Cowboy builders: 5 important tips to avoid them

You have a building project in mind - it might be relatively small (say, replacing a window or door) or much larger (for example, an extension to your house). Or you might have a simple repair that needs to be carried out (such as replacing a tap).

While many people feel competent enough to carry out the simple maintenance jobs, there are quite a few who baulk at the thought of doing it because of the skill level required. Before it gets to be problematic, therefore, they need to get someone in to do the work.

When it comes to the larger jobs, like building walls, putting in patio doors, building an extension, of course, most people other than builders themselves would blanch at the thought of having to perform the work. They have neither the skills nor the qualifications to achieve the plan and so need professional help.

Finding tradespeople can be straightforward but, with homeowners not necessarily having the knowledge, they might fall victim to the predations of the cowboy builder - the person who soft-talks you into giving them the job, fleecing you for a large amount of money and doing a shoddy job that then takes further expense to repair and resolve.

In fact, the Office of Fair Trading receives tens of thousands of complaints each year from homeowners who have had a problem with the work done (or not done!) by the tradespeople they had brought in to do the job.

So, how do you avoid falling into the cowboy builders' trap? Here is our five-step guide to help you:

It's very easy to be seduced by the friendly person who has knocked on the door, usually suggesting that they were passing by and happened to notice some problem with the building (something nice and expensive like the roof or chimney stack) that you should really get fixed, and they would be happy to do it for you.

Everyone can be fooled at some point, so be aware and turn them away. As a general rule, you shouldn't hire anyone that you haven't identified for yourself. If you think that their offer is a good prospect, you should still check them out to verify that they are a reputable builder.

Always get the quote for any work written down, and review it to ensure that everything you discussed with the builder has been suitably itemised and evaluated.

Without this information, you will have no recourse in the event of problems or omissions from the work. This applies even if you know the builder to be reputable and have used their company before. Without it being written down, informal communication can easily turn into miscommunication and problems further down the line.

One final point on getting quotes: any reputable builder will happily provide you with a quote and, indeed, provide it as a matter of course. If they are unwilling to provide a detailed quote, get rid of them.

Being caught up in the complexities of the job you've asked them to do - and even the excitement of seeing your plans coming together - you might think it reasonable to give the nice builder a large sum of money before they start the work.

This is completely inadvisable because you haven't seen any of their work. Rather you should agree a payment plan based on milestones achieved and on the quality of the work completed to that point. Remember that, as the customer, you are not obliged to pay the builder for a bad job or for their absences.

Again, it's not unreasonable for the builder to expect an initial small deposit to cover the cost of materials before starting the job, but this should be stated and detailed in the quote.

If they have done a bad job, and you've withheld the funds, that is the money you can use for another more reputable builder to come in and fix the issues.

In the pressured moment of receiving a builder's quote and the desire to get the work finished quickly, you might feel obliged to go ahead with that particular builder - especially if it appears to be a reasonable amount of money.

While that quote might be the one you end up with, you should seek additional quotes from other builders so that you can make a comparison. Of course, you shouldn't necessarily go with the cheapest but base your decision on the basis of the work they plan to do and the comparison with the other building firms. And ensure all the quotes are written and detailed rather than verbal, covering their assessment of the works to be carried out.

You should be honest with all of those pitching for the work - they need to know that they are in a competition for the building project, which should ensure greater precision in the quote you receive from them.

This might seem obvious but being caught up in the details of your project and talking to a number of builders, it's very easy to forget to do your homework and simply plump for the quote that looks best on paper.

Take time out to research your builder(s) and look at customer reviews for other projects they have been involved with. See if there is anything that raises a warning to you about them on social media and customer feedback sides such as Trustpilot. Also, try finding them on tradespeople sides such as Checkatrade or TrustATrader, and see what the reviews say about their work.

If you can't find anything about them, then this should constitute a red flag and you should avoid them at all costs - quite literally.

Have you had some work done and you're worried about the quality and the impact on your property? Need a quality professional assessment of the home and the work done to confirm it's adequate?

That's where it is really worth contacting Surveyor Local! 

Call  to get your no-obligation survey quote started, or to discuss your concerns with the acquisition of your planned property.

Or you can get a quick quote, using Surveyor Local's easy-to-use quote generator. Simply input your name, postcode, email address, phone number and an approximate value of the property (usually the agreed price), and we'll give you an instant quote for the work (with an email copy). 

We'll do the rest once you confirm your acceptance of the quote.