High Noon For Rogue Traders
PM Burnham & deputies will dance with the wolves & cowboys who wreck homes, exploit the elderly and slope off with hard earned cash. They will be unforgiven.
The government will also target rogue bailiffs that intimidate people already struggling with debt.
As of now, a new government supported scheme will help people identify and hire trusted traders…businesses that sign up to an Approved Code will be able to demonstrate that they meet higher standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution.
There will also be a new system to protect people’s money during building projects with payments directly linked to key project milestones.
This will back the many builders across the UK who do the right thing by their customers and prevent them being undercut by rogue operators.
Destroying lives
Currently, too many people are being ripped off. More than one in four UK adults who carried out home improvements work in the past 18 months experienced problems; whether it be projects abandoned halfway through, undue pressure on elderly people to overpay for shoddy work or even builders disappearing on holiday with upfront payments with little to no work completed.
More than 1 in 3 of these faced extra costs, losing an average of £750 of their hard-earned cash. In 2024, people lost over £10.3 billion on home and garden maintenance costs due to losses, overpriced costs or unfair practices. Delays and mounting costs can also cause severe stress which destroys lives.
Giving the trades a bad name
Prime Minister, Andy Burnham said: “Cowboy builders don’t just rip people off. They leave families with months of stress, the disruption of unfinished work and that horrible feeling of being taken advantage of. Not only that, they give decent, hardworking tradespeople a bad name.
“So, we’re putting the cowboys out of business. These changes mean consumers now have the option to make sure their money is held safely and released bit by bit as the work gets done.
Consumer protection
Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said: “Your home is the biggest investment you make. While improving it can be stressful; we are helping families to avoid it turning into a nightmare.
“We’re taking action to protect consumers, support reputable traders and make sure people can spend their money with greater confidence and security.”
Citizens Advice
To back up this action, the government plans to overhaul the wider consumer protection landscape. This will examine how organisations such as Citizens Advice and Trading Standards work with regulators, enforcement bodies and redress schemes to make the system faster, easier to access and better at spotting and tackling harm early.
Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman
Deputy Chief Ombudsman, Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman, Judith Turner said: “The Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO) welcomes government support in the development of an approved code for the Home Improvement Sector. The Approved Code Scheme delivered by FHIO, in partnership with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute represents a gold standard.
“The government recognising the implementation of this code is vital in building trust in the sector and helping consumers to identify trusted traders who are committed to increasing consumer confidence and resolving disputes fairly and impartially via an established and approved Ombudsman scheme.”
Trusted Payments
James Walker of Trusted Payments said: “Working with initiatives like Trusted Payments will immediately deliver the increased consumer protection the market needs, so consumers can spend money securely.”
See our article on TrustMark and Trusted Payments here.
Chartered Trading Standards Institute
John Herriman, Chief Executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “It is fantastic news to see the government’s support to tackle the issues consumers face in the home improvement sector. We look forward to engaging with government on the wider review of the consumer protection landscape and will continue to press for a system that is properly funded and equipped to protect consumers from harm before it happens, not just after.”
Citizens Advice
Peter Grigg, Executive Director of Partnerships and Advocacy at Citizens Advice, said: “The government’s action paves the way for much-needed changes in sectors that are infamous for rogue behaviour.
“We know when things go wrong people are left significantly out of pocket, living in unsafe conditions and feeling they have nowhere to turn. Strengthening the role of consumer protection provided by organisations like Citizens Advice and Trading Standards is vital in improving everyday experiences for so many people across the country.”
System overhaul
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “In recent years the consumer enforcement system has been hollowed out to the point where cowboy builders and other rogue traders are thriving leaving ordinary people feeling powerless as their complaints are routinely ignored.
“This is a really positive step and the government rightly recognises that action to tackle rogue traders now must go hand-in-hand with wider reform of the consumer protection landscape.
“The system urgently needs a major overhaul to make it fit for the digital age and give consumers confidence that they won’t be ripped off by crooks or conmen when they hand over their hard-earned cash for home improvements or other products and services.”
Picture: Andy Burnham has rounded up a posse of concerned organisations intent of putting an end to the activities of cowboy builders and fitters.
www.tradingstandards.uk/business-hub
New measures aim to put rogue traders out of business while protecting homeowners and reputable tradespeople.
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