How to find a good tradesperson
Here are our top tips for finding a good tradesperson, as well as questions to ask them and how much they might cost. Keep reading to find out the top tips on how to find a tradesperson you can trust.
5 tips on how to find a good tradesperson
We’ve put together some of our top tips explaining how to find a good tradesman that you can rely on:
1. Use Checkatrade to get recommendations (shameless self-promo!)
Getting recommendations you can rely on is easier than ever online.
Want to know how you can get recommendations from hundreds of people who live near you in just a few clicks? By searching for approved and guaranteed tradespeople on Checkatrade.
The checked members on our books will make it easy to find a good tradesperson quickly and easily. Put in the type of tradesperson you’re looking for along with your postcode, and off you go!
You can check out member profiles to find out more about them, and you can even see honest reviews from real people.
You can also be safe in the knowledge that every tradesperson has to pass up to 12 thorough checks before becoming a member, and they have to agree to meet the Checkatrade standard in everything they do.
We’re so confident in our members that we even guarantee their work for up to a year (T&Cs apply).
2. Request quotes from at least 3 tradespeople
With all home improvement projects, we always recommend obtaining at least three quotes from different tradespeople in your area. You’ll want to shop around to make sure you’re paying a fair price for the work. And thankfully, we’ve got a tool that makes finding multiple quotes super easy.
Our request a quote feature is perfect for getting quotes: you post details about the work you need doing, and we’ll send it out to local tradespeople in your area. Try it out – it’s quick and easy!
Tip: Ask if the price you’re quoted price includes VAT.
3. Make sure they have the relevant qualifications
To get the best results, it’s important to hire tradespeople who are dedicated to their trade. Look for a tradesperson with relevant qualifications and accreditations, and check if they’re part of national trade schemes.
Schemes include TrustMark, Competent Person Scheme, Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, or schemes run by other national trade associations.
4. Choose tradespeople with local experience
Hiring a tradesperson with a lot of local experience can be really valuable. They’ll have a working knowledge of local planning permission, have access to a local network of suppliers and labour, and will be close at hand should you need them during the course of your project.
5. Ask for customer references (and contact them)
We do this to make sure a tradesperson’s reviews on our website are real, but there’s certainly no harm in you following up on customer references.
When you’ve found a tradesperson (or tradespeople) you think could be right for the job, ask them to provide you with references from previous customers about the quality of the tradesperson’s work, what it was like to work with them, and would they hire them again.
Tip: When you hire a Checkatrade tradesperson, you can look through their previous reviews on their profile.
How to identify the best tradespeople for a job? Ask these 10 questions…
Before you hire a tradesperson, it’s a good idea to meet with them in person to discuss the work you need them to do. That way, you can find out more about their experience and approach to their trade.
If you want to know how to find a tradesperson you can trust, ask potential candidates these questions:
- How long have you been working in the business?
- What qualifications and/or accreditations do you have?
- Have you done many projects like this before?
- Can you show me examples of previous projects that you’ve worked on?
- Do you have appropriate insurance, and can you provide valid certificates?
- Could you provide me with references from previous customers for me to contact?
- Do you offer a customer satisfaction guarantee?
- How long will it take you to complete the work? And when can you start?
- How much will it cost, and what are the payment terms?
- What steps do you take to keep your work on schedule and within budget?
How much does a tradesperson cost?
The average cost of a tradesperson will depend on the trade and the nature of the work and also where they are located (labour costs in London tend to be higher than in the North).
To help you plan a budget, here are some average rates you can expect to pay:
- Plumber costs – £40 – £60 Per hour or around £347.50 per day
- Carpenter prices – £30 – £45 per hour
- Builder rates – £30 - £40 per hour or £240 - £300 per day
- Electrician rates – £55 per hour or £400 per day
- Painter and decorator prices – £250 – £400 per day
Michael Capitelli
Thank you for your comprehensive guidelines, which are greatly appreciated.
Ms Pulido-Rojas
Thank you for your assistance. I am waiting for a trade person to arrange a date to carryout the work.
Beverley Bennett
Thanks for the usefull info will do ,every advice are noted hopefully will find my tradeperson .
Mrs JULIA HODGE
Thanks for this advice. I will certainly ask the questions you have recommended to ask. Really helpful.
Anthea Augustus
Very informative. Thanks
Patricia Smith
Very helpful.
Charmaine Denton
Very helpful advice and I can deffo use so of it thanks so much
Stephen John Reed
Very useful service, we found a great company which we would not have known about, Thank you
Patricia
Useful and very informative information
Patricia knox
very good advice for a starting point.
Sonja Bridges
Good starting point if new to finding the right tradespeople. There is much to think about when having work done in and around the house. I will certainly apply the useful tips given in this article.
Stuart waterhouse
thanks for the advice
Margaret Bidwell
Very thorough and good advice.
Yvonne
Thanks for the advice, very useful and helpful.
