Trading Standards

 

Trading Standards

Trading Standards enforce certain consumer legislation in order to protect the public from criminal traders acting unfairly or from those engaging in illegal business activity.

You can report a business to Trading Standards for a number of reasons. You can call to discuss the following concerns:

• You were unhappy with the work provided
• Someone sold goods or a service that were unsafe or dangerous, like an electrical appliance with faulty wiring
• You have paid for some work and it wasn’t completed, like you paid the deposit and they didn’t return it
• They weren’t clear about the price or added extra costs
• They didn’t carry out work properly
• Someone cold called you
• You were pressured to get work done
• You didn’t receive relevant paperwork

 

Criminal Traders

Criminal Traders aim to convince you that you require urgent maintenance to your house or garden.

They will cold call and pressurise you into a quick decision, offering to carry out repairs to the house, such as roofing, guttering or damp proofing and in the garden, cutting trees and hedges.  Often, they offer a special price if you agree there and then, frequently this price increases when they start the work.  They can try to scare you into having work done by saying your home is unsafe in some way.

To report to Trading Standards, you need to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.  They can give you advice about your problem and they will pass your report to Trading Standards for their information.

Visit the Citizens Advice website to find out more making a report to Trading Standards and getting more help with your consumer problem.

 

Your rights

In addition to any action taken by Trading Standards, consumers have civil rights that provide them with a legal framework to take action against businesses who have breached these rights.

For more information on your legal rights when having work done on your home you can visit Problem with building work, decorating or home improvements - Citizens Advice.

 

The Property Ombudsman (TPO)

The Property Ombudsman is a free, impartial and independent Ombudsman service, resolving disputes between Consumers and Property Agents.

The Property Ombudsman is approved by Chartered Trading Standards Institute under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015.

Visit tpos.co.uk for more information or to find a TPO member

 

NTSELAT

The National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSELAT) is responsible for:

• the regulation of estate agency work in the UK
• overseeing the enforcement of lettings agency work in England

NTSELAT areas of responsibility includes:

• oversight of how the relevant estate and letting agency legislation is working and is being enforced
• issuing prohibition and warning orders that concern whether a person is unfit to engage in estate agency work 
• approval and oversight of the UK's consumer redress schemes, Ombudsmen, and Alternative Dispute Resolution entities in the estate agency sector
• publication of guidance and advice for the public, businesses and enforcement authorities on estate agency work in the UK and relevant letting agency work in England. 

NTSELAT does not:

• give specific, individual advice to consumers or businesses
• mediate or arbitrate in individual complaints
• award civil redress
• conduct routine investigations: these are the responsibility of local Trading Standards, Environmental Health or Housing teams. However, in certain circumstances we may investigate cases where a local authority is unable to do so

Find out more about the work of NTSELAT at www.bristol.gov.uk/ntselat

 

Citizens Advice

If you’ve had work done at home and there’s a problem caused by the trader, you should be able to get it fixed - or get at least some of your money back.

Citizens Advice provides information on the steps you can take depending on the problem, including:

• The trader hasn’t done a good job
• The trader hasn’t done what was agreed
• The trader hasn’t done the work on time
• The trader charged you more than you expected
• Something wasn’t installed properly, e.g. a kitchen or boiler
• What they’ve done is dangerous or unsafe

Whatever the problem is, you’ll need to talk to the trader and come to an agreement.

You should take up the problem with the trader who arranged the work, even if they ‘sub-contracted’ (passed on) all or some of it to another business.

Before you do that, it is a good idea to:

• gather any paperwork and receipts
• take photos to use as evidence of the problem
• make notes about what’s happened, including dates and times

Visit the Citizens Advice website for more information about what to do if you have a problem with building work or home improvements