Checkatrade blocks record numbers of rogue traders
The past six months have seen a surge in rogue trades trying to join the Checkatrade community, the home improvement platform says. Unqualified operators and “cowboys” are attempting to cash in on soaring customer demand for home fixes and upgrades: Checkatrade, which connects homeowners with vetted tradespeople, turned away a record 668 tradespeople that failed its sign-up checks, a 13 per cent rise year-on-year1 .
The platform’s vetting process rejected applicants for not providing proof of ID and address (31 per cent), poor trading history (5 per cent) and negative online reviews (8 per cent).
Roofing is the most challenging home improvement service, with roofers making up 19 per cent of those turned away, followed by driveway companies (11 per cent) and landscapers (7 per cent).
Unscrupulous traders are reckoned to cost homeowners £1.4 billion a year2. The extent and complexity of the challenges undermining trust in home improvements has been highlighted in the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) consultation on draft consumer law compliance advice for trader recommendation platforms. The consultation looks at how to strengthen consumer protection by setting good proactive expectations on how platforms vet tradespeople, tackle fake reviews and treat complaints if things do go wrong.
Checkatrade COO Mathieu Proust says: “The fact that we have had to block more trades from joining Checkatrade than ever before points to a worrying trend in the wider industry that consumers must be savvy about when planning their home projects. High demand for tradespeople and longer-than-average wait times for jobs have placed a huge amount of pressure on the home services industry, creating the perfect environment for unscrupulous characters to step in and take advantage.”
1 Data compares 1 December 2022 to 31 May 2023 vs. 1 December 2023 to 31 May 2024
2 BEIS, Consumer Protection Study 2022, April 2022. 25% of adults bought home or garden repair/maintenance/improvement services and 11% of them suffered detriment. The total detriment for all individuals affected amounted to £1.4 billion.
