Be Careful Who You Let Into Your Home

With Summer just round the corner thoughts are turning to home improvements and the sun always seems to make areas that need attention seem so much worse!

Our blog today is to tell you about an important message that could effect all householders and the message is fairly simple. Be careful who you let into your home. We're talking here about tradespeople who carry out work in your home. It may seem obvious not to let someone you don't know into your home but unscrupulous tradespeople have a habit of conning people into having work carried out without giving the householder a chance to carry out vital checks beforehand.

Unfortunately these tradesmen are out touting for business door to door and can spot as easily as you can that certain works need to be done – its a good ploy they use to make out that your home is extremely dangerous and this can of course put huge pressure on a householder to sign up to the work on the spot only to discover later it was a huge mistake. Our tip from here at Fulcher Edwards is not to fall for this trick. Even if work needs to be carried out urgently on your property, there won't be anything that cannot wait until you are satisfied that you are have found the right person to do the work.

Last week in our blog we spoke about how to spot a good electrician. Always use this method when selecting anyone to do work in your home. There is no guarantee what so ever that the person who knocks on your door out of the blue is even a trades person. We have all heard stories of people who have had shoddy and dangerous work carried out in their home and have been tempted by a very low price and being able to have the work done then and there. A reputable trades person will never pressure you into signing up for work and you are highly unlikely to find them touting door to door for business.

So why are we telling you this now? Well the instances of unscrupulous tradespeople trading door to door is on the rise again following the introduction of Green Deal. All work carried out under the Green Deal must be carried out by Green Deal registered installers – don't be caught out. Always ensure that you carry out all the necessary checks beforehand and if you have any doubts, walk away. The other issue that seems to be cropping up more is the facts that Green Deal installers are able to carry out other works which the householder can pay separately for.

It is important that the right people are used for the right job. Always check qualifications, and don't fall into the temptation of using a trades person for every job you need doing. A common example of this is when having kitchens and bathrooms fitted. Always ensure that if someone tells you they can do a job, they are qualified to to it. We have seen many examples of poor electrical work carried out in kitchens and bathrooms and when we've spoken to the householder they hadn't realised that the person who fitted their kitchen wasn't qualified in electrics and have left their kitchen in a dangerous condition. This is happening more following the introduction of Green Deal where the householder is paying separately for additional jobs without checking qualifications and even standards of work.

Trustmark, the government approved scheme that endorses the standards that tradespeople work to have recommended that all home improvements are carried out by Trustmark registered installers. Here at Fulcher Edwards Electricians, we are proud to be associated with Trustmark and our customers in and around London can be confident they are using electricians assessed against exacting standards.

It can be so tempting to adapt the approach of a 'one stop shop' we all enjoy the convenience factor after all. Remember there are unscrupulous people out there who prey on that very fact. Resist the temptation and opt for the best.