We want a new kitchen but tradesmen don't return our calls or give us quotes - why?
We moved into a two-bedroom terraced house six months ago.
The house needs quite a lot of work doing to it. The kitchen and bathroom need replacing, and we're keen to get new doors installed. The small garden also needs clearing as it's very overgrown.
We're finding it really difficult to get tradespeople to come and do any work on the house.
Some trades we've been in touch with haven't returned our calls or emails. Others have come to do a quote but then gone completely silent.
We've been speaking to other people who've had similar problems. Why is this happening, and what we can do to get tradespeople to come and work for us?
The house is small, so maybe they don't see it as a big or lucrative enough project.
Jane Denton, of This is Money, replies: The two experts I spoke to suggest a large part of the issue is a skills shortage.
Put simply, there aren't enough people working in, or training to become part of, the trades sector. This means many decent tradespeople are booked up months or even years in advance.
However, being given the silent treatment by a tradesperson after they've come to house to look at the job that needs doing is, I believe, bad manners and unprofessional. Those doing this don't give the industry a good name in the eyes of customers.
If a tradesperson can't fit your job in or doesn't want to do it, they should be upfront. A simple one-line email, text or phone call to say they can't assist would be suffice.
If possible, try and use tradespeople recommended to you by family or friends. If using online reviews to select trades, check them carefully to ensure they are verified.
Good tradespeople are worth waiting for, even if it means your house won't be fixed as quickly as you'd hoped.
Clive Holland, a broadcaster on Fix Radio, says: You're not the only one struggling to find a builder, with our own research at Fix Radio finding that over 400,000 people in Britain are waiting more than a year to get building work done.
While your frustration is understandable, the good news is it's not personal, and you can improve your situation.
There are several reasons behind the current shortage. A third of construction workers are nearing retirement, while apprenticeship numbers have dropped, reducing the pipeline of new talent.
With more than a third of tradespeople now self-employed, many simply don't have the capacity to take on smaller or more involved jobs without long lead times.
That said, there are ways to get your job seen and booked in.
First, get specific. Create a clear list of what needs to be done and group the tasks by trade.
A detailed, well-organised brief helps a busy tradesperson quickly assess whether the job fits their skills and availability.
Second, don't underestimate the value of local networks.
Builders' merchants are excellent sources of insight, as they often know which local tradespeople are reliable, available and suited to the work you need. These companies will hardly ever offer up bad tradespeople.
It's also worth speaking to neighbours, posting in local groups online, or using trusted online platforms to find well-recommended professionals.
Timing matters too. Many tradespeople get booked months in advance, especially in spring and summer.
If you can be flexible, perhaps start your work in the winter or agree to stagger work in stages, as you're more likely to get a foot in the door.
Good tradespeople are usually busy so be prepared to wait. If they can start tomorrow, that can be a red flag.
Finally, make it clear to prospective tradespeople that you're serious about getting the work done.
If you've already received quotes, follow up promptly, and when booking someone be transparent about your budget and timelines. I always recommend putting everything in writing as building trust is a two-way street.
There's no denying Britain faces a skills crisis, but that shows just how valued skilled tradespeople are.
By being proactive, respectful and well-prepared, you'll find the right team to help turn your house into the home you want.
Andy Simms, a construction expert MyBuilder.com, says: Sadly, this issue is one that we are hearing a lot, as the reality of the trades skill shortage starts to bite.
Unfortunately, despite the trades offering an abundance of great career opportunities, impressive rates of pay and a fantastic springboard to running your own business, the sector has long been overlooked as a career choice.
Recent research we ran showed that only one in 10 children or young adults in school and colleges were being told about the option of trades as a career.
It's a great shame, because the trades continue to thrive and aren't threatened by the same external factors other industries are worried about such as AI.
Statistics show that the skills shortage is critical, with over 1million new tradespeople needing to be recruited by 2030. Yet their skills are more in demand than ever.
Make sure you plan well in advance. Some popular builders are booked up a year in advance, so if you have asked about a job that needs doing soon, they might not even reply.
If you can, start the process of finding a tradesperson before you need them. For building work, a year or so is not excessive, and for smaller jobs, you may still need to give it several months.
Second, tradespeople are very busy and some have a preferred way of contact - if they don't respond to emails, give them a call or send a text.
Maybe even contact them on social media - they might not be ignoring you, they may just not monitor the method of communication you have tried them on.
