Use a Safe Local Trader

Do you really know who you are letting into your home?

Doorstep criminals (also known as rogue traders, cowboy builders and scammers) turn up unexpectedly (known as cold calling) at your house and offer convincing deals to get you to agree to having work carried out.  They often befriend their victims and gain their trust before the work and bills start piling up. On average victims lose £47,000 to doorstep criminals and there will never be any receipts to go with the payments!

This is one of the reasons Kent County Council created Trading Standards Checked, a fair trader scheme for traders in the home improvement sector.  Together with our members, we aim to protect the residents of Kent, especially the most vulnerable. Kent County Council carries out vetting checks to support only legitimate and reliable businesses and to help Kent residents find safe, reputable traders to do work in their homes.

Each business on the scheme is thoroughly vetted and assessed against our scheme criteria.  In addition to this, all complaints to the Citizens Advice consumer service about a Trading Standards Checked member are monitored continuously throughout the life of their membership, to give you peace of mind.

Our checks are different to any other scheme in Kent. We have access to information and systems that no other scheme has.

With over 400 members throughout Kent, finding a safe trader is easy. Search online at www.kent.gov.uk/tschecked or phone the Kent Librarian service on 03000 41 64 38.

Wherever you see the Kent Trading Standards Checked logo you can be sure that you will be dealing with a reliable, safe trader who is proud to display their logo and provide a service that is compliant with UK legislation.

If every resident used a Trading Standards Checked to find a safe trader, there would be no criminal or rogue traders left in Kent.  It is that simple!

Article courtesy of Kent County Council Trading Standards