The Federation of Master Builders, or the FMB have said that, according to the figures Homeowners should book their builder at least four months before the project begins in order to reduce the risks of hiring a cowboy.

The research that has been carried out also showed that a large amount of consumers don’t think to ask their builders for more essential things required for work such as a contract or any references before they start a significant piece of building work.

Brian Berry, the Chief Executive of the FMB has said that is a builder claims to be free to start work pretty much immediately then there should be concerns. There is a high demand for skilled workers in the building industry at the moment, with a lack of people working in the sector. This means that nearly one in two builders would need to be contacted at least four months in advance, according to the research. Over the past two years the workloads for builders has been increasing and plentiful.

The Federation therefore ask homeowners wanting to start a home improvement project to contact any prospective builders as soon as possible in the phases of work in order to avoid disappointments and delays to their schedule. Not contacting early and then choosing a builder who can get to work straight away increases the risk of working with a dodgy builder. On top of choosing builders who seem to be more free than a busy professional builder, homeowners are also at risk when approaching a building project. The majority of builders say that clients can fail to ask for a contract and references before work starts, leaving them vulnerable to dodgy operators as well. Other things that the Federation are highlighting the importance of is agreeing a payment schedule, making sure that they have key warranties for the work that is carried out and finding out if the builder has any external accreditation or recognition.