Is this a red flag? Check your builder and quote

Not sure whether your builder or their quote is trustworthy? Tick anything below that is true, and this free tool tells you which are genuine warning signs, how serious each one is, and exactly what to do about it. No sign-up, and nothing is sent anywhere.

The golden rules

• Get the price, scope, materials, timeline and payment schedule in writing before any money or work. Our free builder contract template covers it.
• Never pay a big deposit. Stage payments to work actually completed, and hold a final amount back until snags are fixed.
• Check registration and insurance: Gas Safe for gas, Part P for electrics, and public liability cover before they start. The registers are below and they are free.
• Get three quotes, do not be rushed, and compare them fairly before you decide.

Check them yourself, free, in about a minute

Every one of these is a free public register or search. None of them asks for your details, and none of them is a directory that has been paid to list anybody. If a trader objects to being checked, that is itself the answer.

• Find or check a registered engineer Gas Safe Register · Anyone working on gas must be on it by law. Check the 7-digit licence number on their ID card, or text their business registration number to 85080
• How to check an engineer is Gas Safe registered HSE · The regulator's own instructions, including the free 0800 408 5500 helpline
• Registered Competent Person Electrical Electrical Safety Roundtable · The register GOV.UK points householders to for electricians who can certify their own work under the building regulations
• Search the company on Companies House GOV.UK · Shows whether the company exists, how long it has traded and whether it files accounts. A new company is not automatically a bad one, but you should know
• TrustMark registered businesses TrustMark · Describes itself as the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home

Ask for the insurance too. Public liability cover protects you if they damage your property or injure someone, and a real policy has a certificate with an insurer, a policy number and an expiry date on it. Ask for a copy and check the date has not passed.

This is free guidance to help you spot warning signs and ask the right questions, not legal advice. It does not see or store anything you tick.