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Government steps in to protect families from cowboy builders and aggressive bailiffs

New measures to clampdown on cowboy builders and rogue bailiffs to help ease cost of living

  • New measures to target cowboy tradesmen and toughen up the regulation of aggressive bailiffs to ensure people in debt are treated fairly.
  • Measures will stop people being ripped off during home renovations and ensure those who fall behind on a bill are treated fairly and with respect.
  • PM vows to “put cowboy builders out of business”, with new protections forming part of his ‘everyday fixes’ to ease the cost of living, give families room to breathe and make Britain fairer.

A new clampdown on cowboy builders and rogue bailiffs has been announced by the government today, helping to close loopholes that have let unscrupulous operators fleece households and intimidate people already struggling with debt.

From September, a new government supported scheme will help people identify and hire trusted traders with confidence. Businesses who sign up to the Approved Code will be able to demonstrate that they meet higher standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution. There will also be a new system to protect people’s money during building projects with payments directly linked to key project milestones.

This will back the many builders across the UK who do the right thing by their customers and prevent them being undercut by rogue operators.

Currently, too many people are being ripped off. More than one in four UK adults who carried out home improvements work in the past 18 months experienced problems – whether it be projects abandoned halfway through, undue pressure on elderly people to overpay for shoddy work or even builders disappearing on holiday with upfront payments with little to no work completed.

More than 1 in 3 of these faced extra costs, losing an average of £750 of their hard-earned cash. In 2024, people lost over £10.3 billion on home and garden maintenance costs due to losses, overpriced costs or unfair practices. Delays and mounting costs can also cause severe stress which destroys lives.

Tackling growing concerns over unregulated trades is the latest step in the Prime Minister’s series of practical everyday fixes designed to restore fairness and give families more room to breathe.

Prime Minister, Andy Burnham said:

Cowboy builders don’t just rip people off. They leave families with months of stress, the disruption of unfinished work, and that horrible feeling of being taken advantage of. Not only that, but they give the vast majority of decent, hardworking tradespeople a bad name.

So we’re putting the cowboys out of business. These changes mean you’ll now have the option to make sure your money is held safely and released bit by bit as the work gets done.

It’s the latest in our series of everyday fixes to give people room to breathe and make Britain fairer. We’ve taken on subscription traps, fake discounts, and now we’re coming for the cowboy builders. Enough is enough.”

Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said:

Your home is the biggest investment you make. While improving it can be stressful; we are helping families to avoid it turning into a nightmare.

We’re taking action to protect consumers, support reputable traders and make sure people can spend their money with greater confidence and security.”

Also announced today is tougher regulation to better protect people facing debt in England and Wales through increased oversight of the enforcement industry. Private bailiffs will be held to consistent professional standards and those facing enforcement action will have access to an independent complaints process – strengthening the rights of the most vulnerable.

Currently, families are at times pressured into repayments that leave them unable to afford essentials of day-to-day life as they continue to repay what they owe.

Independent oversight will be made mandatory for private bailiffs in England and Wales, requiring them to be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board themselves, or to work for an enforcement firm that is, in order to obtain or renew the certificate they need to work.

To back up this action, Ministers are also today confirming longer term plans to overhaul the wider consumer protection landscape. This will examine how organisations like Citizens Advice and Trading Standards work with regulators, enforcement bodies and redress schemes to make the system faster, easier to access, and better at spotting and tackling harm early.

For example, if someone has been victim of a doorstep scam, has an issue with a tradesperson, or want to know how to stay protected when buying a used car, we’ll be looking at ways to make it easier for organisations to work together so consumers are not passed from pillar to post.

Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert, speaking as Chair of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said:

Sadly, you’re over three times more likely to be in debt crisis if you have a mental health problem, one result of which is that most people who get a bailiff knocking at their door are vulnerable. Many bailiffs behave fairly – but some have got away with acting with impunity due to the lack of mandatory independent regulation. We’ve long campaigned for that to change as aggressive debt collection can and does destroy lives.

So we’re delighted the government has listened and made today’s bailiffs announcement – it’s a genuine step forward! Bailiffs will have to comply with the rules or lose their licence. And because regulation is mandatory not opt-in, it should be easier in future to bring in faster, more ambitious compassionate rules. Let’s hope so.”

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