TrustMark Blog

Today is the last Tuesday in February, which means it’s also Pancake day! Hundreds of thousands of householders in the UK will be descending on their kitchens today to make these delicious treats. Making yummy puds in the kitchen should be something you enjoy, but if you feel that your kitchen isn’t a part of your home you enjoy being in, it may be time to give it some TLC.

Property maintenance scams that target elderly and vulnerable householders are not unusual. There is a hard core of rogue businesses out there who sadly see the elderly as ‘fair game’ when it comes to carrying out their work. I use the term ‘work’ in the most tenuous way – it is often not actually necessary, it is always carried out to an appalling standard and it is prohibitively and criminally over priced.

It can be difficult to quantify the value of joining an accreditation body for your sector of business when there are so many around and they all claim to offer more or less the same services. Joining fees are often high, and you can never really judge how much business you are getting as a result of an accreditation. Getting lost in the vast amount of information available might make you regret looking into it in the first place

If you are thinking about making some updates to your home this year, it worth investing some time and money in decisions that will prepare it for the future. Homes that are energy efficient are not only better for the environment, they are more comfortable to live in and could save hundreds of pounds per year on energy bills. What’s more, if you decide to put it up for sale, your home may also be more attractive to buyers if you have invested in eco alternatives.

Early forecasts for 2017 show that if you’re a first-time buyer, you’re in a good position as negotiating power is strong and there’s more choice then there’s been in recent times. As pressures also mount on the house building industry to provide enough supply of new homes, things are looking up for this pocket of homebuyers.

One of my roles as a member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), in addition to my day job as a Trading Standards manager in London, is to take a lead on policy issues relating to energy. I was involved in providing critical friend analysis into the Green Deal and wasn’t at all surprised when it spectacularly failed in July 2015.

I found my passion for being an electrician quite by chance, when I was working as an electrical assistant at a hospital. I liked the flexibility it gave me at the time, and still very much value that about the job. I’ve done various jobs throughout the years, and believe that anything you do should be to the best of your ability.

I started Moran Roofing in 1983, a continuing the trade introduced to me by my grandfather, we provide highly experienced and reliable roofing contractors. Over the years we have built up a long list of happy and satisfied customers, who frequently recommend our service to others. We have been working closely with Referenceline for many years to promote our services and show customers the high quality jobs we’ve done in the past

Today, the third Monday in January, marks what is considered by many to be the most miserable day of the year. With Christmas behind us for another year, there’s little to brighten up the dark nights and long days. If you find yourself feeling down today, we suggest keeping yourself busy and making some noticeable improvements to your home to make you feel good, which don’t have to cost to earth!

2016 has certainly been an interesting year for the trade industry here in the UK, with Brexit causing uncertainty in the economy and the Bonfield Review on each home matters being published last month. But as we draw the curtains on it talk now turns to New Years’ resolutions.