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Botch-job tradespeople cost Brits billions

Wednesday, 6 September 2006 12:00 AM

Home improvement jobs carried out by botch-job tradespeople are costing homeowners £8 billion a year.

Seven per cent of the 15 million homeowners who have had home improvement work carried out during the last two years have been unhappy with the completed job.

At an average cost of £7,340 a time, home improvements do not come cheap, yet 1.1 million Brits have had to put up with the substandard installation of kitchens and bathrooms, or unsatisfactory extensions, research by Direct Line shows.

One in seven of those unhappy with home improvements have been stung by tradespeople not honouring a contract.

And homeowners who pay for the home improvement work in cash are particularly vulnerable because more than half believe that cash payers do not have the same legal rights as those paying 'on the books'.

This is not the case; homeowners who pay in cash and are unhappy with the work carried out have exactly the same rights as those who pay by cheque or credit card.

"Homeowners need to be aware of their rights when it comes to employing tradespeople and ensure that in the event that problems occur, they will be rectified quickly," said Direct Line's Carmel McCarthy.

"The best approach is to hire a tradesperson from an approved network and always ensure that you ask for proof of work - either a receipt or a written guarantee."

Nearly a quarter of Brits who hired a cowboy builder did not get a guarantee for the work, while a further 20 per cent had to bring in someone else or resort to DIY to sort out the problem.

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