Trustmark and LAATSN

The Trading Standards Institute is working with both the Local Authority Approved Trader Scheme Network (LAATSN) for local trading standards schemes and TrustMark, the Government backed initiative, that helps householders find reliable and trustworthy tradespersons to carry out repair and improvements to their homes.

Along with its own Training Award, the Fair Trading Award, these are all complementary ways for consumers to find businesses that they can have greater confidence in.

TrustMark
This standard ensures that only tradespersons that have had their work checked and inspected to ensure they are competent and adhere to a robust complaints mechanism are approved. As a minimum you will be offered a low cost warranty to provide further protection and confidence. For further information about Trustmark visit www.trustmark.org.uk or for queries please contact enquiries@trustmark.org.uk.

To search for your local approved tradesperson select:

We recommend that you try and get more than one TrustMark firm to quote, and for larger scale jobs it may be worth searching other counties that are also close to you.

Fair Trading Award
TSI, as a professional examining and awarding body, runs a successful training scheme, the Fair Trading Award, aimed at businesses and their staff at all levels. It enables both the business and the individual to gain knowledge of consumer rights and trading standards legislation helping businesses to improve and demonstrate the desire to trade fairly.

LAATSN
Members of the Local Authority Approved Trader Scheme Network (LAATSN) run schemes across the UK that require businesses to comply with all Trading Standards legislation and civil law obligations, are prohibited from high pressure selling and have an effective complaints procedure. These schemes tend to attract smaller, 'local' contractors.

The following schemes covering 32 local authorities are now members of LAATSN:

• Bedfordshire County Council - Trading Standards Approved Scheme
• London Borough of Bexley's What Tradesman? Scheme, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Trader Register,Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Trader Register, Wigan's The Good Trader Scheme, Tradewell in Sandwell Scheme, Worcestershire County Council's Trading Standards Trader Register (All 6 of these schemes are covered by the Trader Register website).
• Buy With Confidence
• Carmarthenshire County Council Registered Traders scheme
• Cheshire County Council's Golden Spanner Approved Motor Trader Scheme
• County Durham's Registered Trader scheme
• CustomerFirst scheme
• South Yorkshire Trading Standards Services
• Dudley Trading Standards Fix-A-Home listed trader scheme
• Dundee City Council - Trusted Trader Scheme
• Medway's "Fair Trader" Scheme
• Perth and Kinross Council Better Business Partnership scheme
• Rhondda Cynon Taff building and motor trade charters scheme
• Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's Shipshape scheme
• Wirral Trader Scheme

More details about LAATSN can be found on the OFT website.