A study, carried out by UK home assistance company Home Serve as part of Gas Safety week, showed that 22 per cent of UK households voted them the most trustworthy tradespeople closely followed by electricians and plumbers.
The poll found that trustworthiness (67 per cent) is the most important attribute expected of traders by homeowners – with honesty, reliability, high quality workmanship and qualifications also ranking highly.
Home Serve’s chief marketing officer Greg Reed said: “Before we let tradespeople have access to our homes, often for a number of hours, we obviously need to be completely confident we can trust them to do the job with competence and honesty.
“With the busy colder months ahead, gas and heating engineers – including our own – will play a vital role in helping to repair people’s homes, so it’s fantastic to see them recognised in this survey. Gas Safety Week is a great way to celebrate those engineers who work hard to help us when we need them most.”
In total, 85 per cent of homeowners who responded to the poll deemed qualifications and accreditations to be essential ingredients (either extremely/very important) for choosing a trader. However, smart clothes, compassion, good humour and a smile were least important.