With its chief operating officer acknowledging “change is needed” to improve consumer protection, TrustMark has launched a public consultation seeking feedback on upcoming changes to its quality scheme.
TrustMark is a Government-endorsed quality scheme for renovation work that was established back in 2005. The not-for-profit organisation helps homeowners find tradespeople who are skilled, trained and competent, in an effort to drive up standards across the industry and improve the protection offered to consumers.
However, TrustMark now says it is looking to the public for suggestions on how to improve its quality scheme. Specifically, the organisation says it is looking to strengthen the scheme’s oversight and accountability, improve assurance and enhance financial protection.
The new proposals include actions like simplifying the redress pathway for consumers, streamlining its processes, strengthening financial protections, reducing administrative time and cost to scheme providers, and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the organisation as well as its scheme providers and registered businesses.
According to TrustMark, the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (the department which licesnses the organisation), has seen and supports the changes to the scheme.
“Consumer Protection across home improvements needs to change,” emphasised Charlotte Carter, the chief operating officer at TrustMark. “When work is done well, it makes peoples’ homes more comfortable, warmer and healthier to live in. Done badly it leads to stress, inconvenience and potentially damage to homes.
“With consumer detriment standing at over £10 billion in this market, change is needed to improve the situation for consumers and businesses alike. We cannot stand still. Our consultation outlines the changes being considered and we strongly encourage our partners across the sector to participate. We want to hear their views and ideas and include their expertise and knowledge in the thinking going into decisions about our scheme. Only by working together will we achieve the best outcome.”
The public consultation is open now, and closes on Octover 27. TrustMark has promised that all consultation responses will be seen, and it will provide a summary response in December about future changes to the way the scheme works.
This news follows the recent launch of another Government-sanctioned consumer protection scheme for the renovation sector, called Trusted Payments. Announced earlier this month, the new app will allow consumers to hold renovation costs in a secure account, with funds released periodically as project milestones are met.
Alongside the launch of Trusted Payments, the Government is also supporting the roll-out of a new Approved Code scheme, which has been designed to help people identify and hire trusted traders with confidence.