Guarantee Terms

The Checkatrade Guarantee covers Claims where Sub-Standard Work has been undertaken by a Tradesperson as long as Evidence is produced, the Eligibility Criteria is met, and no Exclusions apply.

The Maximum Amount per Claim under the Checkatrade Guarantee is £1,000. The Checkatrade Guarantee is not intended to cover all losses or costs that may be incurred by you in relation to a Claim.

For the purposes of the Checkatrade Guarantee the following terms shall have the following meanings:

“Checkatrade Pay” the service we make available to our Tradespeople to enable them to receive payment from customers through our approved payment service provider;

“Chargeback” a payment transaction that is successfully charged back at the request of a customer or the card issuer resulting in the cancellation of a transaction and returning of funds previously paid;

“Claim” a claim made under the Checkatrade Guarantee having followed the Claim Procedure up to the Maximum Amount;

“Claim Procedure” as described in Section 5 (How to make a Claim);

“Eligibility Criteria” as described in Section 3. (Eligibility for the Checkatrade Guarantee) and where applicable, Section 4. (Off-Platform Customers);

“Evidence” shall have the meaning set out in Section 5 below (How to make a Claim);

“Exclusions" as described in Section 7 below (Exclusions & General Terms);

“Household” one person living alone; or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same postal address who share cooking facilities and share a living room, sitting room or dining area;

“Maximum Amount” the maximum amount of the Checkatrade Guarantee per Claim is £1,000;

“Off-Platform Customers” means where work by a Tradesperson did not originate from the Checkatrade platform and payment was made for the work through Checkatrade Pay;

“Receipt” the receipt the customer receives by email relating to the payment they made to the Tradesperson via Checkatrade Pay;

“Sub-Standard Work” the work that has either commenced or has been completed by the Tradesperson which is found to be sub-standard according to relevant standard industry practice determined by using an independent third party surveyor, where required; and

“Tradesperson” means any tradesperson who, at the time of first contact by the customer, has passed our vetting checks and is an “Approved Member” of Checkatrade.

In order for a Claim to be considered by Us, the following Eligibility Criteria must be met and none of the exclusions in Section 7 must apply:

• your Claim must directly relate to Sub-Standard Work carried out by a Tradesperson. As set out below at Section 7 (Exclusions & General Terms);

• your initial contact for the work with the Tradesperson must have been through the Checkatrade platform or directory using our "message" option, “request a quote” option, the Checkatrade provided direct phone numbers for the Tradesperson in the directory or our "call" option, unless you are an Off-Platform Customer;

• your Claim must be made within 12 months of the Sub-Standard Work being undertaken;

• you must provide us with the Evidence set out in Section 5 below (How to make a Claim) which adequately demonstrates the Sub-Standard Work, alongside details of your Claim; and

• a maximum of one Claim, per Household per 12 months can be made under the Checkatrade Guarantee. A full 12 months must have passed since any previous Claim has either been paid out to your Household or has been rejected by us.

This section applies solely to Customers in Scotland.

If you are a Customer in Scotland, then in addition to the above Eligibility Criteria, you must have also paid for your job via Checkatrade Pay.

Once payment has been made, you will receive a Receipt, which we will require as Evidence if you need to make a claim.

Step 1 - Contact the Tradesperson who carried out the Sub-Standard Work to raise your concerns.

• Explain your concerns and the reasons why you are not happy.

• Discuss what actions can be undertaken by the Tradesperson to rectify the situation.

• Allow the Tradesperson 7 days from the date of raising your concerns or agreeing what actions are to be undertaken (as applicable) to rectify the Sub-Standard Work or reimburse you for any costs incurred.

• Provide the Tradesperson with a final deadline date for the Tradesperson to resolve your concerns, notifying them that you will submit a Claim under the Checkatrade Guarantee after such date if a satisfactory conclusion has not been reached.

Step 2 – Submit your Claim by completing the claim form here. If you are unable to resolve your complaint directly with the Tradesperson or you are not satisfied with their rectification, please submit a Claim.

Before starting your Claim, please:

1. check that (i) you meet the Eligibility Criteria in Section 3, and (ii) the Claim does not fall under one of the exclusions set out below in Section 7 (Exclusions & General Terms); and

2. make sure you have the Evidence to hand to support your Claim

(a) estimates/invoices that clearly show the Tradesperson’s details, for example, the company they are trading under;

(b) proof of when the Sub-Standard Work commenced;

(c) proof of any payments made to date or a Receipt;

(d) proof of address for where the Sub-Standard Work was carried out;

(e) date stamped photographs clearly showing the Sub-Standard Work;

(f) and any records of correspondence with the Tradesperson, emails, texts, phone logs and letters, logs of any phone calls or logs of any face-to-face conversations you have had with the Tradesperson, in particular, those records showing that you have raised your concerns with the Tradesperson and that you have followed Step 1 above.

Once you have checked the above, complete the Claim online and provide all information that you have available. Our team will:

• validate whether the work is eligible to be considered for the Checkatrade Guarantee to apply;

• contact you directly to request further information, if required; and

• use your Evidence to investigate your Claim and, if we determine it to be appropriate, use an independent third party surveyor to visit your property and review the workmanship of the Tradesperson.

