CIOB gets tough with rogue and incompetent traders

Citation

(1999), "CIOB gets tough with rogue and incompetent traders", Facilities, Vol. 17 No. 12/13. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.1999.06917lab.006

CIOB gets tough with rogue and incompetent traders

CIOB gets tough with rogue and incompetent traders

Keywords: Building trade, Consumer protection

The Chartered Institute of Building had backed the introduction of a radical new ID scheme in its proposals to manage out the rogue trader. This innovative solution would hit at the core of the rogue traders' ability to freely trade.

The proposals put forward by the government's Cowboy Builders Working Group have been summed up by Michael Brown, executive director CIOB as "a large company solution to the problems of the informal sector of the industry." The CIOB recommends that before we can begin to manage an industry we must be able to identify its participants. An ID scheme is the foundation of the CIOB's proposals to manage out the rogue trader. It would be akin to vehicle registration which although saying nothing about the quality of the vehicle or the driver, provides traceability and accountability and feedback to enable the industry to monitor the problem.

Additional consumer protection would be achieved through the use of written formal agreements and compulsory receipts. The CIOB would also propose that the adjudication scheme is extended to domestic works, and the new build provisions of Building Control are extended to the repair and maintenance sector. These developments would provide the firm base on which the Working Party's Quality Mark Scheme could be built to differentiate a competent contractor from the rest.

The CIOB believes that these proposals can be delivered through existing trade and professional organisations under the umbrella of the Construction Industry Board.

For further information, please contact: Director of Communications CIOB on +44 (0)1344 630772 or at mwills@ciob.org .uk