The answer to the UK's rogue trader problem. You can trust Checkatrade to help you find the right person for the job.

What is Checkatrade?

When you need work doing around your home, finding reputable tradesmen can be difficult. Can you really trust them? Checkatrade is a free service that gives you the background information you need to make a confident decision.

We offer you a directory of trades and services who have been vetted to our high standards, for example by verifying their insurance, qualifications and professional memberships. Not only that, but we also monitor their work on an ongoing basis by collecting feedback directly from their customers.

Since 1998 we have collected 307,005 customer reports which give you the facts about the strengths and weaknesses of our listed companies. You know what you are getting. Recommendation, reputation, and a standard you can trust.

How does it work?

When you need a tradesman, it is hard to know if you are getting someone trustworthy. The telephone directory is a lottery. A friend’s recommendation is well-meaning, but only tells you the tradesman did a good job once.

What you need is a good reputation that you can check for yourself. Phone Checkatrade’s Trade Appraisal Line  0845 408 4866 or view details of their many recommended, vetted and monitored businesses online.

Search for what you need in your area. Every business has been vetted and monitored: read all their feedback and results for yourself, including what their past customers think, and what work they have completed. After a job well done, fill out a customer feedback card to let us know how the work went. Your feedback and comments go straight into our database to keep the public up to speed on who they can trust. Why it works The success of Checkatrade lies in the power of partnership.

Consumers want to find tradesmen on whom they can rely to do a good job. Our trades and services want the phone to be ringing with genuine customers who trust them from the start. Checkatrade brings the two together.

Years ago neighbours would recommend a local trader over the garden fence, and through word of mouth a reputation was built. These days it can be harder for the word to spread and the threat of rogue traders has increased. Checkatrade has brought word of mouth recommendation back for the twenty-first century using modern technology and the Internet.

We rely on consumers to give us feedback on our member trades and services. This information is presented here for all to see. We rely on our member businesses to maintain the Checkatrade standard, knowing that they will be publicly exposed if they do not. For our part, we continue to display honestly the results of consumer feedback and our vetting procedure.

This three-way partnership is a powerful combination to solve the problem of rogue traders across the UK.

The Checkatrade Standard

Our trades and services pledge to you, their customers, to:

* Be honest.

* Inform you of any call-out fees before attending the work.

* Be realistic regarding start dates and how long work will take.

* Return all phone messages you leave promptly.

* Keep all appointments booked and be on time. If unable to make original time or date, they will call you to let you know and reschedule where necessary.

* Let you know immediately if they are unable to carry out estimated work, referring you back to Checkatrade for assistance in finding another trades person.

* Be courteous and respectful to you, your property and your belongings.

* Keep you notified of all aspects of the work being undertaken.

* Advise you before commencing any works that generate further costs due to variation from the original contract.

* Create an additional contract for any variations to the original contract agreement, signed by both parties (you and the trades person).

* Never demand cash.

* Never be threatening, or verbally or physically abusive.

* Deal with any complaints promptly and professionally.