How to ward off rogue builders

Getting the builders in is rarely stress-free – even if you’re lucky enough to have honest workmen. So how do you avoid becoming a victim of rogue builders?

Getting the builders in is rarely stress-free even if you're lucky enough to have honest workmen. But with homeowners now giving £1bn to rogue builders every year, Trading Standards has said enough is enough. The regulator has set up a new intelligence-sharing' network to catch the cowboys.

"In our area alone, we have trading standards officers pooling information across 62 local authorities," says Steve Playne, creator of the new Scambusters scheme. This information-sharing something you may well have thought they'd already be doing should make it harder for rogue tradesmen simply to move areas when locals get wise to their activities.

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