New crackdown on cowboy builders and rogue bailiffs: how you’ll be better protected

If you’ve ever had to deal with a cowboy builder or an aggressive bailiff, no doubt you’ll welcome the latest government crackdown.

New measures are being introduced to close loopholes that have allowed unscrupulous operators to fleece households out of money and intimidate people who are already struggling with debt.

How you’ll be better protected

From September, a new government-backed support scheme will make it easier for you to find and hire trusted traders with confidence.

Builders and other tradespeople who sign up to the Approved Code scheme will be able to demonstrate that they meet higher standards for:

• transparency
• customer service
• dispute resolution

The scheme will also introduce stronger financial protections during building projects. Payments will be linked directly to key project milestones, helping to ensure you only pay for work that has actually been completed.

As well as protecting homeowners from rogue traders, the new rules will help honest businesses by preventing them from being undercut by cowboy operators who cut corners and ignore standards.

The scale of the problem

Government figures show just how widespread the issue has become.

More than one in four UK adults who carried out home improvement work in the past 18 months experienced problems, including:

• projects being abandoned halfway through
• elderly homeowners being pressured into overpaying
• poor-quality workmanship
• builders taking large upfront payments and then disappearing with little or no work completed

Among those who experienced problems, more than one in three faced additional costs, losing an average of £750.

Tougher rules for rogue bailiffs

The government is also introducing stronger regulation for private bailiffs in England and Wales.

At the moment, people can be pushed into repayment arrangements that leave them struggling to afford everyday essentials while paying off their debts.

Under the new measures, private bailiffs will be required to meet consistent professional standards. People facing enforcement action will also gain access to an independent complaints process, giving greater protection to vulnerable households.

What will change?

To obtain or renew the certificate they need to work, bailiffs will have to be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) or work for an enforcement firm that holds ECB accreditation.

The aim is to improve accountability, raise standards and give people greater confidence that enforcement action is being carried out fairly.

What happens next?

The government is also looking at longer-term reforms to strengthen consumer protection more broadly.

This review will examine how organisations like Citizens Advice and Trading Standards work alongside regulators, enforcement bodies and redress schemes. The goal is to create a system that is faster, easier for you to access, and better at identifying and tackling problems before more people are harmed.

In the meantime, for homeowners and those facing debt enforcement, tougher protections are on the way, with cowboy builders and rogue bailiffs firmly in the government's sights.