Owen Lee
Great advice
Samantha Winstone
Great advice
Terry jones
Overwhelmed with how many trades people to choose from but this helped me decide easier
Carol Bedford
Very useful information.
Minu
Very informative. Thank you . Will try to check everything as you suggested
Alice
Useful advice.
Isabel Scott
Great advice
Vu Nguyen
Very good advice and very helpful, Thanks so much
Elaine Smith
Thank you for your help and great advice - I will be using it to secure a trades person.
Irene Clark
very good advice and very helpful thank you.
Mrs khanna
Very use full information. It’s very helpful.
Eileen
Thank you - good advice.
Chris Wall
Very useful information which should provide reliable tradespeople. Will advise outcome.
Dennis
This was helpful as I was a little unsure price guide was nice to know thanks
Irene Addison
Thank you for your very informative information.
Sumam Newton
Thank you for these great tips. I will let you know the results.
Elisa kay Keating
It’s good to know this advice in advance. It’s scary to employ someone you don’t know. Thank
Kevin Gayton
Used this facility for the first time and very pleased with the service I received, if needed will use again.
Marion smith
This was a great site for information and gives you an idea of the costs so you can budget and know that you can trust the advice
Tina Taylor
Thank you for those tips I will use this as a guide.
Chris Lambert
J Newman responded to my request for a plasterer and gave a competitive price. He started the work promptly and completed it to my complete satisfaction. Mr Newman was very experienced and gave good advice about a tricky refurbishment of a water damaged hall and landing. He has my full recommendation for future work.
MrsAnne Hinnighan
Thank you for your advice and help
Sharon
This is really helpful thankyou.
Geoff Jacobs
This is a well conceived information sheet all of which makes perfect sense and is designed to provide relevant guidance. Thank you.
Mary blewitt
Very helpful tips
Ray Tallett
Those prices are great. My son is a carpenter in Nuneaton and charges similar prices. I am a retired painter and decorator but at those prices I might just take it up again. Very pleased. Thanks.
Viv
Tradesperson phoned and made appt and job done. Thankyou A very quick and efficient service by a very efficient engineer
Mpilo sibanda
Thank you so much for this usefully information..it really helps out when budgeting there.
Veronica Allen
Very helpful to get the right person to do the job.
Peter Crew
This advice and information is excellent. Will follow and use to the full. Many thanks.
Checkatrade
Dear Ronald, Absolutely, we do our very best to review our hourly rates regularly. However, we always do highlight these are ballpark rates, and of course, different regions of the UK may charge differently. Our hourly rates are reviewed by our professional estimators. We are willing to review and update our rates if anyone raises a query. We always aim to offer a sensible ballpark figure for anyone looking to hire a tradesperson.
Ronald King
Are your trader hourly rates up to date?
Paul Victor Hayball
Excellent guide to getting the right person for the right job-great innovation. Well done! Paul
Michelle Hall
Thank you for the useful information
Gadiraju
I’m using it 1st time It’s helpful in local areas Thank you
Jean Hunter
Very helpful advice. Thank you.
Christine Howard
Very helpful advice, especially the pay rates you can expect for different trades.
Denise Slater
Very helpful questions to ask . First time using this site.
Judith Elizabeth Winn
extremely helpful
Steve Wicks
Excellent guide for the novice looking for a reasonably priced professional job.
Mordechai
This is the first time I’m using this site. Very very useful and it helps a lot. Thank you!
Natalie Moreau
Excellent and very detailed informations.
Amanda Roth
Thank you for explaining that to me... I'm not good at attaching pictures to emails, your photos and questions to ask, are very helpful.
Robert newman
very helpfull
FRED KIANI
VERY USEFUL INFORMATION.THANK YOU.
FRED KIANI
VERY USEFUL INFORMATION .HAVE USED CHECKATRADE BEFORE AND WELL HAPPY WITH.
John
Good advice
Veronica
Great advice, thank you.
MICHAE McGRATH
Very useful points to consider. Many thanks
Mrs Gurung
This is the first time,I’m using this site.Very very useful and it helps a lot.Thank you!👍👏👏
Valerie Powell
I have used checkatrade before,and found this information a great help when dealing with the tradesperson.
Ingrid Porter
It looks like there is really good advice and information given, hopefully I will find the right trades person to help me fairly quickly
Judith Aspinall
I have used the site before and found it very helpful and the response time from the tradespeople very quick. This time, my request was picked up and I was contacted within a minute. The information on average rates and what questions to ask is also useful.
Christopher
Thank you for information provided on you're website, useful information rate per hour and day rate Thanks again Chris
Maame Nana-Marfo
Love the website, great information.
Mohammed
I have seen some tradepersons, but had never thought of the guidance your website has given. I guess these weed out rogues. Thank you.
William Dawson
Useful sensible advice.
Gillian Henderson
Thank you for your help, we have now found a person to clean our ovens who spotted my request. Thank you
Gail Ferguson
Very helpful as prices go up it helps to be able to budget the cost
Anthony Holland
Thank you for this service. Assistance in finding reliable tradespeople is much appreciated, and the information in this article is very helpful.
