British homeowners are facing a deluge of issues with tradespeople, with Citizens Advice revealing more than 700 complaints about shoddy work are lodged every week.
The advisory service reported nearly 37,000 grievances concerning home maintenance and improvements over the past year.
This figure accounts for 12.6 per cent of all complaints handled by the advisory service, making it the second most significant issue after problems with used vehicles.
Alarmingly, 5,230 of these complaints – 14.3 per cent – involved scams or rogue traders. Consumers reported instances where they paid for services that were never delivered, or were subjected to high-pressure sales tactics for unnecessary and overpriced work.
The most common issues reported included roofing, roof sealing, and chimney repairs (22.2 per cent), followed by major renovations such as loft conversions and extensions (11.9 per cent).
Problems with window frames and doors constituted 10.6 per cent of complaints, while plumbing issues accounted for 7.2 per cent, and fitted kitchens 7.1 per cent.
Citizens Advice has assisted consumers grappling with everything from damaged properties and unfinished jobs to faulty products, inflated prices for cheap materials, unexpected extra costs, and being ‘ghosted’ or ignored by tradespeople they had hired.
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.
