How would you stop cowboy builders before they cause problems?
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How about making it compulsory for all trades to be licensed (as gas engineers and electricians are at present)? A bad builder who uses the wrong lintel can kill you just as dead as a bad gas engineer or electrician.
What about making it compulsory for all trades to belong to a regulatory body with an arbitration function?
Impossible to enforce? There will always be people who are prepared to employ unlicensed tradesmen if it saves them money.0 -
Impossible to enforce? There will always be people who are prepared to employ unlicensed tradesmen if it saves them money.
Do you have any evidence this is currently happening with unlicensed gas engineers and electricians?
If so, I would like to see your primary sources.
Many occupations have such barriers to entry and I have never seen any problem with enforcement, so I am intrigued as to what evidence you have.0 -
Do you have any evidence this is currently happening with unlicensed gas engineers and electricians?
If so, I would like to see your primary sources.
Many occupations have such barriers to entry and I have never seen any problem with enforcement, so I am intrigued as to what evidence you have.
Nope, none whatsoever.:)
However electricians and gas engineers are regulated because of the direct safety links in much of what they do. Forcing every single person who works in building trades to be registered in this way is simply too difficult to do and to difficult to enforce effectively to be any sort of starter.0 -
Nope, none whatsoever.:)
However electricians and gas engineers are regulated because of the direct safety links in much of what they do. Forcing every single person who works in building trades to be registered in this way is simply too difficult to do and to difficult to enforce effectively to be any sort of starter.
Putting in the wrong lintel can kill you just as dead as an untrained gas engineer.
Needing to be on a register or have a licence is one of the simplest things to enforce. Very simple indeed. In these days where most people have access to a computer it is a matter of seconds to check if someone is registered.
How, exactly, would you find this difficult to enforce? It is currently done with many occupations, including estate agents, gas engineers and electricians. Very simple indeed to check, takes seconds.
The other aspect that would need to be done alongside this is informing consumers, so they know where to check. That would be the difficult part, but it is doable and would become more well-known over time.0 -
How about making it compulsory for all trades to be licensed (as gas engineers and electricians are at present)? A bad builder who uses the wrong lintel can kill you just as dead as a bad gas engineer or electrician.
What about making it compulsory for all trades to belong to a regulatory body with an arbitration function?
Easier would be that an engineer is required to specify the structural elements of the building, rather than builders relying on rules of thumb - trying to regulate all builders at all levels would be impossible0 -
Putting in the wrong lintel can kill you just as dead as an untrained gas engineer.
Needing to be on a register or have a licence is one of the simplest things to enforce. Very simple indeed. In these days where most people have access to a computer it is a matter of seconds to check if someone is registered.
How, exactly, would you find this difficult to enforce? It is currently done with many occupations, including estate agents, gas engineers and electricians. Very simple indeed to check, takes seconds.
The other aspect that would need to be done alongside this is informing consumers, so they know where to check. That would be the difficult part, but it is doable and would become more well-known over time.
Of course it can and no one would dispute that. However you are suggesting that every person operating in every building related trade would need to be in some way licensed and that is unworkable.0 -
Those that know the difference between a bull and bull excrement and importantly understand there is a price difference between the two shouldn’t need register etc , Unfortunately those that don’t no amount of schemes , registers etc is ever going to help them….
There are registers CIC, bs ones like britassoc with links too all Organisations, Associations and Governing Bodies but also sly ones to the likes of access a cowboy, No check a trade, my absent builder, find a bodger etc0 -
Of course it can and no one would dispute that. However you are suggesting that every person operating in every building related trade would need to be in some way licensed and that is unworkable.
I don't think I said that. Clearly it could be on a risk-based basis. You could licence the tasks rather than the person if you wanted to. For example, anyone fitting a lintel would need to be licensed. You could make a list of all the high-risk task.
If someone worked as a painter/decorator, for example, the licensing would not apply to them.0 -
How does claiming back money from your credit card help combat cowboy builders? It just means the rest of us have to pay for it through higher charges.
There is plenty of guidance available on how to avoid cowboy builders but it seems there are a lot of people out there who chose not to follow it. As others have suggested this often comes down to customers trying to get work done on the cheap. Whilst I'm all for getting value for money, if you don't know what you are doing, chasing the cheapest quote can be a risky business.
In my dealings with customers it seems everyone thinks they are an expert when it comes to property and building because they have watched a few episodes of Homes Under The Hammer and Grand Designs etc. etc. Maybe if customers recognised that building construction is a highly skilled technical process and chose their contractors accordingly or employed professional help to manage the project there would be far fewer horror stories.
And while we're at it, how about getting rid of all the rubbish on TV with "TV personalities" pretending to be property experts.0 -
How does claiming back money from your credit card help combat cowboy builders?
It means that people who have been scammed can get their money back.
There is plenty of guidance available on how to avoid cowboy builders but it seems there are a lot of people out there who chose not to follow it.
I don't accept your argument. I followed all the guidance, my first builder was endorsed by my architect, I went to see previous jobs etc. His quote was the middle quote of 3.
As others have suggested this often comes down to customers trying to get work done on the cheap. Whilst I'm all for getting value for money, if you don't know what you are doing, chasing the cheapest quote can be a risky business.
Which is why some jobs are regulated.
In my dealings with customers it seems everyone thinks they are an expert when it comes to property and building because they have watched a few episodes of Homes Under The Hammer and Grand Designs etc. etc. Maybe if customers recognised that building construction is a highly skilled technical process and chose their contractors accordingly or employed professional help to manage the project there would be far fewer horror stories.
I don't agree with your argument. It is exactly because some building jobs can be highly skilled and technical that they should be regulated. Other occupations that are skilled and technical are regulated. Why not construction work? At present, there are no barriers to entry. I could set myself up tomorrow and call myself a builder. Nothing to stop me.
And while we're at it, how about getting rid of all the rubbish on TV with "TV personalities" pretending to be property experts.
What has TV got to do with it?0
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