Trusted tradespeople missed by homeowners

British homeowners aren’t doing maintenance and repairs because they can’t find builders and other tradespeople they trust, according to a new survey.

The 2014 Homeowner Survey from the HomeOwners Alliance and TrustMark, the government-endorsed ‘find a tradesman’ scheme, shows that 58 per cent of homeowners say they have difficulty finding a trusted builder.

As a result, 12 per cent don’t do the work at all, while 26 per cent delay. Some turn to doing their own repairs – 40 per cent, while 27 per cent do essential works only, and 28 per cent use tradesmen they are uncertain about.

TrustMark chairman Liz Male said: “A nation of homeowners is at the mercy of leaflets through the door or findanyoldbuilder.com websites because they don’t have a network of local tradespeople they can turn to. The price we pay are homes lacking TLC, an ever-deteriorating housing stock and the financial burden of £1.9 billion a year paying to fix botched jobs by tradesmen who were just not qualified to do the work.

“This is a ridiculous situation, when we know there are so many excellent tradespeople out there who are totally committed to doing quality work and excellent customer service. TrustMark is the solution backed by the government. We can provide consumers with choice, confidence and protection and signpost them to reputable local firms and expert tradespeople working to government-endorsed standards.”