British Gas HomeCare is an insurance scheme that aims to give households cover on their central heating, gas appliances and electrics by providing maintenance when unexpected incidents arise.

Households can choose a HomeCare plan for them and the amount of coverage they want in their home. There are currently four plans available which range from £13 to £27 per month dependent on the type of cover required and the additional options selected. British Gas HomeCare plans currently covers boiler and controls, central heating, plumbing, drains and home electrics.

The main feature of the plans is maintenance and repairs as well as accidental damage cover and the allowance of unlimited callouts per contractual year.

Obviously, the greater the price of the plan that you choose the more additional features you get and the more home emergency problems you are covered against. For example, the cheapest policy at £13 per month only covers boiler and control repairs whereas the £27 per month policy will cover against repairs to your central heating boiler, controls, radiators, pipework and your hot water system as well as repairs to your internal hot and cold water supply pipes, internal waste pipes and non-shared external drains.

The plans ensure that you are covered 24/7 and give you access to over 7000 qualified gas registered engineers as well as 500 highly skilled electricians. Therefore, this type of protection can ensure peace of mind for any household. However, as with any type of insurance cover you should make sure you are aware of the key exclusions within the policy documentation to ensure you are being covered exactly for what you require and expect.

So is this type of cover any good and is it worthwhile paying for British Gas’s HomeCare service?

From doing some research it appears the British Gas HomeCare service has received some bad press and complaints regarding the standard of service that has been received by policyholders. However, this is balanced out by the number of positive comments regarding the service. Many of the negative reviews tend to come from households who have older central heating systems and it is therefore harder for companies such as British Gas to support these boilers as getting parts if maintenance is required becomes harder or impossible. Therefore, in these situations British Gas will have no choice but not to support the boiler any more. It would therefore be worthwhile considering the age of your boiler when you take out such a policy and gain an understanding from the policy holding company as to how long the boiler will be supported for, so you aren’t in for any nasty shocks.

It is however generally regarded that these types of policies are a good deal as they can offer households peace of mind. If you don’t have a policy in place then you will either need to fix the problem yourself or find a local tradesman to come and fix the problem. Both of these options can cause unnecessary stress and hassle.

At least with a policy such as HomeCare you will know that you have access to qualified professionals and experts as well as a knowledgeable customer service team or help centre that are there specifically to answer any concerns or questions that you may have.

Guest Article by Sarah Wain

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is one of 150 companies that is backing a campaign initiated by the Government to create a further 85,000 ‘opportunities’ to get young people into work.

The opportunities include apprenticeships and form part of the ‘Backing Young Britain’, a cross-Government campaign bringing together public and private industry, and the voluntary sector, to provide more opportunities for young people to find work, or training, or gain work skills or experience.

Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica, said:
“We are pleased to support the Backing Young Britain Campaign. Our programmes are all about investing in people, especially young people, and providing them with the skills to implement the technologies that will help our customers cut their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

“Our business depends on highly trained people to give the best possible service and advice to our customers. Our apprenticeship programme and the creation of skilled jobs sit at the heart of our business’ growth plans. We are proud to be creating 3,200 new jobs by 2012 and growing our apprentice numbers by 1000 over the next 18 months.”

The Government campaign, backed by Prime Minister Mr Brown, will see £1 billion invested in the hope of creating 100,000 new jobs for the young, plus a further 50,000 jobs in ‘unemployment hotspots’.

The campaign comes at a time when latest figures show that about 935,000 young people in England are not in employment or training.

The Campaign kicked off with an event at Birmingham City FC’s stadium featured a ‘Question Time’ panel in which Sam Laidlaw joined Yvette Cooper, Works and Pension Secretary, Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince’s Trust, Jill Youdis, director of talent at Virgin Media, and Imran Hakin, inventor and entrepreneur, who won funding from two ‘dragons’ in the BBC TV Dragons Den programme in 2007.

The panel faced questions from an audience of around 250 young people. They ranged from school leavers and apprentices, to university graduates and people on work experience placements. Also in the audience were British Gas’ apprentice of the year Adam Grimes and Centrica graduate Katie Alloway.

It also gave British Gas a chance to talk about their Energy Academy which overseas their training programmes, including highlights:

• Outstanding Grade 1′ (Ofsted);
• five training sites across the UK;
• more than 5,000 apprentice engineers trained to NVQ Level 3 equivalent’
• £30 million invested per year;
• £60 million to be invested in training over the next two years;’
• £30,000 invested in training each apprentice;
• 96% of Academy recruits complete their training;
• 90% or recruits remain with the company for five years or more;
• 50 applications for each position.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

According to one of the UK’s top training providers, the Building Trade Skills Centre, plumbing is one of the best professions to be in when it comes to recession and it seems that thousands of workers are beginning to realise this. A spokesperson for the training company say that, on average, they receive nearly 1500 calls each week from people who are looking to retrain in the profession and that their courses have been in high demand since the beginning of 2008 – a time when people began to take the impending economic crisis seriously.

