The report shows that nearly three in five (58%) of consumers have suffered at the hands of a rogue trade, with poor workmanship (38%), incomplete jobs (24%), substandard materials (20%) and failure to meet agreed specifications (25%) the most common complaints.

Checkatrade produced this inaugural ‘State of Trust in Trades’ report in partnership with Focaldata, polling 3,000 UK adults to obtain insights into consumer experiences with tradespeople, used to shape recommendations about how trust can be rebuilt.

The trade industry is a cornerstone of the British economy, with 2.2 million  tradespeople completing 53 million jobs in UK homes every year. The report confirmed that nearly three-quarters (72%) of people have hired a tradesperson in the last 12 months, relying primarily on word-of-mouth (69%) recommendations, but only 52% confess to actually trusting the tradespeople they worked with.

The new data identifies that cost transparency is a major concern. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those hiring a tradesperson report that their final bill matched the initial quote, yet just 59% say they were kept informed about increases in advance. Exacerbating the issue, only 37% of consumers received an itemised written quote; instead 23% accepted a price without any detailed breakdown and 3% relied on verbal estimates. This lack of formal documentation erodes trust and contributes to the overall dissatisfaction with cost transparency.

While anyone can fall victim to a rogue tradesperson, the newly released State of Trust in Trades report showed that young people and women are particularly vulnerable. The research indicates that 60% of women have encountered a rogue tradesperson, compared to 55% of men. Women also cite more pronounced communication challenges, being less frequently informed about delays and cost changes (76% and 48% respectively) and experiencing slower responses when seeking follow-up work (35%). 

Negative tradespeople experiences are also higher among younger people, with 74% of those under 24 years having faced challenges compared to 45% in those over 65. However, when older adults do encounter rogue trades, the impact is often more severe, highlighting the greater vulnerability of this age group when they do face issues.

The report also investigates the impact of encountering a rogue tradesperson, discovering that the experience profoundly affects both a consumer’s sense of security and also their overall well-being. A significant 61% of those who’d been scammed report feelings of anxiety and frustration, with 40% experiencing stress and sleepless nights. Additionally, 17% suffered from physical distress, ranging from discomfort to injury as a result.

Negative experiences also shape attitudes towards future home improvements. Encountering a rogue tradesperson leaves consumers feeling more apprehensive about hiring again, with 43% nervous and 34% worried, compared to those who have not had their fingers burned. In 14% of cases, consumers have settled for inexpert DIY solutions rather than risk hiring another professional to fix botched jobs.

The report concludes that more than half of people (54%) believe trade recommendation sites like Checkatrade enhance their trust in tradespeople, but that these platforms must play their part in fixing the trust challenges. 

Mathieu Proust, COO at Checkatrade, said: “We are dedicated to ensuring that trust and quality are at the heart of our operations. In the past 12 months, we’ve refused over 1,000 trades for falling short of our industry-leading standards – and have proactively removed more than 3,000 others for not continuing to uphold them. We’re proud of what we do – and committed to continual improvement. 

“Our Trust in Trades report makes a number of important recommendations to help improve confidence and protect consumers. This includes improving awareness of the red flags to look out for when hiring trades, such as high availability, unusually low costs, or lack of qualifications. We also believe consumers deserve to clearly understand the standards being used by trade recommendation platforms, search engines, online marketplaces and review sites. We make our vetting process 100% transparent and want to see everyone providing information on trades doing the same."