Posted on August 1, 2022

 by Joe Sharpe

Tens of thousands of homeowners in England are getting ripped off by cowboy tradespeople every single year, according to new research into Citizens Advice Bureau complaints from SGS Engineering.

The data, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, reveals that England is on course to accumulate over 30,000 cowboy builder complaints by the end of the year, with 14,000 complaints logged by the Citizens Advice Bureau already by May 2022.

There has also been a rise in the number of complaints received in recent years, with a 31% increase in complaints received regarding cowboy builders between 2020-2021.

Roofing, roof sealing, and chimney repairs is responsible for 2,258 of those complaints, with window frames and doors (2,229), major renovations (1,827), fitted kitchens (1,253), and general building work (1,038) also frequent problem areas.

Most common cowboy builder complaints: 2022

Roofing, roof sealing and chimney repairs – 2,258

Window frames and doors (excluding electric garage doors) – 2,229
Major renovations (including lofts, conversions and extensions) – 1,827

Fitted Kitchens – 1,253

Other general building work – 1,038

Fitted Bathrooms – 976

Plumbers and plumbing – 933

Paving, driveways, patios and decking – 929

Electrical services and installations – 558

Decorator services – 378

Insulation – 338

Home security systems – 293

Guttering and drains – 290

Wall coating and rendering – 205

Electric garage doors and electric gates – 202

Damp Proofing – 143

Scaffolding and skips – 103

Fascias (including cladding) and soffits – 67

Regional Breakdown

The South-East of England has emerged as the area hit hardest by the rogue trader crisis, with 2,298 complaints made in 2022 to date.

The South-East also had the most complaints in 2019 (5,786) and 2020 (5,387), with most complaints to date in 2022 relating to window frames and doors (367).

Conversely, the North-East of England appears to have the most trustworthy tradespeople, as only 749 complaints have been logged so far in 2022.

In fact, the North-East has had the lowest number of complaints made to the Citizens Advice Bureau every year since 2019.

The North-West had the highest number of complaints made in 2021, with 6,787.

Tips: How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by a Rogue Trader

The complaints data above paints a clear picture that cowboy builders are out there, and any homeowner looking to recruit a tradesperson to help them should be wary of the warning signs.

So, what are the signs that a homeowner should be looking out for?

The quoted price is suspiciously cheap: It makes sense to secure quotes from numerous tradespeople before starting a job, but price shouldn’t be the only consideration. If the cheapest quote is hundreds or even thousands of pounds lower than the average and sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It could mean they are a cowboy builder or could not be experienced enough to give accurate figures.

They won’t put anything in writing: If a tradesperson if unwilling to commit to putting a quote in writing, or to write up a contract, then alarm bells should be ringing.

They say they are in a trade association when they are not: A crucial step is to check if the builder does belong to the trade association. If they don’t, it means they’re untrustworthy and might even be committing a criminal offence

Asks for money up front: This is perhaps the most important step. A trustworthy builder won’t ask you to do this and should have enough money as a business to cover materials. Money should only be released according to an agreed schedule upon each completed stage of a job. Do not pay large sums before work has been completed.

Not willing to offer references: Tradespeople should be open and honest about their previous work.

Too keen to start the job straight away: A common tactic of cowboy builders is to work extensively in one area before leaving without a trace.

Hero who fixed cowboy builder disasters offers his advice on avoiding disaster:

Graham Nash of Pinnacle Builders in Leeds won the inaugural SGS Local Hero Award for his work battling cowboy builders.

Mr Nash has spent thousands of pounds in recent years rectifying the shoddy work done by cowboy builders and has fixed the homes of hundreds of grateful people who have been ripped off.

Pinnacle Builders continue to fix the work of cowboy builders to this day, and Mr Nash believes that there are steps that homeowners can take to protect themselves before work has even begun.

He said: “It is important to vet tradespeople as thoroughly as you can. Methods of doing this include checking the tradesperson out on Companies House, and by speaking to previous clients that they have done work for.”

The most important advice imparted by Mr Nash is to avoid overpaying before work has been completed, imploring homeowners to enforce a watertight contract on when payments should be made, and to hold back enough money to prepare for the worst.

He said: “It is vital to have a full contract in place stipulating a breakdown of payment schedules with which the customer is 100% happy.

“Every customer should be looking to leave enough money aside that they would be able finish the project with another tradesperson should their original option leave the job unexpectedly. If there is a breakdown of communication between the homeowner and the tradesperson, then the crucial factor is how much money has been paid by the homeowner.”

Even when taking the correct steps, some jobs can still go wrong. Mr Nash advises that when a job feels as though it is going wrong, it makes sense to address the situation as quickly as possible.

He said: “The first time that it is flagged that something is wrong, and you aren’t happy with how the job is going, stop it there and then. It is important to address the situation as quickly as possible to avoid a conflict later on.”