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Preparing your home for work

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides advice and information about the steps you should take before you get building work done. This includes:

  • Checking if you need permission or approval
  • How to find good builders and contractors
  • Getting quotes before you decide who to use
  • Checking insurances are in place
  • Getting a written contract
  • Being prepared to deal with problems

These steps should help you save time, money and stress when you’re preparing your home for work. They’ll also help you avoid problems with builders, plumbers or other contractors - for example, decorators and electricians.

Visit the Citizens Advice website for more information on what to do before you get building work done

 

Cancelling building or decorating works

Citizens Advice also provides information on what to do if you want to cancel building or redecorating work.

Visit the Citizens Advice website for more information on Cancelling building or decorating work.

Planning Portal

Commissioning work starts when you have decided on the work you want to do to your home.

This might involve creating architectural plans and drawings, understanding the impact of your work on the environment, submitting applications, and obtaining quotes from tradespeople.

The size and complexity of the work you want to do will all affect the steps you will need to take. Some companies will offer a full service (such as fitting a new kitchen or bathroom) and arrange everything for you. Other works might need the input of different professionals and specialisms to help you achieve your project goals.

The Planning Portal provides advice and guidance on the steps you may need to take to begin your works, and has partnered with the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologies (CIAT), Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to help you find professionals who can help you to plan and progress your project.

If you are thinking about undertaking works to your home, it’s a good idea to check out the planning guidance on the Planning Portal to see if you need planning permission or building regulations approval.

The Planning Portal is a national website that provides a wide range of services and information on the planning system. You can also submit applications directly through the portal.

Visit the Planning Portal website to find a professional.

Thinking about having work done on your home

To help you save time, money and stress when you’re preparing to get building work, renovations or repairs done on your home and avoid problems, consider these tips:

  • Speak with multiple tradespeople to compare
  • Check with your local council to see if you need any permission or approval
  • Ask for a contract for the work
  • Check with friends and family for recommendations, or reviews on legitimate trader websites

Many trade associations recommend obtaining at least three quotes from traders before agreeing to any work on your home. If you’re being pushed to take on a trader quickly, this could be a sign that something isn’t right.

 

Find a trusted trader

Check out the Good Home Lincs pages on Trusted Tradespeople for more information about finding tradespeople to carry out work.

Buildings insurance covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home if it is damaged or destroyed.

Buildings insurance typically covers things like:

  • Your home being damaged due to fire, flood or natural disaster
  • Theft and vandalism
  • Damage caused by frozen or bust water pipes
  • Damage caused by falling trees
  • Subsidence (when the ground beneath your property sinks)

If you are buying your home with a mortgage, you will usually be required to take out buildings insurance.

If you rent your home, your landlord will usually be responsible for taking out buildings insurance, although you may be responsible for any damage to the property’s fixtures and fittings. Sometimes, this will be covered by your household contents insurance.

Citizens Advice provide more information about Buildings insurance, and how much buildings insurance cover you may need.

 

Renovations insurance

Renovations insurance protects your home and its contents when you are carrying out building works.

Some works, such as standard DIY projects or replacing a kitchen might be covered by your buildings insurance policy, so it is important to check your policy to make sure you know what is covered and what is not.

If you are preparing to carry out building works, you should tell your buildings insurance provider, otherwise your policy could be made invalid if something goes wrong. You might also need to take out renovations insurance to cover the works.

Renovation insurance covers your home from the start of your works until the project is finished, and is usually needed for projects like:

  • Structural works, rewiring or re-roofing
  • Extensions and alterations to the layout of your home
  • Loft or basement conversions

Exactly what is covered or required will depend on the nature of the work, your existing buildings insurance and the value of the works involved.

You should also tell your insurance provider if your home is going to be unoccupied during the building works as this may affect your existing policy.

What is clutter?

Clutter means having a lot of things in your home in an untidy state and usually things that are not useful or necessary.

Clutter is not the same as collecting. A collection is usually well organised with items having meaning, value and being easily accessible. Clutter is usually disorganised, takes up a lot of room, and is difficult to access and messy.

Clutter can make it difficult to keep your home clean and tidy, make your home unhygienic and lead to pest infestations, such as rodents or insects.

Clutter can be a fire risk and make it harder to escape in a fire.

Clutter can cause trips and falls.

Clutter can fall over on people if it is kept in large piles.

Clutter can also be a sign of hoarding, especially when someone is reluctant or unable to get rid of items - even if the clutter is making it difficult get around the house and keep it clean, or affecting their work, personal hygiene and relationships.

 

Hoarding and hoarding disorders

NHS.uk provides information about hoarding, hoarding disorder and what to do if you think someone may be hoarding.

Visit the NHS website for more information about hoarding and hoarding disorders.

 

Hoarding UK

Hoarding UK provides information and advice on clutter, hoarding and decluttering including a clutter image rating to help assess the level of clutter in your home.

Visit the Hoarding UK website for more information or download the Clutter Image Rating (PDF)

When you’re considering improvements to your home or an extension to your property, it is important that you find out the location of your utility services (such as pipes and metres) before you start. 

If your works are proposed in the vicinity of your utilities you need to contact your utility company to discuss whether there is a need to move things like the meter or make any alterations to the location or routing of any pipes. 

 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides information and advice about how to find your gas or electricity supplier.

 

Find your gas supplier

To find out who supplies your gas you can either:

 

Meter Number Helpline

Telephone: 0870 608 1524

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm

Calls cost 7p a minute, plus your phone company's access charge.

You can ask for your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN). You might need this when you sign up to a new gas supplier.

 

Find your electricity supplier

To find your electricity supplier you first need to check who your network operator is. This is who owns and operates the cables in your area.

Check who your electricity network operator is on the Power Cut 105 website. You’ll need to know the postcode of the property. 

If you get an error message, refresh the page and enter your postcode again.

When you know who your network operator is, visit their website to search for your electricity supplier. You can usually search using your property’s postcode, but some network operators might ask you to fill in a form.

 

Energy Networks Association

The Energy Networks Association provides information on building works, electricity cables and gas pipes.

Visit the Energy Networks Association website to find out more about the Think Before You Dig campaign. 

 

Gas Safe Register

Working with gas can be dangerous, so it’s crucial that you never try to fix, fit or move appliances like your boiler or cooker yourself. Badly fitted or poorly maintained gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning; it just isn’t worth the risk.

By law, anyone carrying out work on gas appliances and fittings as part of their business must be competent and registered with Gas Safe. That’s why you should only ever use a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out gas work in your home.

Visit the Gas Safe Register website for more information about Gas Safe and to find a Gas Safe engineer.

Connect to Support

Connect to Support Lincolnshire is an online information and advice library, community directory and marketplace for adults in Lincolnshire.

This website is intended for adults who want to find out about local groups, activities and services within the community.

Visit the Connect to Support website to find out more about the local services available in your area.

 

Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire

Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire provide a range of information and services to support people in the home, including:

  • Cleaning and specialised cleaning
  • Gardening
  • Handyperson
  • Help in the home
  • Home energy checks
  • Laundry
  • Lifestyle support
  • Moving home
  • Rising cost of living
  • Telecare
  • Trusted traders
  • Warm & Wise

Visit the Age UK Lincoln and South Lincolnshire website for more information about Help in Your Home

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