More than 4.6 million ‘botch’ home jobs have been reported in the past 12 months, as a growing army of unqualified traders target unsuspecting homeowners1.
New research from Lloyds TSB Insurance reveals that one in 10 Brits2 has been forced to to correct sub standard work in the last 12 month – a 16 per cent increase on last year - costing an average of £460 to put right.
The rash of ‘rogue’ trading is being fuelled by a tougher economic climate, as unqualified workers seek out ‘cash in hand’ maintenance work and homeowners look for the lowest possible price3.
With nearly a third (32 per cent) of victims admitting that they made no checks at all on workers’ qualifications, the insurer is urging homeowners to confirm traders full credentials and avoid the false economy of unqualified labour4.
The research shows that Britons view the initial quote they get as the full amount they will eventually pay, without considering any additional costs should the job need correcting. Unhappy customers were forced to pay an average of £1,250 to amend botched conservatories, £840 to correct building work and £640 on roofing.
Those aged 45 – 54 are the worst affected, paying an average of £900 to correct the botch jobs done to their property, with West Midlands residents most affected (20 per cent), followed by those in the East of England (12 per cent).
Commenting on the research, Lloyds TSB Insurance, Managing Director, Phil Loney said:
“Rogue traders are on the increase and costing unsuspecting homeowners thousands. To help you feel more confident about employing traders, we’ve produced a comprehensive guide to ‘rooting out the rogues’ which is available at www.insurance.lloydstsb.com”
Avoiding the Cowboys Guide. To help you avoid the rogues we’ve put together the top 10 questions you should ask any trader before employing them.
Research was commissioned by Lloyds TSB Insurance plc and conducted by YouGov in April 2009
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,404 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken in April 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+)
1. 45.4 million UK adults (2001 census). 71% have had work carried out on their home (32.3million), of which 50% report substandard work (16.1 million). 29% report that this occurred in the past 12 months = 4,677,500 'botched jobs'.
2. Of the 71 per cent of Britons who have work done on their home, 50 per cent report unsatisfactory work, with 29 per cent of these people reporting incidents occurring in the past 12 months (10.2 per cent)
3. 61 per cent of people carrying out handywork despite being unqualified name financial reasons as the primary reason for carrying out the work. 28 per cent of overall sample stated that price was the most important factor when hiring a tradesperson.
4. Find out more about Home Insurance