How to Find a Trustworthy Tradesperson in the UK

Before you hire a tradesperson, check they hold the right registration for the job. Anyone carrying out gas work must by law be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see their Gas Safe ID card and check the number on the Gas Safe Register website.

For electrical work, look for registration with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. These schemes carry out regular inspections of registered electricians' work.

• Gas work: check the Gas Safe Register.
• Electrical work: check NICEIC or NAPIT.
• Building work: ask for membership of a trade body such as the Federation of Master Builders.

A tradesperson working on your home should hold public liability insurance. This covers the cost of accidental damage to your property, or injury to you or a visitor, during the work.

Ask to see a copy of the insurance certificate before work begins. Check that the policy is still valid and covers the type of work being carried out.

If a tradesperson cannot provide proof of insurance, treat this as a warning sign, not a formality to skip.

A star rating alone does not tell you whether a review is genuine. On many general directories, anyone can leave a review, whether or not they actually hired that tradesperson.

Look for reviews that are tied to a specific, verified job. On Propvio, a review can only be left once a homeowner has tagged a tradesperson on a real logged job and that tradesperson has confirmed it. This makes the review much harder to fake.

A tradesperson with a strong number of confirmed jobs, not just a high average rating, is a stronger signal of reliability.

Before work begins, ask for a written quote that sets out the cost, the materials to be used, and the expected start and finish dates.

Keep a copy of this quote, along with any invoices, certificates, and photographs of the finished work. This record is useful if a dispute arises later, and it can also add to your home's maintenance history if you sell in future.