A bad hire costs far more than the quote. A job that starts at £8,000 can end up at £14,000 after extras, abandoned halfway or redone by someone else, and the paper trail you needed is missing when it matters. This guide sets out how to hire a tradesperson in the UK from the first search to the final payment, so you can check every step before money changes hands.
The short answer: shortlist three registered trades, check their credentials and insurance yourself, get itemised written quotes, agree a written contract with stage payments, and only pay the final instalment after you have inspected the work and received the certificates. Most of the horror stories come from skipping one of those steps, usually the contract or the certificates.
Start with a written brief
Trades quote what you tell them. A vague brief (“redo the bathroom”) produces vague quotes that cannot be compared, and gives a builder room to add extras later.
Before you contact anyone, write down:
What you want done, room by room or task by task, including finishes (“porcelain tiles to full height around the bath”, not “tiling”).
What you want to supply yourself, such as a bath or kitchen units, as it changes who carries the risk if something is damaged or late.
Your budget and your hard limit. Tell them the budget range honestly. A good trade will tell you what is realistic, not just quote to the ceiling.
Your timing, including any fixed dates such as a visiting family or a house sale.
Access and constraints, such as parking, a conservation area, a shared party wall or a flat above.
Take photographs of the room and the surrounding areas before work starts. They are your record of what was there, and they help if there is ever a dispute about damage.
Where to find trades worth calling
There is no perfect source. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and the safest approach is to use two and cross-check.
Personal recommendations
A neighbour or friend who has had similar work done in the last year is still the best lead. Ask what went well, what went wrong, whether it ran over time or budget, and whether they would use the trade again. Better still, ask to see the finished work. A recommendation tells you the person turns up and is pleasant; it does not tell you they are insured or qualified, so you still need to check.
Trade registers and approved schemes
The register for the trade matters more than the review site. For gas work you need a Gas Safe registered engineer, for electrical work a member of a government-approved scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA, for windows and doors a FENSA or CERTASS registered installer, and for oil heating an OFTEC registered technician. For general building and home improvement, TrustMark is the government-endorsed scheme and every business on it has been checked on insurance and standards.
Review sites and directories
Review sites can be useful for spotting patterns, such as repeated complaints about no-shows or poor communication. They also vary in how reviews are collected and checked, and a profile with hundreds of five-star reviews is not proof of competence. Read the three-star and one-star reviews, and look at how the trade replied. If you would rather not rely on the big directories at all, our guide to finding a trade without Checkatrade covers the alternatives.
Cold calls and doorstep offers
Be wary of anyone who knocks on your door saying they noticed loose tiles or a worn roof while passing, or who offers a discount “because we have materials left over from the next street”. Genuine tradespeople do not need to work this way. If you want a second opinion, ring a registered trade yourself.
The vetting checks that matter
Do these checks yourself and do not rely on what the trade says. Most take under ten minutes each. For a deeper version, see our step-by-step guide on how to vet a builder.
Registration and qualifications
For regulated work, check the register by name and number. Gas Safe, for example, lets you look up an engineer by ID card number, and the card shows which types of gas work they are qualified for. A plumber can be fully qualified for a boiler but not for a gas fire. For electrical work, check the scheme’s online register. For other trades, ask for qualifications such as NVQs, City & Guilds or manufacturer approval, and check any trade body membership with the body itself.
Insurance
Ask for a copy of the public liability insurance certificate and check three things: the policy is in the business’s name, it is in date, and the trade shown on the certificate matches the work you want done. The cover level is typically £1 million to £5 million, and a figure of at least £2 million is a sensible minimum for building work. If the trade takes on employees, they should also hold employers’ liability cover.
Public liability is not the same as a guarantee on the work. It pays out if the trade damages your property or injures someone, but it does not pay to fix poor workmanship.
Business details and track record
Check the trade has a landline or traceable address, a company name that shows on Companies House if they trade as a limited company, and a vehicle and website that match. Ask how long they have been trading and how many similar jobs they have done in the last year. A trade with a stable address and a long record is harder to lose.
