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Government crackdown on cowboy builders

Good news for homeowners today as plans were unveiled for a revamp of building regulations to clamp down on cowboy builders and those engaged in illegal construction.

UK housing minister Caroline Flint discussed the new system detailed in a consultation paper entitled The Future of Building Control. This included a beefed up inspection process in which builders boasting a positive record enjoy less scrutiny.

The Federation of Master Builders [FMB] welcomed the move, stating that this would free up good builders to prosper and, in doing so, work to 'clean up' the building industry in the minds of homeowners.

Brian Berry, the FMB’s director of external affairs, cited the £1.3 billion a year which unsuspecting consumers pay to "door-to-door home maintenance traders".

"However, it's not [just] the public who suffer as such action also poses a serious threat to the reputation and image of the building sector," he continued. "The government is absolutely right to address the problem head on.”

Berry went on to say that the government’s new "planned approach to building regulation" will also save FMB members time, money and ultimately make their lives easier.

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