1 New Government Under Construction

It is too early yet to know exactly what our new LibDemCon coalition government has in mind for the home improvement arena.

TrustMark however, aims to continue raising the profile of what needs to be achieved and to place the full weight of its membership behind the important task that lies ahead.

Prime Minister, David Cameron has appointed Mark Prisk as the new minister with responsibility for the construction industry.

Our Chief Executive had a meeting with Mark just prior to the General Election in readiness for the expected change of Government, so we are pleased to confirm that he has a clear understanding of TrustMarks importance and the need to develop it’s role further during this term of Government.

To support this, the Construction Minister said: “My portfolio offers me a fantastic opportunity to support an industry that provides a significant amount of the nation’s GDP.

TrustMark has already made contact with a number of the new government’s key players who have responsibility for home improvement, energy efficiency and the environment.

Some of the key players include:

• The Rt Hon Mr Chris Huhne MP
Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change

• The Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP
Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

• The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
Minister of State Department of Communities & Local Government.

2 Householders Seek Out TrustMark Firms

The public are using TrustMark more and more to locate tradesmen for all their needs in the Repair, Maintenance and Improvement sector.

In 2008 Tradesmens details viewed, averaged 106,909 a month and by 2009 it had increased to 244,045 a month. A year later this figure has risen by a further 12% in the first
six months of 2010 to an average of 273,441 a month.

Month on month TrustMark’s figures keep rising and in the last six months, two of the months have had viewings of firms details in excess of 300,000.

These increases, highlight just how much the public value TrustMark and how more and more of them are using our database of firms, as their source of information.

A firm’s investment in TrustMark membership provides exceptional value when compared to other forms of advertising, such as directories that often cost hundreds of pounds for little or no return.

3 Your Doorstep, Your Decision

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are promoting TrustMark in a campaign planned to run throughout this month.

The guide helps householders when being contacted by a tradesmen at their home, and explains some of their legal rights.

They advise householders that to ‘Get Peace of Mind’ they should choose TrustMark member firms for extra reassurance.

To see the leaflet:
http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/consumer_leaflets/general/OFT1116.pdf

Doorstep tradesmen often use a range of high pressure tactics to persuade householders to commit.

If you feel under pressure, have the confidence to say:

•  you do not buy services at the door
•  you’d like more time to think about it
•  you want to shop around and get other quotes
•  you have to discuss it with someone else (for example, your partner or son/
daughter).

If the seller tells you you’ll miss an exclusive offer, that’s just another high pressure tactic.

4 One Death and 80 Preventable Electrical Fires Every Week

Every week in the UK someone dies in an electrical
accident at home, and one in eight has had a serious electrical shock and this is shown by how little the UK thinks about electrical safety:

• Over half of us haven’t checked their electrics – or had
them professionally checked – in the last 12 months

• A third of us say we are not concerned about electrical safety and;

• Almost 13 million homes in the UK do not have adequate RCD (residual
current device) 4 protection – which can save your life, protect against
dangerous electrical shock and reduce the risk of electrical fires.

RCDs are particularly important when using mains powered tools or electrical equipment outdoors.  So be aware of the dangers of electricity in the home and garden by taking a few minutes to check electrics and use RCD protection.

Remember check your electrics and don’t use any appliances, lighting and switches that are faulty or visibly damaged. And, if you don’t already have it, consider fitting RCD protection. A plug-in RCD costs as little as £10 from most garden or hardware stores. Or consider upgrading to a modern fuse box with built-in RCDs.

Of 281 survey respondents who have experienced an electric shock, the most typical causes of accidents are:

•  Using appliances that are faulty (23%)
•  Cutting or drilling through cables (11%)

This advice could be a life-saver.

5 Small Land Sites Could Solve Housing Crisis

Key findings have recently been released from a new research report, from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) titled: ‘Housing Futures: Our Homes and Communities’.