References and past work
Ask for two recent references from customers with similar jobs, and phone them. Ask what the trade did well, whether they stuck to the quote, and how they handled problems. Ask to see a finished job in person where possible. Photos are fine, but a visit tells you far more about finish quality.
Warning signs at this stage
Only a mobile number and no address.
Cash-only terms or a request to avoid paperwork.
Pressure to start tomorrow or to accept the price today.
No insurance certificate, or a promise to “send it later”.
An unusually low quote with no breakdown. Our post on how to read a builder’s quote shows how to spot the gaps.
Getting quotes you can compare
Aim for three written quotes for any job over a few hundred pounds. Fewer than three gives you no price sense; more than four wastes everyone’s time.
Give every trade the same brief
Use the same written brief and the same site visit questions. If one trade is quoting for a different specification, you cannot compare the prices fairly.
What a good quote contains
A proper quote is itemised and written. It should show:
The trade’s name, address, phone number and registration numbers.
A clear description of the work, materials and finishes.
Labour and materials as separate lines, with anything provisional marked clearly.
Who disposes of waste and who clears up.
The start date, an estimated duration and the payment terms.
Whether VAT is included, and a note of the quote’s validity period.
What is not included, such as redecorating, plastering or electrical certification.
Treat a quote written on the back of an envelope with suspicion, whatever the price.
Compare like with like
Put the three quotes into a simple table, line by line. Look for large gaps. A quote far below the others has usually left something out or plans to recover the cost in “extras”. A quote far above may be padded, or the trade may simply be busy and not keen. The middle quote is often, but not always, the one to pursue.
My view: never pick the cheapest quote just because it is cheapest, and never pay for the most expensive one just because it reassures you. The best hire is the trade who asks the most questions during the site visit, writes the clearest quote and is willing to put payment stages in writing, because that tells you how the job will be run. A trade who goes quiet when you ask about the contract is telling you what the rest of the job will be like.
The contract and the paperwork
Many homeowners skip this because it feels excessive for a “small job”. It is the single most useful protection you can have.
What a contract should say
For any job above a few hundred pounds, get a written agreement that covers:
The scope of work, referring to the quote and any drawings.
The price and how variations will be priced and agreed. Variations should be in writing and signed before the extra work starts.
Payment stages, linked to progress rather than dates. See our guide to stage payments for how to structure them.
Start and completion dates, and what happens if either is missed.
Who obtains any permissions, such as Building Regulations approval or planning consent.
Who clears up and removes waste.
Insurance and guarantee details.
The process for snags and complaints.
You do not need a lawyer for a modest job. Trade bodies and several consumer organisations publish template contracts you can adapt, and a clear email exchange that both sides confirm in writing is better than nothing.
Your legal rights
Under the Consumer Rights Act, a trade must carry out work with reasonable care and skill, use materials of satisfactory quality and finish in a reasonable time if no date is agreed. If a job is agreed at your home or by phone, you usually have a 14-day cancellation period, which may be waived if you ask for work to begin sooner. The trade should tell you about this in writing before you sign.
Permissions and certificates
Some jobs need Building Regulations sign-off, such as a rewire, new circuits, a boiler replacement, structural alterations and a loft conversion. Check who is responsible for notifying building control or the competent person scheme, and ask for the certificate at the end. You will want these when you sell, and without them a buyer’s solicitor may ask for an indemnity policy.
For extensions or alterations near a boundary, check whether you need a party wall agreement and whether planning permission or permitted development applies. These are your responsibility as the owner, not the builder’s, whatever the builder says.
Paying safely
Payment terms matter more than the price in a dispute, because money is your leverage.
Deposits: a small deposit towards materials is normal, but be cautious of requests for large sums upfront. A common guideline is to keep any deposit to a low percentage of the total, linked to specific materials. Our post on whether you should pay a tradesman upfront covers this in depth.
Stage payments: link each payment to a completed stage you can see, such as first fix complete, plastering finished or kitchen units fitted.
Retention: hold back a final 5 to 10 per cent for a set period, often 14 to 30 days, so snags can be fixed before the last payment.
Method: pay by bank transfer or card rather than cash, and keep every receipt. A credit card payment between £100 and £30,000 may give you extra protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, though it depends on how the transaction was structured.
