Checkatrade Warns of Cowboy Builder Surge Ahead of October Planning Reforms

The UK’s leading home services platform, Checkatrade, has seen a surge in unqualified tradespeople trying to join its network. The increase comes ahead of upcoming planning reforms that are expected to spark a rise in home improvement projects.

PLANNING REFORM RISKS - FAST FACTS

Cowboy builders: Risk of cowboy builder ‘gold rush’ as record number of bad actors blocked

Increase in trades being blocked: Checkatrade reports a 71% year-on-year increase in trades blocked from joining

Planning reforms: Rise comes ahead of building planning reform coming on 31 October

Stay alert: Checkatrade welcomes new rules to simplify planning permission, but warns homeowners to stay alert to rogues trying to exploit the changes

From 31 October, changes to planning rules will streamline the process for extending, converting and upgrading homes, by removing local council power. Whilst speedy building approvals benefit homeowners and the trade industry alike, Checkatrade - which warmly welcomed the move - is at the same time, warning that increased demand could create fresh opportunities for unscrupulous operators to target unsuspecting homeowners.

New data shows that a rogue builder ‘gold rush' is already underway, with Checkatrade forced to block 1,223 unqualified applicants in the first eight months of 2026 - officially surpassing the total number of rejections for the entire year of 2025.

Checkatrade’s new member rejections have jumped from an average of 89 per month in 2025, to 152 per month in 2026* - a year-on-year increase to date of 71% in monthly declines as bad actors attempt to exploit the changes. Checkatrade is using this data to issue a warning ahead of the Autumn season, as the industry braces for the planning reforms due to come into effect in October.

With building demand set to rise following the 31 October planning reforms, Checkatrade is urging homeowners to remain vigilant against cowboy trades and only put their trust in those that have been properly vetted by a CMA-compliant platform. For almost three decades, Checkatrade has been the UK’s most trusted network of vetted tradespeople, with every applicant to the platform required to pass up to 12 individual checks and uphold the Checkatrade Standard.

Jambu Palaniappan, CEO at Checkatrade, comments: “Simplified planning rules coming into effect on 31 October are a welcome step forward for the housing sector, but streamlining rules can never come at the cost of consumer safety. The fact that we’ve already had to block more unqualified trades this year than we did for the whole of last year shows just how active bad operators are in trying to take advantage. As planning rules ease, we’re urging homeowners to stay alert to rogues trying to exploit the changes and only ever put their trust in vetted trades.”

To help households navigate the upcoming changes, Checkatrade has outlined four red flags to watch for before booking a trade:

Be careful with cheap quotes: If the cost seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Use Checkatrade’s cost guides to check the price you’ve been quoted.

Never pay upfront: Don’t agree to making full payment in advance of work being undertaken. Get a detailed written quote that includes T&Cs and states what will be covered by the quote - and what won’t.

Don’t accept work from trades who ‘doorstep’: Reputable trades will NEVER carry out this practice. Checkatrade has zero tolerance of any member found to be canvassing door-to-door. Never be pressured into having work done by someone who knocks on your door.

Check, then check again: Make sure the tradesperson you used has been properly verified, by a platform complaint with consumer protection rules. CMA guidance requires platforms to vet trades and stamp out fake reviews. To stay safe, stick to verified, CMA-compliant operators like Checkatrade.

*Average monthly declined trades increased from 89 (2025 average) to 152 (2026 average through to August), an increase of approximately 71%.

Source : Checkatrade 

Image : Linda Bestwick / shutterstock / 1171739503

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