whitegoods, to leaky roofs, there are plenty of horror tales around.

With large numbers of rogue tradesmen roaming the country, the good news is that there are still registered builders who are reliable and do an excellent job. But what can you do to protect yourself from making the wrong choice and potentially ruining your home? It’s not as if they wear nametags that read “hello, my name is Matt and I’m a cowboy builder”.

Fortunately there is some help at hand. After a nationwide search to find Britain’s top tradesman by TrustMark, the Government backed not-for-profit quality mark for tradesmen, Bristol builder Nick Orchard has beaten off stiff competition to be named as Britain’s No 1 tradesman.

In the following video, Nick gives his top tips on how to do renovations right. How should you pay the tradesman? What’s the best way to find out how reliable they are? Check out our video to discover how to pick a tradesman who won’t turn out to be a cowboy.

For more information visit trustmark.org.uk.