Please note it is not possible to make a Claim anonymously. All personal details and/or information given in relation to the Claim, or otherwise, must be truthful, accurate and in no way misleading.

Once the Claim has been fully assessed, we shall notify you of our decision within 2 working days from the date we have completed our assessment.

Any refund or compensation offered by a Tradesperson and accepted by you will be taken into consideration in our assessment of any payment to be made in relation to a Claim made under the Checkatrade Guarantee.

Our decision relating to payment shall be final and any payment made will be at our sole discretion.

The amount to be paid for any Claim to you shall be calculated having taken into account:

• the cost to rectify the work;

• any refund(s), reimbursements or offers of compensation made and accepted – including any Chargeback;

• the amount already paid to the Tradesperson and any outstanding balances still due or payments withheld;

• the Evidence provided; and

• where applicable, any recommendation made by our independent third party surveyors,

up to the Maximum Amount.

Payment will be made to the individual who made the Claim. You will be paid by BACS to an account nominated by you and in your name, within 14 days following confirmation by use that the Claim has been approved.

Please note that the following circumstances are not covered under the Checkatrade Guarantee:

• where the Sub-Standard Work has been provided by someone other than the Tradesperson. For example, a third party fraudulently impersonating a Tradesperson;

• where a Chargeback has been commenced prior to engagement of the Checkatrade Guarantee process or is begun during the course of the Claim; where the Tradesperson fails to complete the work due to the Tradesperson going into liquidation, insolvency, administration, or becoming bankrupt;

• where there is damage done to property at a different place from the location of the agreed works. For example, the Tradesperson scrapes an external wall with their vehicle or damages a carpet on the way down from carrying out the agreed works upstairs;where the Sub-Standard Work has been sufficiently rectified by the Tradesperson, or where costs have been sufficiently reimbursed by the Tradesperson or the Tradesperson’s guarantee or insurance;

• where the Sub-Standard Work has been sufficiently rectified by you or another tradesperson and we are, therefore, no longer able to assess the Sub-Standard Work at the time of your Claim assessment; and / or

• where the Tradesperson absconds or goes out of business before the work commences, even where a deposit has been paid in advance; and / or

• where the goods have been purchased through or installed by Merchant Partners via the Checkatrade Shop.

Please also note that Claims in respect of the following are not covered under the Guarantee:

• any amount paid for VAT on the work;

• any losses or damages arising out of:

  • interruption of business, loss of market, loss of income, earnings and/or loss of use (i.e. losses that occur as a consequence of the Sub-Standard Work);

  • theft by the Tradesperson or occurring subsequently as a result of the Sub-Standard Work;

  • damage suffered by any third party;the acts or omissions of you or any third party;

  • the negligence or misconduct of any third party;any losses already covered under a manufacturer or a product warranty;

  • pre-existing damages or conditions of the item or property subject to the Sub-Standard Work, or otherwise;

• any materials involved in the work;

• trip/travel charges of any tradesperson;

• diagnostic fees to assess the damage;

• responsiveness of the business, or cancellations;

• items supplied by you or due to your recommendations (e.g. you want to use a certain type of paint, fixture or fitting, and the Tradesperson recommends against it, but you require them to proceed anyway);

• ordinary wear and tear; and

• sentimental and/or undocumented intangible value.

If you have breached these Terms and Conditions and, in our reasonable opinion, the breach is material we may exclude you from participating in the Checkatrade Guarantee

The Checkatrade Guarantee is free and provided to you solely at our discretion. It is not, nor is it ever intended; to be an insurance product or warranty and we do not accept any responsibility for any liability, damage or loss (economic or otherwise) which you may incur, or which may arise directly or indirectly from the Checkatrade Guarantee. To the fullest extent permitted by English law, we exclude and disclaim any and all liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising out of, or in connection with its use.

We may amend, change or alter these Terms and Conditions at any time.

We may terminate or withdraw the Checkatrade Guarantee at any time for any reason.

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by English law, and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

To submit a Claim through the Checkatrade Guarantee, personal data will be collected for the purpose of assessing and investigating the Claim. The following personal data might be collected, retained and processed for the purpose of establishing the eligibility of a Claim:

• full name,

• contact information,

• proof of address,

• estimates or invoices relating to the work,

• proof of payment,

• photographs and video recordings, and

• records of correspondence or communications with the Tradesperson.

In some instances, we will share personal data provided for the purpose of instructing third party surveyors to carry out an assessment. The data will be shared via a secure transfer method and will only be retained by the service providers for the purpose of providing this service.

Checkatrade will retain the provided personal data in line with our customer retention policy. Detailed information on the processing of personal data can be found in our Privacy Notice. By submitting a Claim, you acknowledge that your information may be used by us and applicable third parties to investigate and administer the Checkatrade Guarantee. If you make a claim, we may contact you by email, post, phone, SMS or other means in relation to the Checkatrade Guarantee but we will not send you any marketing communication unless you have agreed to this or we have another lawful basis for the communication.