Plumbing and the other building trades have seen a large drop in the number of newly qualified workers over the last few years and it is estimated that the country will need over 4500 additional plumbers to train each year for the next 4 years in order to cope with the growing demand for their skills. Obviously this means that at the present time there is quite a shortage of qualified professionals – and an even bigger shortage of ‘green’ plumbers who can work on the new generation systems. Not surprisingly thousands of people are picking up on this fact and because of the high redundancy levels and the significant drops in recruitment, workers from all walks of life are now retraining and becoming qualified plumbers.

People are also realising that taps are always going to drip and that pipes are always going to burst and that plumbers are always going to be needed and as such the profession has one of the most stable and secure futures around. According to national figures the pay is very competitive as well which is another plus for those who are thinking of retraining.

Is plumbing immune to the effects of the recession though? Apparently so if you listen to the results of a survey run by the City and Guilds at the end of 2008. The figures showed that even with the economic slowdown and the inevitable recession, over 80% of plumbers are better off now than they were in the same period of 2007 – and the same went for a number of the other traditional trades. The reason it seems is that many of the existing tradesmen are retiring earlier than normal which leaves a serious skills gap to fill and as yet it is only just beginning to be filled.

There are various colleges and training centres around the country that run intensive plumbing courses and although they do require an investment it is easy to recoup this within the first few months of working – providing you pass the exams of course. Plumbers are always going to be needed and as the houses of the future become more environmentally friendly then ‘green’ plumbers are going to be in high demand.

Thousands of people each year are jumping on the training schemes however there is still a shortage so why not see about a career change and enter one of the only recession-proof professions around.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

Finding a local tradesman can be a nightmare, but if you follow the tips below, it might help.

Firstly, make sure you know in your own mind what the job entails. Maybe the roof that needs patching, a pipe repairing, or the drive resurfacing. Whatever the job, just get the description clear, as this accounts for many problems when dealing with tradesmen. If you’re not sure yourself, get someone, a friend, or relative, to help you. You do need to define the job, as otherwise you might be faced with the problem of, as the military call it, mission creep. In other words, you think a tile is loose, but the builder thinks the whole roof needs replacing!

Next, do some research on prices and set your budget. Use the internet, as you will find lots of information about the average prices of certain jobs. Everything has a price and you need to get some basic idea as to what costs what. Then, just make sure you have the funds to complete the job. If it’s an emergency, obviously you might not have the luxury of having time, but you must be able to think you can afford a job. Remember the recent story on the news when a builder knocked down an extension on a woman’s house he had just built because he hadn’t been paid. Also, have a look to see if you qualify for a grant to get the job completed.

Thirdly, start looking for builders. Look in the local directories and internet, but even better, ask around. Neighbours, or friends might have recently used a builder, or plumber that they might be able to recommend. They can also tell you whether they were quick, fair on the price and decent people to have in your house. Personal recommendation is one of the best ways to find a tradesman.

Next, get at least a couple of quotes if even it’s a small job, or three if it’s a larger job. This gives you the chance to match their prices with your earlier research. And don’t necessarily always be tempted by the lowest price. If someone comes highly recommended and their quote is just that bit higher, that might be the reason. They are probably more confident in quoting a higher price because they have the recommendation.

And at this stage, make sure your quote is detailed. You don’t want a rough figure on the back of an envelope. You want a detailed quote, not an estimate, on a letterhead. And you want a quote that includes getting the job completed (labour and supplies) at a given time. Don’t accept penalty clauses, or over-run charges. The quote should include everything to get the job finished at the agreed time. If they are late finishing it, or need more supplies, then that’s there problem, not yours. Of course, they might discover something whilst doing the job which was unforeseen (say broken drains underneath a driveway) which might cause you extra cost, but there’s nothing you can do to mitigate against that.

Right, once the quotes are in, be prepared to haggle a bit. But avoid questions like asking how much it would be for a ‘cash’ job. And likewise, don’t use a tradesman (if they are registered for VAT; not all have to be) who says you needn’t pay VAT. Not paying VAT, if the tradesman is VAT registered (look on his letterhead), is against the law and gives the tradesman an unfair advantage if you later have to complain about a job. But you might want to say something like yes, I would like to choose you, but you were the most expensive. The trick with haggling is to be fair and understand prices. And don’t beat someone down so low that in the end they see no value in the job.

Next, before you decide, check the tradesman out quickly. Look at his letterhead. Does he have a physical address; an office, or home maybe. Does he have a landline number; mobile numbers can disappear quickly? Don’t hire someone who has the feel of a fly-by-night.

Okay, choose your tradesman. Send them a letter confirming they have been chosen and outline what you understand they are to do for the money, and when. Also outline your understanding of the payment structure (is a deposit needed for example?) and the timetable (job start date and job finishing date).

