How to avoid rogue tradesmen   It’s a common fear, and one that does become a reality for many people. How do you pick a good tradesman and not end up with a cowboy builder who leaves your home in a worse state than you started and makes off with your money to boot?   You should always be careful when you employ anyone to work in your home. No matter how small the job, something can always go wrong. Of course the best way of avoiding hiring a bad tradesperson is to do the job yourself, however you mustn’t take on jobs you really cannot do. Don’t attempt to fix the electrics in your house for example, just because you’re worried about hiring a bad electrician. You really could do more harm than good, you could also find that you could invalidate your home insurance, and if your fix should cause a fire for example, you wouldn’t be covered. However for many other jobs around the home it really is worth giving it a go yourself. Most people can easily accomplish simple repairs and jobs such as fitting bathroom wall tiles if they put their mind to it.

Sometimes though you have no choice but to hire a professional. Personal recommendations are always the best way to go. If friends have had work done on their homes recently then ask them whom they used. You could even ask if you can see the work done so you can assess the quality. If you can’t get a personal recommendation then do ask for references and make a point of following them up. Another good tip is to go online and use a search engine to look up the name of the person or the company. Of course someone can place their own glowing testimonials online, but no tradesperson is going to put up their own complaints, so if there are people complaining about a particular person or company, then they are probably best avoided.   Be very wary of people who knock on your door offering their services. Good trades people will be booked up and don’t need to go door to door offering their services. Be especially careful if they are pointing out repairs that need doing that you were not previously aware of.   Make sure your potential workman is contactable. A mobile number isn’t enough. Make sure you get a landline and address. Get several quotes and make sure everything is itemised. Be very clear about what you want. It’s easy to blame a ‘rogue’ trader when things go wrong, and the end result isn’t as expected, but sometimes it is the home owners fault for not being clear enough. Make sure payment or payment milestones are understood by both parties. Don’t keep handing out more and more money without seeing advancement in the work. Setting payment after a certain amount of tasks have been completed is a good idea; it may spur on a slow worker to get on with the job a little quicker!   For more information http:/www.tiles4all.co.uk/