Never pay in full upfront, however good the discount.
Keep a running tally of what you have paid against what was agreed. If the trade asks for more cash “for materials” mid-job, check the contract before you answer.
Managing the job
Good communication prevents most problems.
Before work starts
Confirm the start date a few days ahead, agree where materials and skips go, and clear access. Tell your neighbours about noise and parking if it is a longer job. Check your home insurer is informed if the work is major, since some policies need notice for structural work or an extended period when the property is unoccupied.
During the work
Visit daily if you can. Take dated photographs of anything that will be covered over, such as pipes in walls, wiring before plastering, insulation and structural steel. Those photographs are gold in later disputes or when you sell.
Any change should be agreed in writing before it happens, even if just by email, with the price and effect on timing. The most common source of budget overrun is verbal extras that were never costed.
If things start to slip
Raise concerns early and in writing. Ask for a revised programme. If a trade stops attending, do not pay for work that has not been done, and do not pay for materials you have not seen delivered.
Sign-off: how to close the job properly
Do not rush the final payment. A job is only finished when the work is complete, the certificates have been received and the snags are fixed.
Do a snagging walk
Walk the job with the trade, with a list. Check finishes, alignment, paint, sealant, doors and windows opening, fixtures operating and any leftover mess. Our snagging list guide has a room-by-room checklist. Agree the list in writing and the date by which each snag will be fixed.
Collect the paperwork
Ask for:
Gas Safe, electrical installation or competent person certificates where relevant.
Building Regulations completion certificate, if building control was involved.
Manufacturer warranties and guarantees.
Operating manuals and product details.
A final invoice marked as paid and a receipt.
Make the final payment
Pay the balance only after the snags are done and the certificates are in your hands. If a trade insists on payment before they hand over a certificate, that is a red flag.
When it goes wrong
Most disputes are resolved by a calm written letter that sets out the problem, what you expect and a reasonable deadline. If that fails, contact the trade body or scheme the trade belongs to, as many offer free conciliation. For consumer disputes, Citizens Advice can explain your options, and the small claims process is available for amounts up to £10,000 in England and Wales.
If a trade has abandoned the job, do not pay for work not done, and get a written quote from another trade to complete it. Keep every email, photograph and receipt. Evidence is the difference between a successful complaint and a long argument.
What to do in the next 30 minutes
Write a one-page brief for the job: scope, finishes, budget, timing and access.
Pick three trades to approach: one recommendation and two from a registered scheme.
Look up each trade’s registration number on the relevant register.
Ask each trade for their insurance certificate by email before the site visit.
Set up a folder for the project, covering quotes, photos, emails, receipts and certificates.
Everything above produces paperwork, and paperwork gets lost. Open your free Home+ document vault and keep the quotes, contracts, certificates and photos for each job in one place, ready for your insurer or your buyer’s solicitor. When you are ready to find vetted trades, Home+ can help with that too.
FAQ
How many quotes should I get from a tradesperson? Three is the usual guide for a job over a few hundred pounds. It gives you a price range without wasting everyone’s time. Make sure each trade quotes against the same written brief.
How do I check a tradesperson is legitimate? Check their registration on the relevant public register, ask for a copy of their insurance certificate, phone two recent customers and look for a trading address you can verify. Do not rely on a logo on a van or a website alone.
What insurance should a builder have? Public liability insurance is the minimum, and employers’ liability if they employ anyone. The certificate should be in the business’s name and in date. Neither insurance covers poor workmanship, which is why a written contract and stage payments matter.
Is it safe to pay a deposit to a builder? A small deposit for specific materials is common, but a large sum upfront is a risk. Link deposits to named items and pay by bank transfer or card so there is a record.
Do I need a written contract for a small job? For a small job, a signed quote or an email confirming scope, price and payment terms is usually enough. For anything larger, or involving structural or regulated work, use a proper contract.
What if the work is poor and the trade will not fix it? Write to them setting out the problems and a deadline. If that fails, use the complaint process of any trade body they belong to, then Citizens Advice, and consider mediation or small claims.
