Choosing a contractor can be challenging especially as there are so many stories of other people who have had a rogue builder. This article gives some basic guidelines that may reduce the possibility of ending up with the wrong builder.

At some time during our lives, a lot of us can decide to take on some form of renewal or construction work. There could be projects you have dreamed about for years such as a new garage, replacing a deteriating roof. Perhaps you have been expressly saving up for some particular type of property enhancement or construction project, and at last you feel ready to take the plunge…

What you decide at this point can actually turn your exciting project into a delight or a disaster. We've all watched the programmes on TV where average folks lives have been wrecked by cowboy tradesmen and builders who have either extracted money up front, not to be seen again, or have completed the work to a very poor quality. Whichever way, the client is left 'with a financial shortfall and entirely affected by such an awful experience. However, with a small amount of background knowledge, it is likely to restrict this risk to an absolute minimum.

Deciding on Your Contractor

One of the most common methods chosen by people to make sure they obtain the best customer service available is by the recommendation. "If somebody has completed an admirable job for their neighbour or co-worker, then they could do a similar job for me." A time to consider: perhaps your co-worker was fortunate enough to have not come across any issues, but what could have happened, as an example; could there have been accidental damage during renovation? Or what if the tradesman had hit into money difficulties part way through the work and could not afford to acquire the required building stock? What would the outcome have been then, and what would have been done to fix it?

The solution:

Choose from a list of approved tradesmen You wouldn't dream of buying a household without acquiring a survey to validate its worth, so why risk a significant amount of your hard earned finance on a building company whose credentials remain largely a mystery. Choosing a good register of competent and creditable companies is an admirable way of receiving a professional and quality assured service.

Four crucial issues to think of…

1. Has the builder got any past experience of financial disagreements or do they have any restrictions on using an enterprise? A number of companies reinvent themselves again and again to remain solvent. A good vetting agency would pick up on this at once.

2. Is the tradesman has a current certificate of Public Liability? If not, this could cause problems if things go badly wrong with the contract and may leave you with financial loss.

3. Is the companies work under constant examination? With a number of investigation services, a builder could be offered free reign after showing their competency a minimal number of times. Systematic checking means the contractor is kept on his toes and consistently managing a good standard. Also, customer reviews and surveys indicate that the potential of personal recommendations are taken to a whole new level.

4. Is there a mechanism for dealing with a disagreement between the client and the tradesman? If a bone of contention occurs you can be pleased that you hired a registration company to find the ideal enterprise. Disagreements involving cost, standard of work, time factors and even undesirable behaviour of the work staff could cause problems. Having an independent body to arbitrate in such matters can make a big difference.

Bob Snowzell writes for Accreditus who provide approved tradesmen including builders in Weybridge and builders in Harpenden