Distrust of tradesperson stops the elderly from seeking vital home repairs

Distraction burglaries involving elderly victims are never far from the headlines these days. But while media prominence to this kind of crime rightly puts elderly people on their guard, many are now too fearful to invite a workman in their home for repairs.

New research from TrustMark, the Government endorsed tradesperson directory, shows that 23% of people aged 65 have no idea where to find information when it comes to hiring a trustworthy tradesman for important jobs within their home.

This means one in five older people are now leaving household jobs alone or are trying to fix problems themselves.

When it comes to gas work, safety should be a primary consideration and no repair or investigation work should ever be put on the back burner. Similarly, no home owner should ever try and fix heating or boiler related problems themselves unless they have the right qualifications.

The consequences could be fatal.

Self-employed gas and heating engineers need to ensure they increase their affiliations with industry-recognised assurance schemes such as TrustMark to instil trust in their elderly customers.

They also need to take an understanding approach when visiting an elderly person’s home and take time to show their identification.

TrustMark’s findings show just 2% of the older people they questioned based their selection of a tradesperson on whether they had achieved the right qualifications for the work they had been hired for.

In response, TrustMark has joined forces with charity Age UK to provide a resource that signposts people to local tradesmen who are working to Government-endorsed standards. The TrustMark directory has a link on Age UK’s website which routes webusers to a list of vetted traders working in their specific location.

At its heart, the new service aims to increase confidence among older homeowners and give them assurances that the people they are inviting into their homes to perform work are legitimate.

Those businesses included within the TrustMark directory have passed stringent business and customer service checks and have also seen their work examined onsite by qualified inspectors.

Self-employed heating engineers which secure affiliation with TrustMark could potentially attract more business through the peace of mind it offers customers.

To register, you need to apply through a Scheme Operator. If approved, your business will be included within the online directory, promoting your name to potentially thousands of customers. Businesses joining the scheme must by inspected and approved by a Scheme Operator as it is not possible to join TrustMark directly.

To apply, click here .