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Majority of Homeowners Fear Hiring a Tradesperson
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
The majority of homeowners in the UK fear hiring a tradesperson to do work in their home, according to the latest research from home improvement marketplace Plentific.com.
The findings arrive as Plentific launches an innovative new payment platform – the first of its kind in Europe. The firm reports that growth in the home improvements market shows no sign of slowing down in post-Brexit Britain, meaning that demand for quality home service professionals is high.
Plentific lists over 85,000 professionals on its website, and has quickly become an established brand in the online home services industry.
The service allows property owners to search, compare, book and now securely pay for trade professionals online.
The new payment platform allows Plentific to support both sides of the marketplace, with a high level of security and convenience. And it’s not stopping there; Plentific is due to release another innovative feature in the next two weeks.
Its Plentific Guarantee will ensure that all jobs are completed to a high standard when homeowners hire a verified Plentific professional, who has passed a comprehensive background check.
The co-founders of Plentific, Cem Savas and Emre Kazan, comment: “Our payment platform launch puts Plentific into a league of its own as the only transactional home services marketplace in Europe. Our goal is to delight our customers, and we want to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to connect homeowners with professionals that provide quality service. This launch allows us to offer something homeowners have never had: the ability to find a verified local professional and pay them securely, whilst having peace of mind that the project will be finished to the highest standard. We guarantee it.”
Mangopay, a leader in marketplace payments across Europe, powers the new payment platform. The firm’s CEO, Céline Lazorthes, says: “We pride ourselves on offering a totally secure and user friendly solution. We work with innovative clients and know how to adapt to their specific needs. We’re truly excited to power Plentific’s payment gateway as they look to scale their operations.”
Plentific’s guarantee should help the 13m UK homeowners who fear hiring a tradesperson to carry out improvement work on their properties.
According to a study by the firm, 87% of homeowners fear hiring tradespeople, with finding a reliable professional being their biggest concern. Over half (59%) said their greatest worry is finding a tradesperson that they know for certain can do their job properly.
However, homeowners are relatively relaxed about sticking to a timeline, with most more keen to have the work completed to a high standard. Just a fifth (19%) are concerned abut the work being finished on time, while half (51%) fear that the completed project will not meet their expectations.
The region with the most confident homeowners is the South West, where 19% of local homeowners have no concerns about hiring a tradesperson. This is in huge contrast to London, where just 5% are completely comfortable in hiring a professional to carry out work in their homes.
Plentific’s research shows that there is a lot of variation across the UK. For example, the biggest concern in Brighton is being ripped off, with 74% of local respondents fearing their job will be unfairly overpriced – much higher than the national average of 51%. When it comes to trusting a tradesperson in the home while they’re on the job, homeowners in Cardiff (45%), Liverpool (44%) and Manchester (40%) were much more worried than the UK average (33%).
Age also appeared to be a factor on certain issues, with 68% of homeowners aged 55 and over voicing concerns over the reliability of tradespeople, compared to 45% of respondents aged 35 and under.
Savas explains: “Our survey shows why homeowners may hold back when hiring a pro without seeing proper verification. These days, people need more than just word-of-mouth recommendation, which is why we created Plentific.
“We’re here to change the way people feel about hiring a trade professional. We provide a transparent marketplace with verified and customer-rated trade professionals, our guarantee and a secure payment service, enabling homeowners to feel confident about getting their job done.”
Do you feel concerned when hiring a tradesperson to work on your property?