TrustMark’s new report, Consumer Protection in Home Improvements: Building a consumer centric approach, finds that only 26% of consumers feel knowledgeable about the protections available to them, while the current system is described as fragmented, inconsistent and difficult for homeowners to navigate.
More than two-thirds of homeowners are not confident about how to find good-quality installers, with seven in 10 relying on recommendations from friends and family when choosing tradespeople. Around two-thirds also said they did not recall receiving a formal contract before work began, while only around four in 10 felt they received all the information they needed at the end of a project.
The findings are particularly relevant to the energy efficiency and low-carbon sector. Around a quarter of homeowners reported experiencing a serious problem with home improvement work, with 42% of those reporting problems with low-carbon installations.
TrustMark argues that consumer protection needs to become simpler, more transparent and designed around the way homeowners actually make decisions about improving their properties.
Its seven key considerations include creating a trusted and easily accessible source of consumer information, providing independent technical advice, giving homeowners clearer information about installer skills and accreditation, introducing standardised contracts, ensuring appropriate remediation for faulty work, creating a unified complaints and redress system and mandating financial protection for home improvements.
There is strong consumer support for greater simplicity and clarity. Some 87% of homeowners said it would be useful to have one place where they could access information they know is accurate and trustworthy, while 78% agreed that a clear quality ‘kitemark’ standard for tradespeople, together with standardised and comprehensive contract information, would improve confidence in the home improvement market.
TrustMark summarises its proposed approach as EQuIP - Excellent Quality, Information and Protection. The concept brings together clearer quality standards, better information throughout the customer journey and simpler access to complaints, redress and remediation.
The report comes at an important time for the retrofit sector, with the Government already considering how consumer protection for home upgrade schemes can be strengthened. TrustMark argues that getting protection right at the beginning of the consumer journey, supported by a simple redress system, should deliver better outcomes than trying to resolve problems after they have occurred.
The Energy Efficiency Association endorses the direction set out in the report and supports the call for a simpler, clearer and more effective consumer protection framework. Building and maintaining consumer confidence will be fundamental to the successful delivery of energy efficiency and retrofit programmes across the UK.
The EEA believes that strong consumer protection and a strong, sustainable supply chain must go hand in hand. Clear standards and responsibilities can help protect householders while also supporting reputable installers and businesses committed to delivering high-quality work.
TrustMark concludes that three principles should underpin the future approach: work should be done right first time; the system should be simple and easy for consumers to navigate; and, when something does go wrong, consumers should have access to swift remediation.