Frequently asked questions about hantverk & reparationer

Rates depend on the trade and where you are. Joiners run £35–£65/hr, painters and decorators £25–£50/hr, electricians £45–£80/hr and plumbers £50–£90/hr. London and the South East sit at the top of each range. A VAT-registered firm adds 20% VAT, and most charge a call-out fee or a one-hour minimum on small jobs.

There is no general licence to be a tradesperson in the UK, so the registrations that exist matter a great deal. Gas work must be done by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. Notifiable electrical work needs a Part P competent person registration — NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or STROMA. Heat pumps and solar for grant schemes need MCS. All of those registers are free to search, and you can check the company itself on Companies House.

A written scope and a fixed quote rather than a verbal estimate, the registration number where one applies, a public liability certificate (normally £2m or more), employers' liability if they bring a team, two recent references you actually ring, and a payment schedule. Anyone asking for more than 10–20% up front is worth a second look.

Building regulations cover how the work is done — structural changes, new circuits, drainage, insulation, windows. Either your builder's competent person scheme self-certifies it, or you apply to building control at the council. Planning permission is separate and covers what you're building; many extensions fall under permitted development, but conservation areas and listed buildings don't. Unapproved work shows up in the conveyancing searches when you sell.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says work must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price. You generally have six years to bring a claim in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland. Many firms also offer their own workmanship guarantee of one to ten years — get it in writing, and check whether it is insurance-backed, because an uninsured guarantee is worth nothing if the firm stops trading.

You can withhold a reasonable sum reflecting the defect while you sort it out, but don't simply stop paying the whole bill. Complain in writing straight away and give the trader a chance to put it right — that's the order the law expects. If that fails, use their complaints procedure, then an approved alternative dispute resolution scheme, and the small claims track of the county court as a last step. Paying any deposit by credit card gives you Section 75 protection above £100.

Three to four weeks for a straightforward refit in the same layout, and six to ten if you move soil pipes, take out a wall or tile a large wet room. The usual cause of delay is sanitaryware arriving late, so order everything before the first day and ask for a written programme of works.

A fixed price is predictable and carries a risk premium. A day rate bills actual time and materials, which is cheaper on a clean job and dearer when surprises turn up. If you go day rate, agree a cap you won't pass without a conversation and insist that any variation is priced in writing before it happens.

Yes. Without an invoice you have no proof of contract, so your Consumer Rights Act claim is far harder to run, the guarantee disappears and you have nothing to show a buyer's solicitor. If an uninsured worker is hurt at your property your home insurer may decline the claim. The small saving isn't worth it.

Use a platform like Marketit, where firms are manually vetted as registered businesses, then do the last check yourself: Gas Safe or Part P number, insurance certificate, reviews, two reference jobs and a written quote before anyone lifts a tool.