TrustMark, the national quality badge for reputable tradesmen in the domestic sector, has commissioned new research into public perceptions of tradesmen. At first glance it seems that most people have a good impression – 71% of respondents felt their overall experience was more positive than negative.  When given a list of good and bad adjectives to describe tradesmen, the five most frequently used words were ‘skilled’, ‘hardworking’, ‘professional’, ‘helpful’ and ‘trustworthy’.

However, almost a quarter say they have had a negative experience, and more than half felt their perception of tradesmen had become more negative because of the ‘cowboy builder’ TV programmes. Also:

• One in five people would encourage friends or family to get a job in the sector only if there was more recognition of good quality and skilled tradesmen.
• 43% agreed with the statement “Many tradesmen do a good job – there are some great firms out there”, but 50% of people also said they were not confident about the level of consumer protection available to them when they employ a tradesman to work on their homes.
• Almost 94% would have more confidence and trust in tradesmen if they had undergone a full vetting and inspection process to ensure their work met an industry standard – exactly the safeguards which TrustMark provides. 

As regular readers of my leaders will be aware, I’ve had dreadful luck with the various tradesmen I’ve employed although I must admit that finally, the sixth plasterer I’ve used in four years, has come up trumps (well done Craig from www.chplastering1.com – it’s good to know that there are some competent people out there after all )! However, I’ve spent far longer living in what I often describe as a ‘falling down house’, simply because I’ve been so worn down by the dodgy workers I’ve had here to help me that I’ll put up with problems rather than be taken for a fool again. I gather that this is a common problem and that's not good for householders and it's not good for the industry either.

Naturally I’m delighted that the Government is finally doing something more substantial to change things, with this week’s launch of its Industrial Strategy for Construction, which recognises that the reputation of the domestic sector is important to the success of the construction industry overall and its ability to attract bright young people into jobs in the industry. I sincerely hope it works!

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Yours,

Jan Hobbs