We’ve heard a few reports lately of tradespeople going door-to-door in areas of South East London, and trying to pressure people into buying loft insulation.

This is a pattern of behaviour widely reported in the past around everything from double glazing and solar panels, but the top thing to remember is that reputable contractors and installers, like the ones Selce partners with, do not approach people on the doorstep to sell their services.

Make it a principle not to buy services from people who try to sell to you in what seems like a high pressure situation – if it’s on your doorstep, that counts as one. And if they’ve also coincidentally noticed a problem that urgently needs to be fixed, that is unfortunately another red flag.

How to Find Good Tradespeople?

If we disregard anyone selling door-to-door, how else do you find good tradespeople?

The following are worth considering:

– Good old fashioned word of mouth and personal recommendations from trusted friends, family and colleagues are always valuable – you could even ask to look at the work they’re recommending in person.

– Trading Standards’ ‘Buy with confidence’ mark is worth looking out for, as is a Trustmark verification.

– Other recommendation services such as Check-a-Trade are paid-for by contractors and don’t offer independent vetting or checking, so cannot be recommended. The same is true of other online review services too.

– From dodgy damp-proofing, to spray foam loft insulation, to many other examples as above, the building industry is full of cowboys or put differently is a wild west. Some companies put short-term profit so far beyond anything that serious damage to peoples’ homes is the result.

– Finally, always get 2 or more quotes.

With Selce’s own retrofit services, we are a co-operative, and any profits go back into the community, in the form of our energy advice service for those experiencing fuel poverty.

You can read more about our formula for successful retrofit, and rest assured that we work alongside you and recommended contractors to make sure your home gets the best results.

Find out more about the retrofit and home improvement services Selce offers to homeowners.