Why trust Find A Trade Local?

We're an introduction service, not an employment or vetting agency. We deliberately don't collect ID documents. Instead we confirm contact details, ask tradespeople to pass a short knowledge check for their trade, let them show their own credentials and past work, and let real customer reviews do the rest. Profiles carry no outside websites, social pages or phone numbers, so every conversation starts here and stays on the record.

What the badges mean

Badges show what a tradesperson has told us, and what we can see happening on the platform. We never claim to have inspected documents. If a badge is missing, it simply means that detail hasn't been provided.

Trade knowledge verified

They have passed our 10-question knowledge check for their trade — everyday questions anyone genuinely working in that trade can answer. It isn't a qualification, but it filters out people with no working knowledge at all.

Contact details confirmed

Every tradesperson signs up with a working email address, and we hold a contact number for them.

Insurance declared

The tradesperson has told us they hold public liability insurance, and given the insurer, policy number and expiry. We show it as declared — always ask to see the certificate.

Trade body member (declared)

They have entered a membership body and number, such as Gas Safe, NICEIC or FMB, which you can check directly with that body in seconds.

Registered company

They have provided a Companies House number you can look up for free on the Companies House register.

Jobs on platform

How many jobs they have completed through Find A Trade Local, alongside their reviews.

Basic listing

A handyman or odd-jobs listing with no formal trade credentials declared. Great for small jobs — just check what you need for the work.

How to check a tradesperson yourself

• Ask to see their public liability insurance certificate before work starts.
• Look up their trade body membership number on that body's own register.
• Search their company number on the free Companies House register.
• Read their reviews here and on their Google or Facebook profile.
• Get a written quote, and never pay a large deposit up front.

Reviews

Only customers who posted a genuine job on the platform, and where a tradesperson expressed interest in it, can leave a review. Ratings cover quality, communication, reliability and value. Tradespeople can publicly respond. Reviews can be reported and are removed if we find they are fake, abusive or not about a real job.

Reporting and complaints

Every job, message thread and review can be reported from within your account. Reports are reviewed by our team, and accounts can be suspended while we investigate. If you're not satisfied with the outcome, our complaints procedure is set out in our terms.

What we do and don't guarantee

• We do not employ tradespeople — they are independent businesses.
• We do not carry out ID checks, and we don't hold copies of identity documents.
• We do not verify insurance, qualifications or memberships — those are declared by the tradesperson and shown as such.
• We do not guarantee workmanship, pricing, timescales or availability.
• We do guarantee that reviews come from real jobs posted on the platform.
• We remove or suspend accounts that are reported and found to be misleading customers.