Cheap Quotes, Costly Lessons: Five Checks to Run Before You Appoint a Repair Firm

There is a persistent assumption in the UK repair market that quotes are broadly comparable and that the cheapest credible figure represents good value. In practice, the opposite is often true. The firm that charges twenty per cent more because it carries proper accreditation, insurance and a documented process is frequently the cheaper option by the end of the job — and by some distance.

The reasoning is not sentimental. Rework has a cost. Callbacks have a cost. A Part P notification that nobody filed has a cost, and it usually surfaces at the point of sale, years later, when a buyer's solicitor asks an awkward question. What follows are five questions any homeowner can reasonably put to a contractor, together with the sort of answer that should reassure and the sort that should not.

1. "Can I see your Gas Safe card and your registration number?"

For any work involving gas — boilers, cookers, fires, pipework — the operative must be on the Gas Safe Register. It is a legal requirement, not a mark of quality.

A good answer is a photo card handed over without hesitation, with a licence number you can check on the register yourself in under a minute. The best firms volunteer the number on the quote.

Walk away if the answer is that a colleague handles the gas side, or that the card is in another van, or that registration is in progress. There is no legitimate version of any of those replies.

2. "What is your public liability cover, and can you send the certificate?"

Most domestic policies expect a minimum of £2 million; £5 million is common among established firms. The certificate should be current and should name the business you are actually contracting with.

A good answer is a PDF the same day, with a renewal date in the future. Walk away if the contractor is vague about whether they are insured at all, or if the certificate names a different company with no explanation of the relationship.

3. "Will this electrical work be notified under Part P, and who certifies it?"

Notifiable work in England and Wales must either be self-certified by a registered competent person — typically through NICEIC, NAPIT or ELECSA — or notified to building control in advance. A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate should follow the job.

A good answer identifies the scheme, explains who signs the certificate and confirms it will be issued on completion. Walk away from anyone who describes Part P as paperwork for the council, or who offers to "sort the certificate later".

4. "Could I have that in writing, itemised, with exclusions?"

A verbal estimate is an opinion. A written quote is a position you can hold someone to. The document should separate labour from materials, state whether VAT is included, and — crucially — say what is not covered: making good, waste removal, access equipment, and any contingency for what might be found once the floorboards are up.

A good answer arrives within a few days, is specific, and includes a validity period and payment schedule. Be cautious of a single figure texted from a phone with no scope attached. It may still be honest, but you have no mechanism for resolving a dispute later.

5. "If something fails in six months, who do I call and who pays?"

This is the question almost nobody asks and the one that matters most. Guarantees vary enormously: twelve months on labour is common, insurance-backed guarantees on larger works are more meaningful than a promise on a letterhead, and manufacturer warranties on boilers are often conditional on the installation being registered.

A good answer is a defined period, in writing, with a named contact and a clear statement of what happens if the fault is traced to the installation rather than the product. Walk away from "we've never had a problem" as a substitute for a guarantee. It answers a different question.

Why the arithmetic usually favours accreditation

Consider a £600 quote against an £800 quote for the same job. If the cheaper option requires a return visit, a partial redo, or a certificate obtained retrospectively through building control, the gap rarely survives. Add consequential damage — a leak that reaches a ceiling, a boiler installed without the benchmark log completed — and the comparison stops being close.

A higher quote is not automatically better, and accreditation is not a guarantee of competence. But it does shift risk. The purpose of these five questions is not to disqualify the smaller operator working carefully and legitimately; it is to distinguish that person from the one who has not invested in the controls that protect you.

The signals that need no further analysis

A few behaviours justify ending the conversation immediately: pressure to decide today, cash-only arrangements with no receipt offered, a deposit far exceeding the cost of materials, no fixed business address, or reluctance to let you see any documentation at all. Individually these are warnings. Together they are an answer.

A good contractor will not be offended by any of the five questions above. They will have heard them before, and they will have the paperwork ready.