How to Find a Good Tradesperson in Newcastle City Centre

Finding a reliable tradesperson is tricky anywhere, but Newcastle city centre adds a few twists of its own. Most homes here are flats, many of them in shared period buildings, and a large part of the historic core is protected. A boiler swap or a new bathroom can involve your landlord or freeholder, and sometimes the council, as well as the trader. This guide walks through the checks worth making before anyone picks up a tool, and where to turn if a job goes wrong. Our Trades in Newcastle City Centre hub gathers local builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades in one place as listings are added.

Check the right register for the job

Some trades are regulated by law, and the register is your first filter. Never take a logo on a van or a website at face value: look the business up yourself.

Gas work: the Gas Safe Register

Anyone working on gas appliances, whether that is a boiler, a gas hob or central heating, must by law be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe ID card and check the number on the Gas Safe Register website. The back of the card shows which kinds of gas work that engineer is qualified to do, so make sure it covers the job in hand. Our plumbers guide lists local heating and plumbing firms.

Best for: Best check for: boilers, gas fires and cookers, where an unregistered fitter is breaking the law.

Electrical work: NICEIC and NAPIT

For electrical work, look for an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. Both have online searches. Registered electricians can self-certify notifiable work such as a new circuit or a consumer unit replacement under Part P of the Building Regulations, and you should receive a compliance certificate once the job is done. Our guide to electricians in Newcastle city centre names local firms.

Best for: Best check for: rewires, new circuits and consumer units, where you need a certificate at the end.

Building and general work: TrustMark and trade bodies

Building work is not regulated in the same way, so a voluntary scheme is your best signal. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home, and its registered businesses have been vetted on trading practices and technical standards. Membership of the Federation of Master Builders is also worth looking for, and our builders guide covers local contractors. Some council Trading Standards teams run trader approval schemes such as Buy With Confidence; if a business claims membership, confirm it on the scheme's own site.

Best for: Best check for: builders, joiners, decorators and general repairs.

Get three written quotes

Ask for at least three quotes in writing, each covering the same scope of work, so you are comparing like with like. A quote is a fixed price; an estimate is a best guess that can rise, so be clear which you are being given. Be wary of a figure far below the others, which usually means something has been left out, and of anyone pressing you to decide on the spot.

Before you agree, ask:

• Are you insured for public liability, and can I see the certificate?
• Can you show me recent, similar jobs and references?
• Is the work guaranteed in writing, and for how long?
• What is the payment schedule?

Never pay everything up front. A deposit for materials is normal, with the balance on satisfactory completion. Paying part of the cost by credit card can add protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act for purchases between £100 and £30,000.

Put the contract in writing

Even a small job deserves a written agreement: what will be done, the materials, the price, start and finish dates, who clears the waste and how changes will be agreed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a trader must carry out a service with reasonable care and skill. If you sign a contract in your own home rather than at the trader's premises, you normally have a 14-day cooling-off period, and the trader should tell you about it in writing.

Flats: check with your landlord or freeholder first

This is where city-centre living differs. If you rent, you will almost always need your landlord's permission for anything beyond minor repairs, and in many cases the landlord or letting agent arranges the trades themselves. If you own a leasehold flat, read your lease before booking anyone: most require the freeholder's or managing agent's consent for alterations, particularly to walls, floors, windows, plumbing or anything shared. Work affecting a wall or floor shared with a neighbour may also bring in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

Listed buildings and conservation areas

Much of the historic core, including the classical streets of Grainger Town, falls within the Newcastle City Council Central Conservation Area, and the Lower Ouseburn Valley is a conservation area too. Many city-centre buildings are also listed, and the council points out that a listed building is protected in its entirety, interior as well as exterior. Altering one in a way that affects its character without listed building consent is a criminal offence, and the liability falls on the owner as well as the builder. Replacing period windows, changing a shopfront or removing original features can all need consent.

The council's Conservation Team is the place to start, and it publishes guidance on repairs to traditional buildings and a Grainger Town Shopfront Design Guide.

Planning, Building Regulations and the street

Separately from conservation, structural changes, new drainage and some electrical work need Building Regulations approval. Newcastle City Council's building control team handles applications, and its online register lets you check the history of works at an address. If your trader needs a skip, scaffold or hoarding on the pavement, it needs a council licence, and a reputable firm will arrange that as a matter of course.

If something goes wrong

Raise the problem with the trader in writing first, keeping copies of quotes, invoices, photos and messages. If that gets nowhere, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133, weekdays 9am to 5pm) can explain your rights and pass details of a complaint on to Trading Standards. For face-to-face help, Citizens Advice Newcastle is based on the fourth floor of the Newcastle City Library on New Bridge Street West, with a weekday drop-in; check its website before visiting, as hours have been restricted. If the trader belongs to TrustMark or a trade body, use that scheme's complaints process too.

Know a reliable city-centre trader, or run one and want to be listed? Get in touch; listings are free.