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Disaster advice

Has a Disaster Hit Your Property - help is at hand

TrustMark is able to give practical guidance on locating good reputable and reliable tradesmen for those households which have suffered damage to property through Fire, Flood or Storm damage.

Households insurance policies should cover disaster damage. People affected should contact their insurer as soon as possible. Most offer 24-hour emergency helpline services to arrange for repairs to be carried out.

Once you have carried out all the actions suggested below, check with your insurance company that the selected TrustMark firm is acceptable to them before you proceed with signing a contract or letting them start work on your home.

Making the best choice

After the disaster has struck your home, we realise that you will be in a hurry to get the necessary work done on your property. However, taking time to select a TrustMark tradesman from this website can save you heartache in the future.

  1. Ask at least three TrustMark approved tradesmen to quote
  2. Ensure they give you a quote for a fixed price and not an estimate as a 'guess' could later increase in cost
  3. Be specific about what you want when asking for quotes, so that all the TrustMark tradesmen are giving a price for the same work
  4. Check that all the things you asked for are covered in each quote
  5. Choose the quote which offers in writing best value for money, taking into account not only price but also their timescales to start and finish the work together with local recommendations requesting contact names of local customers so you can ask them about the tradesman / firm you're considering
  6. Don't be pressured into getting work done that you can't afford
  7. Don't be pressured into agreeing for work to be done because the tradesman / firm says that he will be too busy to do the work unless you agree there and then

Avoid Cowboys and Rogues

Beware of the hard sell and don't let fast talking cowboys who "just happen to be in the area" talk you into a spur-of-the-moment decision that you later regret.

Do not agree to any work where the tradesman says "We are only in the area today"

Never accept lifts to banks from salesmen for you to collect money for the deposit - they may simply disappear with your cash

What to include in a contract

  1. A description of the work to be done
  2. The price you have agreed (with the tradesman's written quote attached)
  3. Start and finish dates - if the finish date is important put that fact in writing
  4. Details of any guarantees
  5. Before signing, always read a contract carefully, because once you have signed you cannot normally back out

Paying for the work

  1. Don't pay in advance
  2. Try to avoid paying deposits, particularly large deposits and never pay the full amount up front. There is a risk that the tradesman will disappear with your money
  3. You should try and keep back enough money to keep pressure on the tradesman to get on with the job and finish it properly

Additional Sources of Information

British Damage Management Association:http://www.bdma.org.uk/ Provides accreditation for recovery and restoration professionals and has provided some tips on the basics of not jeopardising your insurance claims.

Fire Service:http://www.fireservice.co.uk

Environment Agency:http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Floodline:0845 988 1188 - Comprehensive guide to floods and responses. It has recorded flood warning information for your area or you can speak to an operator for advice 24 hours a day

Financial Services Authority:http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

DISASTER VICTIMS - BROADCAST NOTICE (interviews available with TrustMark)

Urgent warning issued to all disaster victims suffering from Fire, Flood and Storm damaged property as rogue traders will try and cash in on their crisis.

TrustMark issues warnings to residents who have been affected by any type of disaster to their homes, to beware of local cowboys using the crisis to cash in on their misfortune.

TrustMark, the only Government-backed scheme to signpost consumers to reputable tradesmen issues this alert, as millions of pounds of damage caused by any type of disaster continually afflicts homeowners around the UK.

When extreme weather conditions hit parts of the UK there was millions of pounds of damage incurred - with much of this attributed to cowboy workmen taking advantage of those suffering at the time.

Stuart Carter, Head of PR at TrustMark urges local residents not to fall foul of the same tactics:

"Unfortunately we know from bitter experience how unreputable tradesmen utilise situations like flooding and storm damage to target homeowners at their most vulnerable, so we are warning homeowners to check that tradesmen they use to repair their damage are reputable - or the future costs could be significant."