Pat rawlinson
I used the first guy you introduced, who came within an hour HAAS PLUMBING AND HEATING. Well pleased, have kept their card for future
Denny Leung
Very helpful tips in selecting a reliable tradesperson.
Jane Turner
This is the first time I have used your website. The information is gratefully received. You cover questions I had never thought of. Many Thanks.
Cosmas Mbuh
I am very pleased with the insight given on how to get a good tradesperson. This is helpful because for those not in a profession, it can be daunting to know and understand the right questions to ask and to obtain the right recommendations that will give one assurance as to the work the a particular trader can do. Lots of cowboys out there to make money without being able to deliver. Thanks to Checkatrade for this vital information.
James
Excellent advice with items such as "insurance" which I would have been totally unaware of. Having an average cost gave a good idea of a reasonable amount.
Clive Pleasants
Thank you so much for your help I looking for to getting three Quotes and I will check out everything you have told me to
Vivienne
Thank you for this very useful information. To ask the questions you didn't know to ask..
Cecilia Wiseman
Thank you good advice,
Michele Hatch
Good advice given here and also helps as a guideline with hourly rates, so we won’t be ripped off.
Sheila Papali
Excellent advice which I hadn't thought about before.
Manuel
This is the 8th time i m using this service. Excellent advise. The only suggestion would be to check all certificates and qualifications plus insurances before the various trades join checkatrade.
Jill Shaw
Thank you very informative and helpful, this will help to keep my anxiety around finding a trades person that's right for the job.
Priscilla
Good tips and advice for customers hiring the unknown!!
Maureen
So informative never did this before and worried so much about how would I know they were good how would I know if I was getting a good quote thank you
Jackie
Never done anything like this before a bit apprehensive has won’t know the trades person. But great advice. Thanks
Chris
Thanks! These are very helpful guidelines.
Pam
Very helpful have used Checkatrade before and found it great
Kathy Swainston
Very helpful as not done this before and helps with my anxiety. Thank you
David
Good advice, thanks
Roy willis
Thank you, you've made some good points. We've just had a fellow around who's had a look at what is needed. He is getting back to us with a written quote after the Queens Funeral. Many of the points you raised came out quite naturally whilst we were speaking to him!
Karen
Very helpful thanks
Benjamin Ighomereho
Quite helpful
Clare Stevens
useful... thanks
Dr S.R. Kulupana
Very helpful tips. Hope to use them soon.
Robert Anderson
Great advice now I know the standard price full steam ahead
Arun Debnath
Very helpful guidance/advice. Thanks.
Suresh patel
very informative
Lumpun Ploythaisong
It's a good ideas,given me what to expect and i can budget.
G.Lee
Very good idea. Can plan about around the budget.Thank you
Judy Bridgeman
Really helpful guidance on how to get the best person for the job. Thanks a lot!
Janet
Useful thank you
Yvonne
Useful info. Thank you
John spriggs
Paul from P&S Gassafeengineers attended today after ringing us telling of his arrival time. He quickly diagnosed the fault in our gas cooker and fitted the new part. Perfect. Good job.
Marion Goddard
Very useful makes you think before you start.
Roy Tysall
Always best to be safe than sorry..thanks guys.
Karen
Very helpful as this is a first time for me!
Lancaster
Makes me think , good advice
G smith
Very useful thank you Graham
Margaret Shaw
A useful article.
Oghogho lkponmwosa
Good recommendations. Thanks for the information
John Osborne
Very Very Helpful, especially prices per hour trades.
Carol Stevens
Very useful information. Many thanks for the correct price structure
Terry Rowe
Good advice,cheers
Blossom A Kiffin
Very useful information. Thank you
Lorraine Crawford
Valuable information - will be sure to use it. LC
Yvonne Marie Williams
Positive advice - thank you!
Pat knight
Thank you for the advice we will certainly be using them.
Mrs m allsop
Great advice
Razvan melinte
Yes it's good price
Janice Blackwood
Good Advice. Will be sure to ask the questions when tradesman comes to look at the job.
Patricia Sullivan
Good advice. I have used Checkatrade on a number of occasions.
John Verity
I required repairs to my up and over garage door and had 3 responses to my request within 3 hours. I choose Rydale Garage Doors who came at the time stated the following day and carried out the repair quickly and efficiently at the reasonable price quoted. Highly recommended and would use the company again,
Lynne
All Tv’s died 6pm the Saturday of Jubilee weekend ! I tel Aerialbase Ltd, Stanford Le Hope. Was advised probably the boosters, I would be given a quote before work undertaken. Very impressed, with service, and, knowledge, price a lot less than I anticipated. Was very wary initially, but, would highly recommend.
Linda Eaglesham
I had Nigel from Wiltshire Digital who came to replace my arial and was very pleased with the service and how easy it was to find him. He was very good and I didn’t feel under any pressure and at last I have a good TV picture and the price was reasonable
James
The guidance is sound and the advice informative.