In the first of an occasional series, our friends at Fair Go have pulled together a list of things they think you should know.
This week, it's about hiring a tradie to do those jobs around your house.
Big thanks to Shane at A1 Building & Constructions and Nick at Advance Plumbing for the insights.
1. Word of mouth is best. Ask friends and friends of friends who they hired.
2. Check online for negative reviews. Don’t expect perfection; that may be fake. 80-90% positive is encouraging.
3. Contact Master Builders, Master Plumbers or Master Electricians. They may refer your job to local members with good reputations for a quote.
4. An experienced tradie may be able to give you a rough figure using photos or a quick spin around the house on a video call, but if you want to proceed, they should visit, inspect and provide you a firm written quote in detail.
5. Never pay half upfront without an extremely good reason. Any deposit should be for actual costs like materials the tradie needs to pay for now, before beginning. Some tradies never charge deposits, having good credit terms with suppliers that let them carry the cost until they’ve done the job for you.
6. Get a firm start date and end date in writing and of any changes.
7. Keep photos from before, during and after the work.
8. Pay what you owe when you owe it.
9. Give the tradie a review online, good or bad, and tell your friends.
10. If all else fails, email fairgo@tvnz.co.nz and we will see if we can help
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