Building work and related issues consistently feature in the top three matters that Lewisham Council Trading Standards receive complaints about. To address this issue we have set up a builder’s register, which we hope will:
- support and promote good builders, especially locally-based small businesses
- enable residents to find good builders they can trust
- reduce the number of complaints we receive about unethical builders.
Traders listed in the builder’s register have agreed to abide by standardised fair trading principles and practices. They have undergone a strict vetting procedure performed by Trading Standards, so you can feel confident in contracting their services. Builders on the register have been checked for:
- a fair trading history – so you can be confident in hiring them
- their qualifications – so you know they are capable of doing the job
- verifiable identities – so you know they are who they say they are
- contractual obligations – so you know what you’re signing in to.
Builders on the register have also agreed to provide, in the form of a quotation or contract before building work begins:
- details of works
- staged payments
- limitation of works
- approximate [to the best of trader’s knowledge] date for completion of works
- the registered business name of the trader.
This information allows both the trader and consumer to be fully aware of the details of the works before they are undertaken and can be used as a reference throughout the works.
Whilst the traders on this register have undergone a strict vetting procedure, the Council are unable to recommend specific traders.
Recommend good traders to us
As good builders and home improvement contractors are hard to find, we invite you to recommend traders to us. If you have recently had work completed by a trader who provided you with a satisfactory service and you feel they are deserving to be included in our register, then please let us know.
Please note that the inclusion of a trader on this register is only an indication that members have made a commitment to meet certain minimum standards, which have been set out in our code of practice. Inclusion on the register does not warrant that the Council in any way guarantees or accepts responsibility for any aspect of the work undertaken by, or agreements that a customer makes with, a particular trader. In every instance the decision to appoint a particular trader rests with the customer.