Third, make sure you include as much information as you can. A tradesperson gets so many requests to come and quote for jobs, and they are more likely to get in touch if they have all the information that they need from you.
The more you sound like you know what you want, the more likely it is that the tradesperson will want to work with you.
How to find a new mortgage
Borrowers who need a mortgage because their current fixed rate deal is ending, or they are buying a home, should explore their options as soon as possible.
Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C
> Mortgage rates calculator
> Find the right mortgage for you
What if I need to remortgage?
Borrowers should compare rates, speak to a mortgage broker and be prepared to act.
Homeowners can lock in to a new deal six to nine months in advance, often with no obligation to take it.
Most mortgage deals allow fees to be added to the loan and only be charged when it is taken out. This means borrowers can secure a rate without paying expensive arrangement fees.
Keep in mind that by doing this and not clearing the fee on completion, interest will be paid on the fee amount over the entire term of the loan, so this may not be the best option for everyone.
What if I am buying a home?
Those with home purchases agreed should also aim to secure rates as soon as possible, so they know exactly what their monthly payments will be.
Buyers should avoid overstretching and be aware that house prices may fall, as higher mortgage rates limit people's borrowing ability and buying power.
How to compare mortgage costs
The best way to compare mortgage costs and find the right deal for you is to speak to a broker.
This is Money has a long-standing partnership with fee-free broker L&C, to provide you with fee-free expert mortgage advice.
Interested in seeing today's best mortgage rates? Use This is Money and L&Cs best mortgage rates calculator to show deals matching your home value, mortgage size, term and fixed rate needs.
If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.
> Find your best mortgage deal with This is Money and L&C
Be aware that rates can change quickly, however, and so if you need a mortgage or want to compare rates, speak to L&C as soon as possible, so they can help you find the right mortgage for you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Palace co-owner John Textor would sell shares for Europa League chance
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is willing to sell his shares in the club in order to ensure the Eagles can enter next season's Europa League, according to reports. The American, whose Eagle Football Group owns 43 per cent of Palace, has imperilled the club's chance of a first-ever European campaign owing to his involvement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, but is ready to offload his stake to his fellow co-owners in order to bring the saga to an end. UEFA does not allow clubs with the same ownership to compete in the same European competitions in a season. As well as his stake in Palace, the 59-year-old has a controlling stake in the French club, also via Eagle Football. However it is also reported that the European governing body does not consider Textor's influence at Selhurst Park to be decisive and is leaning towards allowing the club into the Europa League regardless. The PA news agency understands no formal decision is likely on Palace's fate until the end of June. Textor has previously spoken of his frustration at how little influence his stake entitles him to, over football matters. Victory for Oliver Glasner's side over Manchester City in last month's FA Cup final gave them their first major trophy and with it a first crack at Europe. However, Nottingham Forest have since written to UEFA to challenge Palace's Europa League spot and in the hope of taking their place. Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek side Olympiacos, placed his shares in the club in a blind trust before the governing body's March 1 deadline, anticipating Nuno Espirito Santo's side's European qualification. At present Forest, who finished seventh in last season's Premier League, are set to enter the Conference League but would take Palace's Europa League place, should they be deemed ineligible.
Times
11 minutes ago
- Times
Fact check: how accurate are Rachel Reeves's spending figures?
