Start with the job
Tradespeople do not all take on the same work. One electrician mostly tests and certifies, another fits EV chargers, and a plumber may be a heating engineer first. Each listing here ticks the services the business names on its own website, so check that your job is ticked before you ring. Where a listing reads "no information yet", the website did not say, and a phone call settles it.
Gas and electrics
Only a Gas Safe registered engineer may work on gas appliances. Ask to see the ID card and check the back, which lists the kinds of gas work the engineer is qualified for. For electrics, a new consumer unit, a new circuit or work around a bath or shower is notifiable under the Building Regulations. An electrician registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify it; otherwise building control has to be told before the work starts. Keep every certificate, because a buyer's solicitor may ask for it when you sell.
Water, planning and older homes
Some plumbing work, such as a large bath, certain showers or a pump, must be notified to Anglian Water before it starts. In parts of Olney and Wolverton, painting the outside walls of a house needs planning permission. In older homes, old layers of paint can contain lead, so stripping should avoid dry sanding and blowtorches.
Reading a rating
Every listing shows the Google rating beside the number of reviews behind it. Read the two together. A perfect score from three reviews tells you less than a slightly lower score from a hundred.
Your rights
By law a trader must carry out a service with reasonable care and skill. If the work falls short you can normally ask for it to be put right, or for a price reduction where that is not possible. Work agreed in your home, or by phone or online, usually comes with a 14-day cooling-off period, but if you ask for the work to start sooner and then cancel, you may have to pay for what has been done.
What to ask on the first call
Ask for a written quote that lists the work and the materials. Ask to see the public liability insurance certificate, and for gas work the Gas Safe card. Ask what the guarantee covers and how long it runs, and who deals with any certificates or notifications. Get the answers in writing before you agree to anything.