Rogue Traders

Trading Standards warns residents to beware of rogue traders following the recent poor weather as an opportunity to commit fraud.

Spells of wet weather can highlight areas of our homes that require attention, for example leaking gutters or an issue with the roof. Rogue traders are known to use the weather as an opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting residents.

The rogue trader can contact you in many ways, such as:

Alarm bells should ring when a small job turns into a bigger one or if there are unexpected price increases. A common example is a simple job such as clearing blocked gutters that is ‘bounced’ by identifying more work that the trader says needs doing urgently, like loose roof tiles, compromised felt or rotten timbers. Or a price is agreed but later the trader tells you that the price did not include materials or VAT.

Be suspicious if an expensive quote is quickly reduced, on the condition the work is carried out straightaway, or if you are asked for a large deposit for ‘scaffolding’, ‘materials’ or the like.  Beware if the trader claims the job is urgent and you feel pressured to agree.

Another warning sign is a lack of paperwork before work starts. Look for full information about the trader: their legal entity, address, contact details, company status, full description of works and materials to be used, full cost including whether VAT is included, how long the job will take, and proper cancellation rights given at the right time.

Don’t feel trapped into using the same trader, even though it seems to make sense while they are on your property.  The law protects you in this situation by giving you a 14-day cancellation period for work that is agreed at your home. Only you can agree for the work to commence within the cancellation period if you want it to.

Our advice is to make use of the cancellation period to reflect an consider. Take the time to:

If you have any concerns, you can report them to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. Report frauds to the Police by contacting Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Call 999 if the trader is aggressive or starts work without your agreement, these are ‘crimes in action’, do not feel that it is a waste of anyone’s time. Please look out for any vulnerable neighbours and report any concerns.