After a long winter of extreme weather and the welcome emergence of Spring, record numbers of homeowners have been searching for expert tradesmen to not only repair and maintain their properties, but also to improve their interior and exterior of their homes. Trustmark, the government-endorsed quality mark for expert tradesmen, has seen the number of searches across all trades increase by 79% in just four months compared to the same period last year, which indicates that the total searches for 2014 may double that of 2013.
Expert roofers (up 915%), flood recovery specialists (up 198%), fencers (up 128%), garden landscapers (up 94%) and trees surgeons (up 91%) were some of the trades that saw the highest rise in searches and represent more than 24% of all searches across all trades during these months. It is also evident that homeowners are looking to protect their homes in the future by seeking flood prevention measures. Searches for damp proofing and timber treatment specialists have increased by 156% in 2014 compared to same period in 2013 and has been the 6th most sought-after trade out of the 33 licensed master trades offered by TrustMark.
The improved Spring weather, recovering economy and increased consumer confidence has brought a change in homeowners’ searching patterns as more people have been seeking professionals to carry out home improvements both inside and outside of their home. The average number of details displayed for builders has steadily increased since the start of the year and has risen by 83% when compared to the same time last year with April having the largest number of searches at 106,162.
There were a number of other highly sought after trades who have equally seen a sharp rise during 2014 and these include plasterers and renderers (88%), plumbing and heating engineers (83%), air conditioning specialists (79%), painters and decorators (77%), handymen (77%) and electricians (52%).
Stuart Carter, Head of PR & Marketing at TrustMark, said: ‘With many properties still being repaired after the devastating floods, more and more homeowners are realising the importance of using quality and reputable firms to help protect their most valuable asset, their home. TrustMark is here to help provide consumers with choice, confidence and protection and to signpost them to reputable local firms and expert tradespeople working to Government endorsed standards.”
TrustMark’s database of over 21,000 licensed trades offers homeowners the ability to search for skilled local tradesmen in their postcode, and TrustMark is the only scheme that requires qualified inspectors to check every firm’s technical skills through on-site inspections. All TrustMark-registered firms are required to comply with high standards of workmanship and trading practices, as well as business practices and customer satisfaction.
