I’m currently working from home (it’s lunchtime) while a new boiler gets fitted. I probably could leave them to it, but it removes the worry of someone I don’t know rummaging through my house.

Does everyone stay at home when they have a tradesman in or are some people more trusting?

as a boiler installer, on average 75% probably stay at home, amazingly folks you ve never met just leave a key under the mat.. some want to see id and qualifications before you come in the house. ive had a guy video our every move whilst in his home and another stand behind me and take notes all day long whilst fitting a boiler one family moved a sofa into the kitchen so the three of them could watch us.

having been accused of having a key copied that had been left under the mat and returning 6 months later and removing dvds and cds by a tenant of a property, i now always never enter an unoccupied home alone, ( sure an accusation could be made but at least someone can back up my ”it was nt me gov” statement that the police took and frankly sounded fairly hollow.. luckily after giving the statement the copper smiled and said i knew it wasnt you when you answered the door.. oh why?.. the description we have is of a young slim bloke!… big blow to self image!!

Depends. If I’ve used them a few times and will use them again, then I am not too bothered about them being their without me. Especially if I know where they live.

But I prefer to be there for people who I have not used before, or if it’s only a one off job.

Heard a few cases of people having work done and then getting burgled a couple of weeks later.
A bloke at the last place I worked had his place done over shortly after a load of building work. He reckoned that they had searched the house while doing the work, as there was no disturbance or signs that anything had been moved. They’d gone straight for the loot.

Depends who is doing the work. Couple of guys we use for plumbing and electrical work live in the village, we know them well, we give them a key and make sure tbe kettle and biscuits are clearly visible.

Anyone we don’t know, one of us will be home to supervise.

Yup – new kitchen fitted last week. Local company & local fitters/trades that I’d spoken to & felt comfortable trusting. Waited for them to arrive before leaving for work, left them a spare key to lock up with if they finished before I got home.

Usually would try to be about. Not necessarily for security (theirs or ours) but often there are surprises in work getting done, so best to be on hand to get the low-down and make decisions there and then.

After a few days though, yes give them a key and leave out tea bags, kettle & biscuits.

In 2 weeks time we’re moving out for 3 months while they do some work.
We’ll be removing everything of value first!

Nope I never stay in and rarely let them in just let them know where the key is

Have had new kitchen/bathroom/heating/fireplace and the decorators several times just leave them tea/biscuits/a few cans of Stella and let them get on with it.

A mate won’t even let them use the *downstairs* toilet though he had some new windows last week and the fitters had to go to the supermarket down the road lol

There to let tradespersons in and show them which bathroon they should use, also to let them know there are webcams set up which I will monitor from work.
Trusted neighbour comes round to see them off the premesis at the end of the day, check for any damage or misuse and reset the house alarms

OK it seems I’m normal then. The two I have round seem nice enough. Although I do wish the older one would wear a belt, or at least keep his crack covered!

Although I do wish the older one would wear a belt, or at least keep his crack covered!

Maybe buy him one of these tshirts. Glad I could help.

Even working in a house you can have stupid owners paranoid as hell youre going to nick something, a few years ago went to a house, to fit a new front door lock, lady in rear garden, (remember that) so fitted lock and haded over both keys to door, got back to workshop latter that night,and mate had answered 2 calls, 1 call from lady saying did i have her rear door keys, mate said i wasnt there, a few hours latter she had rung back and said to expect the police to call round, i had stolen her back door keys, and that she had said a locksmith 95 quid to change the lock, so i rang her up and politely told her that the back door keys where proberley on the bin in the back garden, where she had put them down when i arrived, phone went quiet as she walked outside, then a big ahh followed by profuse and meaningless apologies for accusing me of theft.

Second job fitting a new rear door, job done everyone happy, a few days later phone call accusing me of nicking a microwave plate out of the microwave, it was the only thing in the void property except for a dishwasher and washing mc,asked her if she had checked the dishwasher, and there it was sulking in the plate rack.

All tradesmen beaware of customers they can ruin your good name and reputation, avoid unoccupied and furnished properties unless you have an agent or householder with you.

