TrustMark has expanded its remit to include repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI), retrofit, and energy efficiency sectors, in order to cover any work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home.

This extension of responsibilities follows the Each Home Counts review in 2016, which identified a requirement for an all-encompassing mark of quality for consumers to recognise and trust.

TrustMark’s expansion has brought significant changes to the scheme, which include:

• The Core Criteria document will be replaced by the Framework Operating Requirements (FOR). This will be delivered through the network of scheme providers, who will vet and monitor each business registered within the scheme
• The FOR will be supplemented by additional documents such as the Code of Conduct (setting out requirements to Registered Businesses) and the Customer Charter (outlining the rights and responsibilities of customers), both of which aim to improve clarity of communication for tradespeople and their customers
• New and updated branding, which includes a refreshed logo to reflect the significant incoming changes, while “celebrating the core values and name that remains at the heart of TrustMark as an organisation”
• The TrustMark website has also been updated to display the new branding and features an enhanced consumer search facility. A customer/business portal will also be available over the forthcoming months to handle all aspects of communications between consumers and trade, from quote to payment.

TrustMark’s new independent Chairman, Ranil Jayawardena, said: “The evolution of TrustMark into the government-endorsed scheme for any work that a consumer has done to their home is great news.

“I want to make sure that TrustMark puts consumers first and gives them the best information from which they can make their own decisions. At the same time, I believe this will be good for the industry in the long run, as it should mean that consumer power drives the industry to be better.”