According to a recent Direct Line Home Response 24 survey, unqualified tradespeople cause millions of pounds of misery to British homeowners each year as they are forced to shell out to rectify botched jobs. Here’s how you can try to avoid such a situation, including qualified help from Home Response 24 tradesmen in the case of home emergencies.

Of all the homeowners who took part in the survey, one in six of them had had work carried out by an improperly trained or unqualified tradesperson and one in five said the job was carried out poorly or incorrectly. Statistics presented in the survey also revealed the huge annual cost of botched jobs in the UK – every year 1.1million homeowners spend £181 million fixing work carried out by tradespeople without the correct qualifications or training.

The report went on to highlight how the problem was made worse by the fact that around 16% of rogue tradesmen refused to revisit botched jobs and 9% refused to honour their work’s guarantees. As a result, almost half of these homeowners had to hire further help – at extra cost – to correct inadequate work.

So what can homeowners do to rectify this problem? Well, the survey also revealed that not enough of us are taking responsibility for checking out the ID, qualifications, training or reputation of the tradesmen we hire. To help you ask the right questions before you get caught up in a botched job, we’ve put together the following guide:

• Get written quotes from two or three different tradesmen, preferably three. Most mortgage companies require three quotes if they are funding the work.
• Get references from tradesmen from previous jobs and follow up on these references, visiting previous work sites to inspect the work if you can. Where possible, use people who are recommended by friends, family or neighbours.
• Ask the tradesmen to provide a simple standard contract and work specification, including who is responsible for ‘making good’ and clearing up after work, and when required payments may be due. This acts as a guide for works to be done and also proof of what was promised if work is not carried out correctly or to spec.
• Ask for work to be covered by an insurance-backed warranty, especially if the job is a big one. If it is a new house, you will need NHBC (in UK) or similar warranty cover.
• Use and stick to building plans for larger jobs.
• Avoid a VAT-free cash deal. This could be a sign of a non-qualified worker who’s just after some extra cash.
• Look for a trade association member – there are some fraudulent ID cards around, so, if in doubt, call the trade association to check your tradesman out.
• If problems arise, speak to the tradesman straight away. Do not be hurried into a decision – a good tradesman will always be willing to discuss the problem and advise a plan of action.
• Never pay for your work in advance of it being carried out. Wait until you are happy with the job that’s been done and that it meets the work spec and contract that were laid out.
• Get certificates where required. For example, it is a legal requirement that you get one for electric or gas works.
• Try to keep feelings out of the situation, but remember that you do need to get on with the tradesman you will be working with. At the same time, the friendliest builder might not be the best.

It’s also worth taking advantage of services that offer 24-hour access to thousands of qualified tradesmen who have already been checked out. This includes Direct Line Home Emergency Cover for which members pay a small premium to ensure they always have trusted help on hand in the event of home emergencies. This refers to incidents in the home that, if not dealt with quickly, will make the home unsafe or insecure for its occupants or that leaves the home without its primary source of heating, lighting or water. For example, if your boiler breaks down or a leak starts pouring water through your ceiling in the middle of the night.

While our tradesmen handle more than 8,000 such emergencies a week, our home emergency cover service does not, unfortunately, provide cover of tradesmen for non-emergency home repairs or building work. However, if you follow the tips above, you should find it easier to engage a professional tradesman receive good quality work.

So don’t settle for second best when it comes to your home. Sign up to our Home Response 24 network – we have three levels of cover to choose from – and start reaping the benefits now. If you buy online, we’ll give you an instant discount. Plus, if you are an existing Direct Line Home Insurance, Car Insurance or Breakdown Cover customer, you’ll get an additional discount for the first year.