1. Check the company number
Look the contractor up in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE Public Search). Check that the company is active, since when, and that its activities match your work. If the company number isn't on the quote, ask for it.
2. Ask about insurance
A serious contractor has liability insurance. For work on a home that needs an architect, ten-year liability insurance is also legally required. Ask for the certificate and keep it with your contract.
3. Ask for references for similar work
Ask for two or three recent clients with a similar project, and call at least one. Ask whether the schedule was met, whether the site was kept tidy and how problems were solved.
4. Look for certifications where they are needed
Some work requires specific certificates or inspections: electrics (inspection by an accredited body), gas, or asbestos removal. Contractor accreditation is mainly required for public contracts, but it is a quality label for you too.
5. Insist on a detailed quote
A good quote describes each item of work with quantities, materials (brand and type) and price, and shows VAT separately. Be wary of a quote with one total and no explanation.
6. Fix the schedule and extra work
Agree a start date and duration, and write down how extra work is requested and approved: always in writing and with a price, before it is carried out.
7. Pay in instalments
Don't pay a large deposit before work starts. Link each payment to a stage that has actually been done, and hold back a part until handover without remarks.
8. Watch for warning signs
Wanting cash only, pressure to sign immediately, no fixed address, or a price far below the other quotes: all reasons to keep looking.
How SyndiLink helps
Before a contractor joins the network, SyndiLink checks company registration, insurance, certifications and references, and checks the withholding obligation every month. You describe your project and we introduce you to up to three vetted contractors. The checks above are still worth doing: two checks are better than one.