Be aware of "cowboy builders"!
Here are tips on how you know you are dealing with one.
As a member of the Federation of Master Builders, we had been receiving alarming information the so-called “cowboy builders” are on a rise. Apparently, one-third of house renovation projects is now delayed due to them. And this practice costs UK economy £10 billion of work every year!
We want to make sure that you are safe in your investment so here are some signs on how to spot them.
What are "cowboy builders"?
That is a term used for people that either is not builders at all or they are semi-skilled people that are known to:
usually are alone of work with a couple of friends,
take on a project that they are not skilled to do,
take the deposit money and don't show up to do the work or/and
leave a job in the middle of the project with the work left to be done.
They usually have:
NO or slim track record and references of previous jobs,
NO or slim insurances,
NO documents in writing format,
NO web or other marketing presence.
How to avoid them?
To make sure you are safe in your investment in your property upgrade, we suggest that you ask your builder for:
a contract,
their Terms and conditions,
a copy of the insurance policy,
a written copy of the quote or estimate.
You should also receive a copy of an invoice which you then use for making your payments. This gives you some track of the money being spent and gives you at least some protection under the law.
If you are making payments in cash, make sure you have some paperwork to prove that the payment was made by you to the builder.
When choosing the right builder, checking their references is always a good thing. Local forums, Trustpilot and other similar web pages are full of good and not so good reviews that will give you a sense of what you can expect from the builder. Talking to your friends and family can be beneficial also. You can also ask the builder to put you in contact with their previous clients. If they have permission to do so from their previous clients, they will be happy to give you their contact information.
You can also always check the legitimacy of the company by checking the Companies House web page.
Our experiences
We had some clients in the past ourselves that had experiences with "cowboy builders". After they left them with unfinished work or sometimes even exposed bricks, they contacted us.
The clients said that they choose them because of their price and quick availbility, yet they end up losing money, mostly because they were paying them upfront big sums of cash and they didn’t finish the work. Some of them didn't finish the job or did a poor job. So the clients needed to hire another building company to repair the damage, if you can find one willing to do so.
It ended up costing them 2-3 times more than originally priced. Ouch!
Conclusion
Good practices show that engaging a good building company with a pedigree and proven track record… is even though it seems costlier at the beginning, a very wise decision.
It will bring you greater peace of mind long-term because you’ve invested in a builder you can trust. Plus if anything goes wrong you have a professional company to hand, who are happy to be accountable for thier work and just as importantly thier customer service.
Although the price of the project sets your boundaries, it is not the only factor worth considering. Taking time to check out your building companies history, finanical status (companies house) and getting two to three independant referalls. Let’s you know your in good hand and secure’s your home and long term investment!
You only see the true face of a company when something goes wrong! How they react, how they support you professionlly with the issue in question and if they take full responiblity for putting it right, no questions asked and at no cost to you because that’s what you paid them to do in the first place.
In the end being in the wrong hands and at the wrong end of a bad build experience at your home will cause you, not only the utmost amount of mental stress. It could also impact you and your family emotionally and hit your pocket hard too.
Worst of all you will have look at that poor workmanship and live with it day in day out until it’s fixed.
Ultimately, you get what you pay for in this industry. High quality and cheap just don’t go together.
So beware!
