Your guide to home maintenance. Choosing a Builder

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1 Your guide to home maintenance Choosing a Builder

2 Your guide to home maintenance is a series of information leaflets that gives you all the information you need to keep your home in tiptop condition. Choosing a Builder Carrying out building work can be quite stressful, disruptive, inconvenient and expensive. To minimise the impact of any building work on you it is important to take time to make sure you chose the right builder for you. This leaflet gives simple steps to guide you if you are planning to carry out home improvement works and have sought assistance from Gateshead Council.

3 Where do I start? Choosing a reliable builder can be a risky business. There are many builders working locally and some are bound to be better than others. The best place to start is by getting a referral from family or friends who have recently had work done. Never employ someone who calls at your home uninvited without first getting a second opinion and an alternative quote. Uninvited callers may try to persuade you that something is wrong with your house that needs urgent attention. They may say that they can do the job quickly and cheaply for cash. If you are looking for a small builder or the work involves just a single trade, you might wish to check whether the company is a member of a relevant reputable trade organisation. Membership of trade organisations can mean different things such as: doing a random check of members work passing certain levels of qualifications offering insurance under written guarantees offering an arbitration service in disputes. Find out what extra protection you are getting before you employ anyone. You may find that membership of a trade organisation is no assurance of quality whatsoever!

4 Whatever the size of job always: Look for the TrustMark If you are looking for a reputable firm to do work on your home, TrustMark can help you reduce the risk of hiring a rogue trader. TrustMark is a scheme supported by the Government, consumer groups and the building industry to help you find reputable firms to do repair, maintenance and improvement work inside and outside your home. If a firm displays the TrustMark logo you know that a trade association or other certification organisation that has been approved has checked the firm and found that it meets certain standards the Government has set. A list of TrustMark contractors can be found on TrustMark also has links to reputable Trades Organisations. How do I get estimates? Once you have a shortlist of builders to ask for a quote, contact them and ask them to visit. Make sure you have a full description of exactly what you want doing (where you are getting assistance from the Council you will have schedules given to you). Get two written quotations for the work. A quotation is a fixed price as opposed to an estimate that is a calculation of how much the work is likely to cost. Sometimes this may not be possible especially where there could be 'hidden' potential costs, which would make precise pricing difficult. Check whether VAT is included or to be added. Check that the builders are qualified for and capable of carrying out the work. Find out how long they will take and when they can do the work. Get this in writing. Ask about guarantees. All these factors will help you decide whether you have confidence in a builder to carry out theay be worth talking to the builder to see if there is any way that costs can be cut.

5 Do I need to get references? Yes. Your contractor should be able to provide reference for previous work carried out. Don t be afraid to contact the referees and if they live locally ask if you can have a look at the work carried out. If it is external work you don t even have to go inside their home. Ask about how easy it was to deal with the contractors, how tidy they were and how long they took. How do I know if they are genuine contractors? Check that the builders are qualified for and capable of carrying out the work. Check membership with the organisation if a builder claims to be a member of CORGI - for gas work, lee - for electrical work or any professional or trade organisation. Are they TrustMark approved contractors? If you find a builder who is making false qualification or membership claims, report them to Trading Standards. Find out how long they have been in business; the length of time that a company has been in existence is a factor that ought to be considered. The life span of a limited company can be checked on Companies House website at Make sure you have a full address and telephone number for your contractor.

6 Yes. You should make an agreement with your contractor BEFORE WORK STARTS. Do I need to make an agreement with the building contractor? Meet your builder again and agree: Start and finish dates Which areas of the house need clearing of furniture, carpets and curtains. The condition of any fixtures and fittings If the builder damages anything, he should carry out all the necessary repairs. When payment is to be made and how. Always get a price, in writing, for extra work before it is carried out. Make sure instructions to carry out extra work are in writing. Who pays for power used in the work? Write down all these agreements and both you and the builder sign and date it and both keep a copy. In contracts provided by the trader, always check for unfair terms in the small print where they try to use standard terms to avoid responsibility if things go wrong. If you are worried by any terms in a contract, you can check out what terms might be unfair by visiting the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) Website or contact Trading Standards at the Civic Centre.

7 Does the contractor need public liability insurance? Yes. The contractor needs public liability insurance. Your contractor should provide you with details that you can check. Their insurance should cover against accidental damage to not only your property but to neighbouring property too Do I need to pay in advance? Try to avoid paying deposits in advance and never pay the whole amount up front. Only pay the final payment when you are satisfied with the work that has been carried out. What types of guarantee are offered? There are numerous guarantees that a contractor may offer you. How good they are will depend on the type, length of time and any restrictions or maintenance clauses. Your contractor should explain the type of cover that is offered to you. You should get a detailed written guarantee, which sets out specific time periods. Lifetime guarantees are particularly worthless. Ask about the availability of insurance backed guarantees, there are great advantages in taking out these, which can cover situations where the trader ceases trading - a common occurrence in the building trade. Remember - a verbal guarantee is not worth the paper it s written on!

8 What do I do if the work is defective? If things go wrong, first talk to your contractor to give him the chance to put things right. Guaranteed work: If you are still not satisfied about a defect to something which is guaranteed you should write to the company stating your complaint and giving any other relevant information such as when the work took place, guarantee number and any other details. Send a copy to your builder, if different, and keep a copy yourself. If the defect is not remedied within a reasonable time and despite further letters and phone calls you may need to consult the Citizens Advice Bureau, Trading Standards or a solicitor. Other work: Agree with your builder the period after the work is complete when they will return to remedy defects. Any repairs required after this period may mean the builder charging for the work. It is important that it is clearly stated who is responsible for what work and when.

9 What are my rights? You have basic rights under the law. You can expect the work to be: Carried out with reasonable care and skill. Finished within a reasonable time (unless a specific time agreed). Provided at a reasonable cost - but you should always try to agree a fixed price in advance. You have these rights even if nothing is written down. But a written contract or agreement will help things run more smoothly. Who can I contact for further information about contractors? The OFT (Office of Fair Trading) booklet: Having Work Done on Your Home, which is available on the OFT website or from Trading Standards, lists reputable trade organisations that can be contacted for information about specific trades contractors.

10 Who can I contact for further advice? Gateshead Council Call Home Improvement Team Building Control Team Development Control Team Trading Standards Write to Regulatory Services Gateshead Council Civic Centre Regent Street Gateshead NE8 1HH privatesectorhousingcivic@gateshead.gov.uk

11 Who can I contact for further advice? Gateshead Citizens Advice Bureau Call Write to 5 Regent Terrace Gateshead NE8 1LU Anchor NewcastleGateshead Stay Put Agency Call Write to Metropolitan House Longrigg Road Swalwell Gateshead NE16 3AS For further advice and guidance on home maintenance contact Gateshead Council's Home Improvement Team on

12 This information is available on request in Braille, auidiotape or large print or in a different language. Please contact the Home Improvement Team on Private Sector Housing Renewal Team Gateshead Council October 2007