Positive changes afoot

POSITIVE CHANGES FOR THE INDUSTRY AFOOT AT BiKBBI

BiKBBI CEO, Damian Walters has revealed plans about the future of home improvement, the institute and the impact on the industry. He explains to The Installer magazine team just how this will unfold …

“We have begun work on scoping the process of mandatory registration for tradespeople operating in the home improvement sector so that will include KBB installation / installers, much like the gas and electrical industries.

For many years the government have been working towards ‘tightening up’ the home improvement sector in an effort to reduce consumer complaints, improve standards and raise compliance within what is largely an unregulated industry.

It is now feared that the current labour shortages across many sectors will lead to an influx of opportunists and that the net result could have a significant negative impact on the industry and wider economy.

It is my belief that that regulation within our section is long overdue and therefore, considering our positioning within the industry, we are fully supporting this initiative and will be leading the proposed change on behalf of the KBB industry.”

So what does this mean?

“In the near future, we (BiKBBI) will change terminology from a membership organisation to a register. Our marketing and communications team will provide new marketing assets to those on the register (formally members!) and guidance to our partners.

We will form a new consultation panel comprised from a cross section of our stakeholders, which will include an invitation to this group including our members. So this will be chance for them to play an active part in influencing change at government level and as part of the lobbying process. We will be in touch over coming weeks to confirm details.

As our compliance management protocols already exceed the proposed mandatory requirements, installers (our current members) will be automatically transferred onto the new register, without any effort needed from them (or indeed cost). Our team will take care of this and there will be no impact to our members or partners. New applications will simply join the register.

This seamless transfer will future-proof any proposed changes into a mandatory scheme, putting existing partners / members one step ‘ahead of the game’ allowing them to focus on the job in hand. We will soon move from an annual up front cost requirement for ‘membership’, to a monthly subscription model for ‘registration’. Prices will not increase as part of this change, but instead those on the register will pay monthly, opposed to annually. I stress that there will be no set up fee or cost for paying monthly.

For most on the register, the cost will remain the £16.60 per month (or £3.83 a week), plus VAT, but importantly for members they should remember that the BiKBBI is approved by The Commissioners for HM Revenue & Customs under section 344 of the Income Tax (Earnings & Pensions) Act 2003. Registrants can claim tax rebates against their registration fees paid to BiKBBI – this may include rebates available to retailers who pay for registration on behalf of their installers. Be assured, that I will keep everyone abreast of the changes ahead.

“In the near future, we (BiKBBI) will change terminology from a membership organisation to a register. Our marketing and communications team will provide new marketing assets to those on the register (formally members!) and guidance to our partners."