Shoddy tradeswork is sparking more than 700 complaints a week, Citizens Advice said.
The advisory service said it received almost 37,000 complaints about home maintenance and improvements in the past year, making up 12.6% of all complaints it dealt with – the second-largest issue after used vehicle woes.
Of the 36,534 complaints, 5,230 of those (14.3%) involved scams or rogue traders.
These included cases where a consumer paid for a service but the tradesperson never arrived, and householders being targeted by high pressure sales for services they might not need, at high prices.
The top five problems with home maintenance and improvements involved roofing, roof sealing and chimney repairs (22.2%), major renovations including lofts, conversions and extensions (11.9%), window frames and doors (10.6%), plumbers and plumbing (7.2%) and fitted kitchens (7.1%).
Citizens Advice said it had helped consumers navigate everything from damaged properties to jobs not being finished, products not working, being charged premium prices for cheap materials, extra costs being added and being “ghosted” or ignored by tradespeople they had employed.
Citizens Advice consumer expert Jane Parsons said: “The summer is a peak time in which people look to improve or renovate their homes and gardens, but unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan.
“Every year, we hear from thousands of people who are left out of pocket, waiting weeks or months for work to be completed, subjected to poor quality work – or even scammed.
“It’s so important consumers know what steps to take when there’s an issue. It can make all the difference in getting the problem fixed or getting a refund. And it’s also important for people to know how to find tradespeople that can be trusted.”
Citizens Advice advises consumers that organisations like local councils and trade associations can provide a list of reputable traders.
Those who encounter problems should gather paperwork and receipts, take photos to use as evidence, and make notes about what has happened, including times and dates. Problem should first be raised with the trader who arranged the work, but this could be followed up by complaining to the credit card provider if the job was paid for by card, or by using ‘alternative dispute resolution’ (ADR) – a way of solving disagreements without going to court.
If the trader is not part of an ADR scheme, the Financial Ombudsman Service can accept complaints.
