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RICS welcomes “cowboy builder” legislation

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has welcomed the introduction of measures to protect homeowners from “cowboy” builders.

Tradesmen who operate self-check schemes, which allow them to assess their own work, will need to be accredited to an international quality standard in order to operate, under measures introduced by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Under the system there are also 18 independent organisations that will now conduct unannounced spot-checks, rather than intermittent prearranged inspections, to make the scheme more rigorous.

Householders will also be given the protection of a financial safety net, including a guarantee of insurance to catch rogue builders if they fail to complete work to a suitable standard.

Geoff White, RICS North Policy Manager says: “Every year the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) receives thousands of complaints relating to cowboy builders and their poor workmanship.

“So these new measures are needed as they will further protect people from shoddy work and raise the bar for self-check tradesmen.”

RICS is now warning residents about the potential dangers of choosing a building contractor based on price alone, as quotes which appear too good to be true often are.

To reduce the risk of getting into a legal dispute with a contractor, RICS strongly advises using a qualified practitioner who is a member of a recognised trade association or professional body as this means that they should adhere to required codes of practice. Such organisations will also have an appropriate regulatory framework or protection scheme in place which will help resolve a dispute, should one ever arise.

Geoff concludes: “Good builders are often a little pricier, not to mention extremely busy, especially with the increasing number of homeowners making improvements to their property instead of moving. However, they are worth the wait and spend as quality work will stand the test of time.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .