01/09/2026
🏗️ Protect customers from cowboy builders — absolutely. But protect good builders too.
We’ve been reading about the proposed changes to tackle rogue traders, including the new Trusted Payment system where customers can link their money to a project and payments are released as work is completed.
As a building company, we absolutely support raising standards in our industry.
Get rid of the cowboys ✅
Improve accountability ✅
Give customers more confidence ✅
But there is another side to this conversation that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Small building companies cannot be expected to become the bank.
Before and during a project, we’re paying for materials, wages, subcontractors, skips, scaffolding, plant, insurance and all the other costs involved in running a legitimate building company.
And unfortunately, we know first-hand what happens when a customer doesn’t pay.
We completed a full-house project and were left with an unpaid bill of around £15,000.
£15,000 is a huge amount of money for a small business. The work had been done and our costs still had to be paid. We couldn’t simply tell our suppliers, employees and subcontractors that they wouldn’t be getting paid because we hadn’t been.
We had to take the hit.
So a system that protects the customer’s money while also protecting the builder could actually be a really positive step.
But the detail matters.
If small builders are expected to fund thousands — or even tens of thousands — of pounds in materials and labour themselves and only receive payment after each stage is completed, that could put good small businesses at serious risk.
After being hit for £15,000 ourselves, we would never risk that amount of our own money again simply trusting that somebody will pay us afterwards.
Taking a fair deposit and agreeing sensible staged payments doesn’t make somebody a cowboy.
Taking someone’s money and disappearing does.
There needs to be a sensible middle ground where the customer knows their money is protected, but the builder also knows the money is there and will be released fairly as agreed stages are reached.
That’s something we can absolutely get behind.
Protect the customer.
Protect the builder.
Raise standards. 🤝
Because getting rid of cowboy builders shouldn’t mean making it impossible for good small building businesses to operate. 🏠🔨