Right, a few words about payment dates and milestone planning. If it’s a small job, it will be a case of job started, job finished, payment. If it’s a bigger job, it will usually be a case of a deposit, a milestone payment (say in the middle of a job) and then final payment. Try not to pay more than 10% down and try to pay it on the first day of the job. And when the job reaches halfway (in your view and that of the tradesman), pay no more than a further 40%, leaving the final 50% to be handed over at the end of the job.

Next, the first day on a job is key. Most people can get a feel of a person quite quickly, but until you have them in your house, you don’t know for sure, or if you can trust who they employ. So, if you live alone, on the first day of the job, ask someone to pop around and be with you and if you have a dog, don’t keep saying his bark is worse than his bite and he won’t hurt them. Tell people they are fine as long as they don’t go too near you, or go places in the house without you.

Finally, there is such a thing in the building trade known as a snag list and on big jobs, don’t be afraid to make sure everything is finished to your satisfaction before you pay the final bill. Because once paid, you might find it very hard to get them back.

So there you are, most of it’s common sense, but employing a tradesman can be a daunting task.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Plumbing is an industry and as we all know there are good guys and bad guys trying to get your attention and your money. Unfortunately, as I see it, things aren’t that simple as there are at least two boxes that have to be ticked for a plumber to be classed as good. Firstly he has to have the skills and secondly he has to have some scruples.

Plumbers who are highly skilled and have all the relevant qualifications can still be classed as bad plumbers in my book if they have dodgy scruples. So for example, your chosen plumber might turn up on time, diagnose the problem in a minute, fix the problem within an hour but then charge you an extortionate fee for his troubles. To me that still makes him a bad plumber and one I wouldn’t recommend to my friends or family. On the other hand there are the plumbers that charge reasonable rates but take an eternity to do the work because they’re not sure exactly what they’re doing. Again this doesn’t say ‘good plumber’ to me.

So what does a plumber need in order to be classed as ‘good’?

A quote that is reasonable and not too dissimilar from others – one of the golden rules when hiring any tradesperson is to get at least three quotes before agreeing to anything. A good plumber will give a quote that is similar in price to any others that you have – it may be a bit more expensive if they are a well established company but in general it shouldn’t be anything silly. They should also be able to guarantee that there are no hidden costs that aren’t on the quote, such as taking away old parts or waiting time while they order anything they need.

Word of mouth recommendations – any plumber that comes with personal recommendations is automatically classed as good. After all, you wouldn’t recommend a tradesman to your friends if he did a rubbish job, charged you the earth and left your house looking like a bomb site. Similarly you wouldn’t recommend him if he had awful manners, left the job half finished or ran off with all your valuables. Word of mouth is a good place to start when looking for a good, reliable plumber but if no one can come up with a name then you have the two factors above to fall back on.

If you look through any copy of the Yellow Pages or the Thompson Local you’ll find that plumbers are listed in their hundreds. Unfortunately not all of them can be classed as top quality – or even good quality in some cases – so how do you know a good plumber when you see one? 

Are they fully trained and licensed?
Any good plumber will be registered with the Institute of Plumbing. This means they either need to have passed a whole heap of qualifications, including their NVQs and such or they need to have 20+ years experience in the trade. Without these factors they wont get on the register. Some older plumbers may have the qualifications and the experience but in general this is rare. Regardless of which type of plumber you choose though, they should be able to provide evidence of their current registration with the official institution. Saying that, the Institute of Plumbing has recently launched a website that gives a full list of registered plumbers which makes finding one a much easier task for everyone.

Are they reliable enough to use?
It doesn’t matter whether you employ an individual or a company to do your plumbing work, they need to be reliable. One of the best ways to judge this is to make an initial appointment for a quote and see if they’re on time and looking the part. If they’re late or just don’t turn up then they aren’t the ones to go with and you need to look around for someone else. Choosing a reliable plumber comes easiest when they are recommended by a friend or relative that has used their services in the past. Ask around and see if anyone you know can recommend a plumber before trying the Yellow Pages.

Are they trustworthy?
For obvious reasons nobody wants to let someone into their home that can’t be trusted and especially not a burly plumber with rather menacing looking tools. But there are other ways that a plumber can be untrustworthy so you need to ask a few simple questions before hiring them for the job. For example, you should ask if they have an established premises for their business as this makes them less likely to do a runner with your money, ask if they have insurance that covers your property while they work on it, ask if they can give you the names of former customers so you can check on customer satisfaction and above all ask if their work is fully guaranteed. A good plumber who knows the trade will be able to answer yes to all of these questions. Then, once you’ve found a good plumber you want to make sure he stays in the industry so any time you can recommend his services, do it.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

See also: Tips for Hiring Professionals in our Home Repair section