With more and more householders investing in important home improvement schemes there could be around £4bn worth of home repairs and maintenance in serious jeopardy of poor, slapdash workmanship.
DIY Doctor, however, has launched its very special new version of HIPS – Home Improver Protection Solution, to protect against rogue
traders. Full details are available through http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/home-improver-protection-solution.htm
Whatever the size of the job, it strongly advises that for peace-of-mind homeowners should hire a contractor for their work through TrustMark, one of the UK’s largest government-endorsed networks for home improvement work by professionals.
DIY Doctor strongly advises you should get three free quotes for the work using local, fully insured, accredited work people. You can print from its website a free contract designed to protect consumers and make sure a project runs smoothly.
Also, DIY Doctor will ensure that any home improvement payments are kept in a secure account and only released once a job has been satisfactorily completed through the BondPay scheme. 
In addition there is an important online home improvement cost calculator, called Price Doctor, to help ensure you get an economical deal!
Mike Edwards, founder of DIY Doctor, says: “HIPS is part of our latest ammunition against cowboy trades people. Unfortunately, too many home improvers accept the cheapest quote without sufficient research!
“An unpriced job is often worse than an overpriced job as the cowboy builder either finds the additional money by looking for ‘extras’ or calling off the job altogether”!
One example of a couple coming seriously ‘unstuck’ was Rod and Jenny Jelly in Somerset who unsuspectingly took on a rogue trader to install a fitted wardrobe with sliding doors. To cut a long story, very soon they discovered that the track fixing came loose and wouldn’t work properly. But the workman wanted an extra £400 to put it right!
Fortunately for the Jelly’s, DIY Doctor was able to put the cowboy disaster right!
Photo shows Jenny & Rod Jelly with Mike Edwards of DIY Doctor
More information: http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/home-improver-protection-solution.htm