It examines the four big pressures that are driving the future of housing policy in the UK:

•  Supply and affordability of homes
•  Environmental limits
•  Social cohesion
•  Economic change

Reusing small empty sites of up to two hectares could more than meet the UK’s housing demand without building on green field land.

This must be coupled with upgrading existing buildings, reclaiming and remodeling empty buildings, converting and upgrading homes to make existing neighbourhoods attractive.

If we make our existing homes greener and more energy efficient, the research found that the building industry had enough work in this field to keep every small and medium sized builder running to stay on top for the next 30 years.

The retrofitting market for small builders offers, the report says, ‘a very rosy future painted green’, as homeowners realize the savings that could be made through making their homes more energy efficient.

To capitalize on this growth market, the report calls for higher standards within the building industry, particularly the 200,000 Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) which make up 99 percent of building industry.

This report was commissioned by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) who are a major supporter of TrustMark as well as being a Scheme Operator.

6 ELECSA Joins TrustMark

Members of ELECSA, which is owned by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) are now able to join TrustMark.

In the last few weeks 216 firms have applied to join and many more are underway.

ELECSA has grown to be the 2nd largest Part P scheme operating in the marketplace with almost 6,000 approved contractors who notify on average 13,800 jobs per month.

It is authorised by Communities and Local Government to deliver a competent persons scheme to enable contractors to self certify domestic electrical work under Part P of the building regulations.

ELECSA’s core principle is to operate a straightforward certification scheme that provides a friendly and easy to use service.

7 Protecting Your Reputation

TrustMark is always vigilant and works extremely hard to protect its identity by acting swiftly and firmly against any company claiming false membership of the organisation.

Businesses passing themselves off as a member of TrustMark, benefit from work gained from customers looking for a reputable company who, they believe, meet the organisations’ strict criteria.

Although we actively search for companies who may be using our logo fraudulently, we also rely heavily on TrustMark members who inform us of non member organisations they may have noticed who are displaying our logo.

A firm was recently successfully prosecuted after we provided a Witness Statement for the case for fraudulently using logos of the ‘Federation of Small Businesses’ and ‘The League of Professional Craftsmen Ltd’ as well as using our TrustMark logo.

We have forged links with OFT and Trading Standards all over the UK and have provided them with a number of companies who, we believe, are worth investigating and we will continue to do our utmost to protect the TrustMark identity and the reputation of our members.

8 Free Tickets for Trustmark Firms and Contacts

National Home Improvement Show
Earls Court, 1st to 3rd October

The National Home Improvement Show, in association with Real Homes Magazine, is the UK’s largest event for people looking to add value or space to their home, seek practical advice and inspirational design ideas.  There’s something for everyone discover industry trends, the latest products, services and innovations and search over 300 specialist home improvement companies.

Sit in on expert forums and practical how to sessions from celebrity experts such as Michael Holmes from Real Home magazine’s editor-in-chief and presenter of C5′s ‘I own Britain’s Best Home’ and Julia Kendell from DIY SOS in the Real Homes Live! Theatre.

If you have a home improvement problem or dilemma to solve?
Get your questions answered in the Ask the Experts area.

Discover how to add space without breaking the bank in the Fifth Room or learn how to sympathetically restore a period property in the Period Living Pavilion. Want your home to be the talk of the town learn about the latest technology and how you can integrate modern systems at the Smart Home Zone.

To claim your free ticket click here: http://www.improveyourhomeshow.co.uk/nhistrustmark

9 NICEIC Group Renamed

Ascertiva Group Ltd is the new name for NICEIC Group Ltd and the ‘Ascertiva’ brand is a composite name, representing the three main activities of the company: Assessment, Certification and Verification.

Emma McCarthy, chief operating officer, explains that they have changed their name, so that they can communicate effectively and conduct business at Group level, without compromising their other key brands.

TrustMark’s 2000 + NICEIC members, are not effected by the name change and no firm will need to change their company livery, letterheads etc.

For more information log onto: http://www.ascertiva.com/