'The chancellor's speech was full of numbers, few of them useful,' said Paul Johnson, the head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Reeves's speech was political to the core — and that extended to her use of statistics. The chancellor appears to have used whichever numbers best suited her position, predominantly to inflate the scale of the government's spending plans. She used bigger, cumulative figures to highlight the scale of investments, rather than annual numbers, and cash increases stripped of their context. She also used Tory spending plans from before the election, which never came to pass, as the baseline for the biggest numbers in her speech. When it did not suit her she ignored the Tory spending plans. While none of the figures are technically inaccurate, economists argue that they are a statistical sleight of hand and that Reeves would be better off being consistent in her use of numbers. Spending going up The claim: The first number in Reeves's speech — bar her obligatory reference to the £22 billion 'black hole' she claims to have been left by the Tories — was the boast that 'in this spending review, total departmental budgets will grow by 2.3 per cent per year in real terms'. The reality: This figure includes spending announced at the budget last year, where there were some of the biggest increases. Over the next three years, total spending — combining day-to-day and investment — will increase by 1.5 per cent. Day-to-day spending will rise by 1.2 per cent a year for the rest of the parliament, about half the rate it rose this year. • More for public services The claim: Reeves promised to add '£190 billion more to the day-to-day running of our public services' as well as an extra £113 billion to public investment. The reality: This is a comparison with previous Conservative plans — dismissed as 'essentially fictitious' by Johnson — drawn up before the election to set a trap for Labour and allow Rishi Sunak to promise tax cuts. The Tory plans envisioned day-to-day spending rising by only about 1 per cent a year, and big cuts in capital spending. Reeves reversed these by changing her fiscal rules to allow more borrowing and is increasing infrastructure spending. But on an annual basis, capital spending will be £151.9 billion in 2029-30, £20.6 billion more in cash terms than it is now. Day-to-day spending will rise by £50.7 billion by 2028-29. More for schools The claim: Reeves said she was providing a 'cash uplift' of more than £4.5 billion for schools by the end of the spending review period. The reality: Context is everything. The Treasury concedes in the small print that the core budget for schools will rise by 0.4 per cent over the next three years. It says that when the cost of expanding free school meals is stripped out of the figures 'you get a real-terms freeze in the budget'. • Rachel Reeves is testing voters' patience … she needs results Backing innovation The claim: Reeves declared that the government was 'backing [Britain's] innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs' with research and development funding rising to a 'record high of £22 billion per year by the end of the spending review'. In a press release the government said that spending on research and development was £86 billion. The reality: Despite the rhetoric, this spending pledge represents a significant scaling back of the government's investment ambitions in research and development. The previous government pledged to hit the £22 billion target by this year and then delayed it until 2027. This target has now been put back even further to 2029. Indeed, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's budget will barely rise at all next year — far from the rhetoric of Reeves's statement. The £86 billion referred to in government press releases is a cumulative figure. More for social housing The claim: Reeves boasted of 'the biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years', saying this would total £39 billion over ten years. The reality: The figure would represent almost a doubling of the £2.3 billion affordable homes programme. However, this spending ramps up slowly, reaching just £4 billion a year by the end of the parliament, leaving it to future chancellors to find ways of maintaining the spending. The overall capital budget for the housing ministry is actually flat over the spending review, with ministers relying on savings elsewhere — especially a reduction in the capital costs to councils of homes for asylum seekers. If these savings fail to materialise, painful decisions will be needed. NHS spending The claim: With health the big winner, Reeves boasted of 'an extra £29 billion per year for the day-to-day running of the health service' along with a 50 per cent boost in the NHS technology budget. The reality: The £29 billion figure is for NHS England specifically, and its budget will rise by 3 per cent a year in real terms, within a 2.8 per cent per year overall Department of Health rise. Capital budgets were increased last year but will be held flat for the rest of this parliament. Increasing technology spending further will therefore come at the cost of crumbling buildings or modern scanners and other kit. NHS leaders are already saying they will find it harder to shift to more modern, efficient treatments without extra equipment and buildings. Efficiency savings The claim: Reeves said the government had carried out a zero-based review of all government spending that would make public services 'more efficient and more productive' and, according to the Treasury, save £13 billion a year by 2029. The reality: These savings are, to put it charitably, extremely hypothetical and in some cases seem wildly optimistic. The NHS, the government thinks, will save nearly £9 billion from higher productivity — despite the fact that the health service has got less rather than more productive since Covid. And the culture department thinks it will save £9 million from 'digital reform' — despite the fact that the MoD, which is a much larger organisation, only thinks it can save £11 million. Overall the savings appear, at best, to be highly aspirational. But if they are not met, it will have a real-world impact on the amount of money the government has for public services.
Telegraph
11 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Planet Normal: ‘The numbers don't add up' in Rachel Reeves' spending review
Mr Lyons wasn't convinced by the numbers, ' Early in her speech the Chancellor said, is the plan credible, and the answer unfortunately is, no.' 'T he starting position is debt is very high, and I think we're in the early stages of Britain going into a debt crisis. If you're looking for good news, it might be that we're not the only country facing this problem; but today the Chancellor gave a speech that I think lacked a lot of the detail.' Allison is not convinced by the claims the economy is stabilising, ' We know it is not true, and we are already starting to see the impact on employment and on businesses. We know payrolls have fallen, that employment's fallen by over 250,000 since Rachel Reeves' budget. This is not an economy where you should be taking the gambles that she's taking. Where is the growth going to come from?'
