Four fifths call for mandatory construction licensing – survey
3rd July 2018

Almost 80% of builders and home owners are calling on the Government to introduce a licensing scheme for the UK construction industry to stamp out rogue traders once and for all, according to the Federation of Master Builders in a report launched in the House of Lords yesterday.

The independent research report by Pye Tait entitled ‘Licence to build: A pathway to licensing UK construction’, details the benefits of introducing a licensing scheme for the whole construction industry and puts forward a proposal for how it could work.

Key findings of this report and other research by the FMB include:
• 77% of small and medium-sized construction firms support the introduction of licensing to professionalise the industry, protect consumers and sideline the cowboys
• 78% of consumers also want to see a licensing scheme for construction introduced;
• Nearly 90% of home owners believe that the Government should criminalise rogue and incompetent builders;
• Over half of people (55%) who commission home improvement work have had a negative experience with their builder.

FMB chief executive Brian Berry said at the launch: “The vast majority of builders and home owners want to see the construction industry professionalised and it is time for the Government to act. It’s unacceptable that more than half of consumers have had a negative experience with their builder.

“However, we shouldn’t be surprised by this given that in the UK, it is perfectly legal for anyone to set up a building firm and start selling their services without any prior experience or qualifications. This cannot be right given the nature of the work and the potential health and safety risks when something goes wrong. In countries like Australia and Germany, building firms require a licence and we want to see the UK Government regulate our industry in a similar manner.”

“Aside from the obvious health and safety benefits, the advantages of a licensing scheme are manifold. Licensing would bar from the industry the very worst firms operating in the construction sector. Consumer protection would increase and with it, the appetite among home owners to undertake more construction work. We also believe that if we can improve the image of the industry through licensing, young people, parents and teachers will have a more favourable impression of our sector and therefore be more likely to pursue, or recommend, a career in construction.”