It has already been covered that there is a demand for skilled workers as part of the property development industry. The Federation for Master Builders has released more research that says this demand means those wanting to start improvement works on their home could be required to wait for up to four months for a credible builder.
The research released by the Federation of Master Builders, or the FMB shows that 40% of builders would need at least four months notice before starting work for a client. Because of the high demand for good skilled workers in the building industry, the FMB have said that clients should be concerned if a builder says he can start work straight away. The FMB is the largest trade association for the construction industry in the UK. The Federation was first started in 1941 to protect SME construction businesses.
In order to further raise the quality of work carried out in the construction industry the Federation has said that clients can quite easily become at risk of dealing with a cowboy builder instead of a legitimate one. For example the research that has been released by the FMB says that 90% of builders report that the majority of clients don’t ask their builder for a written contract while hiring them for property developments. On top of this 80% of builders have said that the majority of their clients don’t ask for a payment schedule to be agreed and less than 10% of builders say clients don’t normally ask to see vital insurance policies. By neglecting these formalities when contacting a builder to carry out work on a property means that the homeowner could be at more of a risk of encountering a cowboy.
In order to avoid delays, disappointment or encountering a cowboy builder, homeowners are urged to contact builders as early as possible in the development phase and not to expect a commitment to immediately start working.
