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A Safer and More Professional Future for Construction

The majority of tradespeople and building professionals build to high standards, providing their clients with quality products and services that stand the test of time. Shamefully however, there are a significant minority that do not. From those that are either too lazy, or too profit driven to respect the importance of good and proper workmanship, to those that are nothing less than criminals looking to make a ‘quick buck’, ‘cowboy builders’ are not a myth and seriously threaten the reputation of building professionals throughout the UK.

Unscrupulous building firms undercut professional and competent businesses, putting downward pressure on standards and compliance with regulations and health and safety. This seriously undermines the image of the whole industry and the fact that it persists well into the twenty-first century is not acceptable.

The concerning lack of regulation in the building industry isn’t just harming the reputation of good builders, it’s also damaging to the UK’s economy. One third of homeowners are so worried about having a bad experience with their builder that they refrain from commissioning construction work altogether, potentially costing the economy £10 billion a year.

In order to build a safer and more professional construction sector, we, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), convened a Construction Licensing Task Force in 2019 that has since been meeting on a quarterly basis. The FMB represents over 7,000 small to medium-sized building firms across the UK. Bringing together numerous voices from across construction, together with consumer groups, the Licensing Task

Force seeks to determine how a mandatory licensing scheme could best be integrated into the UK construction sector, while also raising awareness of the need for licensing more broadly.

Research

A licensed construction sector isn’t unusual internationally, with Germany and Australia being two countries to have applied such a system to good effect. We believe licensing schemes such as these represent the only way to truly eliminate from our industry incompetent firms that lack the necessary knowledge and professionalism, posing a risk to themselves and their clients.

Research from the FMB shows that more than three-quarters (77%) of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms support the introduction of licensing to professionalise the industry, protect consumers and side-line unprofessional and incompetent outfits. As you might imagine, consumers are also largely on-side, with 78% wanting to see a licensing scheme for construction, and almost 90% favouring the criminalisation of rogue and incompetent builders.

The issue has also proven popular amongst MPs, with many having fielded many constituent calls over the years detailing the damage and expense ‘cowboy builders’ have brought about.

You can stay up to date with the work of the Licensing Task Force as we progress the case for a licensed construction sector by visiting our website or by signing up to our mailing list join@licenceukconstruction.co.uk.

The FMB is the largest trade association in the UK construction industry, representing more than 7,000 firms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Established in 1941 to protect the interests of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms, the FMB is an independent, non-profit organisation, lobbying for members' interests at both the national and local level.