5 Sensible Things to Do When You Hire a Tradesperson

When you hire a tradesperson, it’s important to do so carefully. You need someone who’s skilled and honest and will do a good job – after all, you are trusting them with your home and potentially quite a bit of money.

Before you hire a tradesperson, make sure you do these 5 sensible things:

1. Ask about qualifications and certificates

Before you hire a tradesperson, you need to make sure that they’re qualified to do the job. This is particularly important if you’re getting gas or electrical work done. So before you take someone on to do these jobs, check that they’re on the Gas Safe register or a registered electrician. You can verify if someone’s a registered electrician by asking them who they’re registered with and checking online.

It’s also sensible to get proof of the tradesperson’s identity and public liability insurance. If you’ve found them through our service, we’ll have already done this for you.

2. Check their reviews and ratings

It’s also a good idea to check a tradesperson’s reviews and ratings before you hire them. If you found them through our service, visit their Quotatis profile page and take a look at their customer reviews. All their reviews will have been written by genuine customers, so you know you can trust them.

If you can’t find any reviews for the tradesperson, ask them for references and photos of their previous work.

3. Be upfront about what you want

When you’re considering hiring a tradesperson, it’s also vital to be upfront about what you want. Everyone has different expectations for a project, so don’t expect the tradesperson to know what you want. Discuss things like your budget, project timescale and who is supplying the materials so you’re both on the same page. Get all of this in writing, along with a detailed quote, so you’ve got a record of your agreement.

4. Trust your instincts

Trusting your instincts is vital when you hire a tradesperson. Don’t take someone on unless you have good feelings about them and their work – any doubts you have will probably be for a good reason.

Avoid anyone who tries to rush you into hiring them or is unwilling to give you all the information you need. The best tradesperson will be honest, upfront and give you all the time you need.

5. Avoid paying up front

You should never have to pay for all of a job before it’s complete – so avoid any tradesperson who asks you to do so. It’s pretty common to pay a deposit upfront, but this shouldn’t be more than 20% of the overall job price. Before you hire a tradesperson, make sure they’ve included details of any deposits they require and when they need them by in a written quote.

Doing these 5 things will help you find a tradesperson who suits you and will do a good job. To get in touch with up to 4 tradespeople to help you with your project, fill in our online form now.

Evy Coe

Evy works for Quotatis as a Content Marketing Executive. She loves to write about interior design and help homeowners with their DIY projects.