‘I’m a builder – these nine things will help you spot a rogue trader a mile off’

The biggest mistake homeowners make isn’t hiring the wrong builder, it’s rushing into choosing one. A builder might be working on your home for months and you’re trusting them with one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. Ask questions, compare detailed quotes, check previous work and don’t be afraid to walk away if something doesn’t feel right. Good builders won’t mind being asked difficult questions because they’ve got nothing to hide.

The co-founder of Compare Builders, a new digital platform designed to create greater trust and transparency between homeowners and reputable tradespeople, reveals the nine statements that should set alarm bells ringing…

Cash is easier:

Paying cash isn’t illegal and plenty of honest tradespeople accept it. The warning sign is when cash becomes the only payment option or when the builder is reluctant to provide paperwork. Legitimate businesses still need to account for payments, provide invoices and honour warranties regardless of how they’re paid. If someone is keen to avoid bank transfers, written receipts or VAT invoices, homeowners should ask why. Paying in cash can also make it much harder to prove what was agreed if a dispute ends up in court.

Contracts don’t need to be frightening legal documents. For domestic projects, a simple written agreement should cover what’s included, what isn’t, payment stages, start date, completion date, variations and guarantees. Most disputes don’t happen because people disagree, they happen because they remember conversations differently six months later. If a customer suddenly asks for extra work halfway through the project, a written scope makes it much easier to explain why additional costs are involved.

I’ll beat any quote

Comparing builders isn’t about finding the cheapest. Two £40,000 extension quotes can be completely different. One builder might include skip hire, scaffolding, decorating, building control fees, waste removal and upgraded insulation, while another excludes them all. Some builders deliberately quote low knowing they’ll recover the money through “extras” later. Homeowners should ask every builder to price from exactly the same drawings and specification.

I can start tomorrow

This one has loads of nuance. There may be perfectly good reasons why a builder becomes available unexpectedly. Perhaps another client delayed planning permission, bad weather postponed another project or a cancellation created a gap. That’s normal. The concern is when somebody never seems to have work booked. Good builders are usually busy because previous customers recommend them. If someone is available immediately every month of the year, homeowners should ask themselves why.

Many homeowners confuse planning permission, permitted development and building regulations but they’re three completely different things. Builders aren’t planning officers. If somebody dismisses planning questions without properly understanding a project, that’s concerning. Even if planning isn’t needed, Building Regulations approval often is. Ignoring either can create expensive problems when selling the property later.

We’ll sort the extras later

This is probably responsible for more arguments than almost anything else. Homeowners often assume things are included because “it seems obvious”. Builders assume they’re excluded because they weren’t specified. Common examples include painting, flooring, kitchen installation, appliance fitting, waste removal, skip permits, landscaping, electrical fittings and decorating. Asking what isn’t included? often reveals far more than asking what is!

I’ve got materials left over

Sometimes this happens legitimately. Builders often have surplus bricks, blocks or timber after finishing another project. The problem is when homeowners don’t know where they’ve come from, whether they’re suitable or if they’ve been weather-damaged. Building materials are selected for specific structural and thermal requirements. Using random leftover products isn’t always appropriate.

Construction isn’t like buying a sofa during a bank holiday sale. Material prices do change alongside Labour costs, but those changes are rarely measured in hours. If somebody insists homeowners must decide immediately or lose the price forever, I’d encourage people to slow down. Good builders understand homeowners want to compare quotes, discuss finances with family and feel comfortable before committing tens of thousands of pounds. A rushed decision often becomes an expensive one.

And, finally trust me!

Trust shouldn’t come from confidence and from evidence. Professional builders should have no problem providing insurance certificates, references, photographs, guarantees, company registration and of course examples of previous work. Genuine builders expect customers to ask questions. If somebody becomes defensive when asked for references or insurance documents, that’s often more revealing than the documents themselves.