Rather than wrestle with DIY, consumers want reliable traders to take the strain. Toolstation director of marketing John Meaden said: "Our research shows that finding the right tradesperson is important to homeowners, with trust and satisfaction of the job being the highest priorities.”
More people want a professional to take on tasks involving gas or water than any other home improvement, meaning the demand for plumbers is consistently high. Over a quarter of UK homeowners reported it was ‘really difficult’ to find a plumber.
Consumers also want to keep their search local. Half the surveyed homeowners said they’d call a local plumber or heating engineer to deal with a system breakdown, with only 36% choosing to call a national supplier.
It’s not all about plumbers though, as over a fifth of property owners said hiring good quality builders and electricians was also tricky. By contrast, only 7% of surveyed homeowners had difficulty sourcing a tile, floor or kitchen fitter.
Once consumers have found a trader they trust, they will go back to them – nearly half would prefer to use someone they had already worked with. In fact, 65% of homeowners said they were very satisfied with the work when they last used a tradesperson and would definitely use them again.
But finding a trader doesn’t need to be difficult. Which? Trusted Traders has around 1,000 accredited plumbers on its database, all of whom have been assessed and vetted by trading standards officers, so you can feel confident about the level of service they will provide. If you need to find a plumber, you can find out more about what to look for or search our database..