One in three homeowners are putting off house improvements because they fear hiring a cowboy builder, a new study reveals.
A survey of 2,000 people found that 32% were not pressing ahead with building work because they were worried about “dodgy” tradespeople.
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) estimated that the economy was missing out on £10 billion of work every year because of the problem.
Homeowners would typically spend an average of £40,000 on major home improvement projects over the next five years if they had confidence in the building industry, said the trade association.
FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: “If we were able to unlock this pent-up demand from fearful consumers, the benefit to jobs and growth would be enormous.
“We need to end the cowboy builders’ reign of terror so we can give all homeowners the confidence they need to invest their cash in building work.
“The Government should consider introducing some form of mandatory licensing system for domestic builders so that consumers know that all building firms have a base level of skill, competence and professionalism.
“Unlike in Australia and Canada, in this country anyone can be a builder and that’s why there is a significant minority of rogue traders out there giving the whole construction industry a bad name.”