How to Choose a Trades Business You Can Actually Trust
Plumbers, electricians, builders: trades businesses are among the most reviewed — and most complained about — in the UK. Here's how to separate the trustworthy from the rest.
Sophie Wainwright
Head of Product, Trust Dan
Why Trades Are High Stakes
No sector generates more consumer complaints in the UK than home trades. The Office for Fair Trading and Which? consistently rank plumbers, builders, and electricians among the top five sources of consumer grievances — ahead of telecoms, energy, and financial services.
The reasons are structural: work happens in your home, quality is difficult to assess before completion, and pricing is often opaque. This makes the pre-purchase research phase disproportionately important.
What to Look for in Reviews
Job-specific detail. The most useful trades reviews describe the actual job performed, the problem encountered, and how it was resolved. Generic "great service" reviews tell you almost nothing about how a business performs on your specific job type.
Punctuality and communication. Across thousands of trades reviews, the two qualities consumers mention most are showing up on time and keeping the customer informed. A reviewer who mentions both — positively or negatively — is telling you something useful.
After-job support. Did anything go wrong after completion? How did the business respond? The way a trades business handles post-job issues is often more revealing than the original service.
Quote accuracy. Unexpected cost increases are the single most common complaint in trades. Look for reviews that mention whether the final invoice matched the estimate.
Verification Markers to Trust
When researching a trades business:
- Gas Safe registration — mandatory for any gas work. Verify directly at gassaferegister.co.uk
- Part P certification — required for most electrical installation work
- NICEIC or NAPIT membership — indicates electricians who meet industry standards
- FMB membership — Federation of Master Builders membership for construction work
- Public liability insurance — always ask for proof before work begins
The Cheapest Quote Problem
The single biggest mistake UK consumers make when hiring trades is selecting the cheapest quote. Research from the HomeOwners Alliance consistently shows that the cheapest quote is the most likely to result in:
- Unexpected additional charges
- Substandard materials
- Incomplete or low-quality work
- Difficulty getting the business to return for snagging
Choose based on the totality of evidence — reviews, credentials, communication quality, and reasonable pricing — not the lowest number on a quote.
Trust Dan for Trades
Our Trades & Skilled Workers category covers plumbers, electricians, builders, decorators, and more. Look for the Verified badge, weight video reviews heavily, and pay particular attention to reviewers who describe their specific job in detail.