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New Consumer Protection against Rogue Plumbers

Recent research shows that 60% of consumers believe they will get ripped off by those in the home maintenance industry (such as plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, builders etc.). The research shows that 18% of the people surveyed said that TV programmes such as Rogue Traders have put them off from using a home maintenance tradesman. In addition to the research done by the Department for Business, other research shows that 82% of people do not trust builders plumbers of electricians.New consumer protection regulations have recently come into force to protect consumers from rogue traders who not only exploit consumers but also damage the reputation of an entire industry, creating a negative perception on a large number of honest plumbers, builders and tradesmen.According to the new regulations, it is now illegal to “trade unfairly”, closing loopholes that rogue traders exploited. A list was introduced with over 30 practices that were banned, including using fake crede ...
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Landlords, Check Boiler Safety

Landlords in the UK are being reminded by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) that it is their responsibility to ensure the property has gas installations that are safe and that have been checked by a competent Corgi registered plumber or heating engineer.This follows the prosecution of a landlord in Doncaster for exposing the tenants to a serious gas related safety risks. The landlord was fined £16,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Heath and Safety at Work Act. She was also ordered to pay £7,500 costs.In that case, the situation was discovered before anybody got hurt, as a result of a poor boiler installation. The HSE has committed to prosecute all landlords that have instructed Corgi registered plumbers to issue proper gas certificates for their property.Around 30 people die every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This can be avoided in most cases by correct boiler installation and annual boiler maintenance checks. Corgi registered plumbers and hea ...
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