I always stay in, as much to answer any questions that come up and feed people tea tbh. I also really don’t like the idea of someone working in my house alone as if they have an bad accident and they are working alone things could end badly.

🙂

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ouch-builder-nails-his-own-hand-to-floorboards-767521

yes, to stop the lying chancers from cutting too many corners.

dear tradesmen; i live in hope that you’re not all useless/stupid/conmen/all of the above/delete as appropriate, and that one day i’ll have the chance to give you some work.

dear tradesmen; i live in hope that you’re not all useless/stupid/conmen/all of the above/delete as appropriate, and that one day i’ll have the chance to give you some work

And you could say that of a lot of other workers in other jobs.

Had / have builders in since January, I couldn’t possibly be there all the time so builder has a key, I trust him and his trades and not had any issues. I got a good team to be fair and am very happy / skint 😀

project, I’ve lost my keys – could you tell me where they are?

Very true Project.
Perhaps we have been lucky but in 18 years in this house all the people who we have had in to do work.
Windows, Kitchen, Extension, Heating system, Wet Room, Carpets, Log Cabin workshop + various other things have been honest & worked bloody hard to finish on time & on budget.

PS same area as Project so perhaps there is link as I know people he’s done work for who have been very complimentary.

Only been at home at the start & finish of jobs as I have to work to earn money to pay for this stuff 😉

woodlikesbeer – Member
Does everyone stay at home when they have a tradesman in or are some people more trusting?

Yes. Watch them like a hawk! Your house so be as paranoid as you can.

I did not watch (was in the other room) the ones working in my kitchen so one of them accidentally put a massive scratch on my new fridge door. Guess what the answer was … “It was not me …”

In the far east when my parents got their house renovated my father lost his watch, my mum lost her gold necklace and I lost my outdoor knife. Yes, one of them stole it as we were told few months later by other workers.

Trust no one apart from your own immediate family not even your relatives.

😯

Does everyone stay at home when they have a tradesman in

Too **** right. Not cos I’m scard they’l nick stuff, more that they’ll lounge about and nit do the job propery. Always been preven wrong, fortunately.

Nah, I’ve worked in peoples house in the past when they’ve been standing over the top of ye, usually leave them to it. If I am in the house I’ll stay well out their road.

Do you stay at home when you are having work done?

Nah. Private hospital last time I had a nip ‘n’ tuck.

never have problem when someone stays at home whilst you are doing your job in their house…. it’s the ones that stand there, looking over your shoulder the whole time and commenting on every move you make as if were meant to be some properly honed professional like a F1 tyre mechanic at the Gran Pricks….

with m old work mate, we had a job to replace the perimiter fencing. the owners were out, but left us the key to their on-site caravan. matey went off to brew a tea. a few minutes later he came out, handed me my tea. had a sip and spewed it out…. tasted of salt…. as did his, but he didn’t take a great big slurp….

we had a giggle and he went back to make me another cuppa. he stuck his head out of the door and told me that the both the sugar and the salt were in jars with sugar” written on them…

out he came a few minutes later and handed me my cuppa.

i took a sip and again spewed my tea over the floor….. asked him WTF!?!!? and he said he had misseed my reaction the first time round so thought he’d do it again…

if Sue was there it would never have happened… and we’d have had nothing to laugh about that day….

How appropriate, We’ve got the landscapers in sorting out the front garden after they did our drive last year. Got a text from our neighbors saying ‘they’ were in doing the work. So I text the chap doing the work saying didn’t know you were coming in today but thats fine, proceed as discussed.

Got a text 10 minutes ago, ‘we have a problem, dug through the gas pipe, gas board on the way”!

Oh how I laughed.

project, I’ve lost my keys – could you tell me where they are?

The lady used them to open the front door and then went back to the gardening and puit them on the wheelie bin in front of so thats how i knew they where there.

It’s a bit sad that so few people trust others to work in their home. I’ve always been out due to work commitments. Try to be in and the start of the job and end to ensure they get set up and sort out snagging and payment etc.

Had my plastering done while I was on holiday! Just try to use local honest traders. Never let me down so far.