Could Cowboy Builders Be A Thing Of The Past?

By Author: Scott McCown
Total Articles: 33
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Millions of homeowners undergo home improvements each year and many of them go swimmingly with the work completed on time, on budget and to the highest quality. However, unfortunately they do not all go like this and just when a home owner thinks that everything is in line their home improvement, and usually a considerable amount of money, goes to waste as cowboy builders are finding their way into people's homes and causing a great deal of stress and hassle.

However all this could be coming to an end as Andrew Stunell, Communities' Minister, has introduced new measures that are designed to eliminate these types of businesses and individuals from the home improvement sector. These measures include the setting up of 18 independent organisations that will conduct inspections of the work that is carried out by any individual or business. The problem in the past has been that tradesmen were able to operate self-check schemes meaning they were not getting punished or reprimanded for half hearted, unsatisfactory and generally below standard work.

As well as causing a considerable amount of stress and hassle to the home ...
... owner, substandard home improvements cost the home owner a considerable amount of money as they will have to pay for the job to be corrected. This is usually money that they have not got because they would have budgeted, and rightfully so, for the job to be done right first time round.

An astonishing 85,000 complaints have been made each year according to the Office of Fair Trading and as this figure threatens to increase, Mr Stunell has had to step in to introduce these measures in an attempt to reduce these complaints and to ensure that home owners are not stung by a cowboy tradesman. Of these 85,000, around 15,000 were specifically about the window and conservatory industry which means customers need to be careful when choosing the right company, in fact that is exactly what you should do, choose a company. With their reputation at stake, they are more likely to provide a higher quality service.

The other 70,000 were based around general home improvements so it is more important than ever to be careful when choosing the right company. The internet is home to many high quality companies that are sure to provide the kind of service you expect when you spend your hard earned money. Let's keep our fingers crossed that these cowboys are eradicated from the home improvement sector.

From fire doors and composite doors to replacement double glazing windows and more, search online for the most reputable companies in the market.