(If this isn't you, check out our Tradespeople FAQs)
You’ve posted your job and you’ve got tradespeople chasing your job – here’s a few tips on how to pick the right person for your job.
What do their customers have to say?
We’d recommend reading through some of the reviews they’ve received from past customers. Seeing the jobs they’ve completed and what others have to say about them will shed some light on what you can expect from them on your job.
Consider:
- What is their "BC Rating"? We calculate this as an average of their 10 most recent reviews.
- What are the customer’s saying about their quality, value and reliability?
- Have they completed jobs like yours before?
- How many jobs have they completed through Builderscrack to contribute to their average review score?
Get to know them
When you’ve decided who to engage with and granted them contact access, get to know them a bit better.
You might want to find out a bit more about their business;
- How long have they been in business?
- Do they have Public Liability insurance to cover property damage?
- Who will be completing the job?
- Can you call some of their past customers for a reference?
- Does their price include GST?
- Is their work guaranteed?
- Do they offer a contract?
Don’t be afraid to really talk details – it shows you’re engaged and want to ensure the best possible result.
Do they hold the required licence?
Accreditations are often needed for building work that involves ensuring a house is structurally sound and weathertight (i.e. Restricted Building Work), and almost all plumbing and electrical work.
Tip: Trade industry memberships are not the same as licences - do you know the difference?
Communicate clearly
Whether it’s discussing the project, negotiating on price, organising site visits, open communication is key to a successful outcome.
We encourage homeowners to communicate with tradespeople through the Builderscrack website. Here’s why:
- Keeps track of quotes and pricing amends.
- Documents agreements between both parties.
- Ensures you both have the same expectations of the job.
Make sure all the tradespeople have all the detail they’ll need in order to quotes which are comparable. We’d recommend getting quotes from three tradespeople – this gives you a few to compare.
How do you decide which quote to go with?
Don’t just go with gut feel or the cheapest (there may be a reason they’re cheap – poorer quality of work or they’ve not accounted for everything in their quote) or most expensive quote (this isn’t a guarantee of the quality of work).
Remember to consider what you’ve learnt about them in your research and approve the quote from the tradesperson you feel is best suited to your job.
