UK Property News
Building costs jumped 19% in the last quarter,
according to Checkatrade’s first
‘UK Home Improvement Index’
The average cost of building work is up by almost a fifth (19%) in Q3 2024, according to figures from Checkatrade’s inaugural UK Home Improvement Index. The index found that the average cost of a building job is now £12,634 - up from £10,626 the previous quarter.
The increase is reflective of the higher cost of labour and materials that has impacted the building and home improvement industry in recent months and years. Despite rising prices, consumer demand has not dampened - the number of building jobs actually increased slightly (1%) between Q2 and Q3.
The new Index - which is based on data recorded from over 10.5 million jobs carried out by tradespeople in the UK - investigates trends over the previous 12 months, with a focus on the previous quarter. Over 2.7m jobs were carried out in Q3 alone.
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Increased labour and material costs led to a 19% increase in average cost of building work in Q3 - but demand has actually risen
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Brits get homes winter-ready with decorating, security and interior design jobs up
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Welcoming new CMA guidelines for trader recommendation platforms, Checkatrade revealed roofers are least trustworthy trades and most likely to be blocked from joining
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Southend-on-Sea, Redhill and Bournemouth have highest-rated tradespeople in the UK
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Santa’s little helpers - chimney sweeps have the highest average satisfaction rating
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Checkatrade’s new UK Home Improvement Index compiles data from over 10 million jobs, making it the UK’s most comprehensive index on the topic
Increasing costs across the board
The Index found that costs for many other jobs also increased over the quarter. The average cost of kitchen fitting has gone up by 12% vs the previous quarter (£7,376 vs £6,574). Meanwhile, insulation installation costs are up 20% (£4,634 vs £3,849). Similarly, the average cost of a plastering job in Q3 was up 16% to £2,343 and gardening jobs increased by 10%, to £679.
Rising prices are impacting smaller jobs too. For example, the average ‘handyman’ job - typically of a smaller scale than building work - increased by 25% from Q2 to Q3, up from £452 to £563.
The overall average cost of every job carried out by Checkatrade members over the quarter increased by 6%. But again, there is no impact on demand, with the number of jobs also up 6% - showing that around 150,000 more jobs were undertaken in Q3 versus Q2.
Home getting winter-ready
The data - covering July, August and September - shows many people are readying their homes for winter. Chimney sweeping services have more than trebled (up 211%) quarter-on-quarter, supplemented by a 42% increase in fireplace-related work.
Seasonal hosting is also front-of-mind with a 131% rise in demand for interior design jobs. Checkatrade also saw a 12% increase in painting and decorating services - with a huge 142,000 homes getting a fresh lick of paint over the period.
Related to changes in the weather, there is also a 43% increase in callouts for pest and vermin control. Meanwhile, electrician jobs are up 27% and plumbing is up 22%.
With darker nights looming, many Brits used the Q3 period to upgrade the security on their home. Security and alarm jobs are up 14% in Q3. And people are spending more on them too - an average of £1,389, a 41% increase on the previous quarter.
Home Improvement hotspots
The UK Home Improvement Index found that Brighton is the UK’s number one home improvement hotspot - with more jobs carried out there in Q3 2024 than any other place in the UK outside of London. It remains top for the third quarter in a row and is followed by Guildford and Portsmouth.
Least trustworthy tradespeople
Vetting is less common in the home improvement industry than it should be and each year UK consumers lose around £1.4 billion to rogue tradespeople.
This week Checkatrade welcomed new guidelines, introduced by the CMA, to protect consumers by raising the bar on vetting and other conduct across the industry. Checkatrade’s own checks and protections go further than other platforms and every member must pass up to 12 checks in order to join the site. As the leading destination for home improvement, Checkatrade remains committed to safeguarding consumers by preventing dishonest operators from joining its platform.
Expanding on the issue of tradesperson trust, Checkatrade’s new Index found that roofers were the least trustworthy trade during Q3 2024. Over the period, 16% of all roofers who applied to Checkatrade had their membership application declined. Roofers were followed by driveway and patio workers - 15% of whom were turned away from the platform. Those working in removals and storage were found to be the most trustworthy - just 3% were declined.
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Who are the best and worst tradespeople?
Checkatrade monitors and verifies more than 600,000 reviews a year, all of which help build up a clear picture of where consumers get the most satisfaction from their interaction with tradespeople.
The data shows that chimney sweeps are the highest-rated on the platform, with an almost perfect average rating of 9.99 in Q3 - sure to put a smile on Santa’s face as Christmas looms, and help to keep his suit clean on the big night. This marks an increase from second place in Q2, where they were pipped to top spot by oven cleaners.
Roofers were found to have the lowest overall satisfaction rating - although as they are vetted Checkatrade roofers, they still have a very good average score of 9.54.
Southend-on-Sea, Redhill and Bournemouth are tied for top spot as the location with the highest-rated tradespeople - each securing an average rating of 9.86 in Q3. Meanwhile Southall (9.43), Preston (9.54) and Manchester (9.59) have the lowest average scores.
Jambu Palaniappan, CEO at Checkatrade, stated: “The data, based on over 10 million jobs carried out by Checkatrade-approved tradespeople, provides the most comprehensive ever overview of home improvement work in the UK. We plan to issue it quarterly to give a transparent and detailed perspective on what is happening in the market.
“Prices have risen 6% across all jobs, but this quarter’s stand-out finding is the dramatic increase in the average cost of building work, which has seen a 19% surge in average prices. This is significant and reflects the ongoing increases in the cost of labour and materials.
“We also continue to see the issue of rogue tradespeople plaguing the industry, with roofing called out as a particular problem area. Our vetting saw us block applications from 16% of the roofers who attempted to join our platform in Q3, and we have proactively reviewed our own approach to this challenging sector. All roofers on Checkatrade are being re-vetted and we require them to provide proof of at least six months’ incorporation and trading history, adding a new layer of reassurance for consumers.”
