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PAYING SOMEONE to do work around the house is notoriously tricky. Time and again, undercover footage by television shows has shown how tradesmen charge a king's ransom for shoddy work.
Assuming they don't turn up wearing a stetson, how do you check that a builder is not a cowboy? There are few national brands in home repairs or extensions, making it harder to compare reputations and, by its nature, the work tends to be infrequent, making it less likely householders will have experience of hiring a builder or acting as a project manager.
The consumer group Which? has published a guide, Hiring Builders and Professionals, with the appealing slogan: "Get the work done without getting ripped off". It gives advice on hiring tradespeople to do work around the home such as extensions, attics, electrics and plumbing. It also provides a guide to hiring less frequently used services such as antiques restorers, locksmiths and piano tuners and "professionals": accountants, estate agents, surveyors, financial advisers and many others. There are also tips on how to complain, directly and through professional bodies and ombudsmen services.
Here are some of the book's suggestions for hiring builders and other tradesmen and women. While there are no guarantees - and in any case many professionals do a perfectly good job - a little preparation should minimise your chances of poor workmanship.
BUILDERS
After checking Which?'s local site for recommendations, ask a builder for three phone numbers of customers for whom they have carried out...