In the past six months, Checkatrade, which connects homeowners with vetted tradespeople, turned away a record 668 tradespeople who failed its sign-up checks. This represents a 13 per cent rise year over year.

Checkatrade’s 12-point vetting process rejected applicants for failing to provide documentation such as proof of ID and address (31 per cent), having poor trading history (five per cent), and having negative online reviews (eight per cent).

Roofing is the most challenging home improvement service, with 19 per cent of roofers turned away, followed by driveway companies (11 per cent) and landscapers (seven percent).

Official figures estimate that unscrupulous traders cost homeowners about £1.4bn a year. The extent and complexity of the challenges undermining trust in the home improvement industry was highlighted last week after the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) published a consultation on draft consumer law compliance advice for trader recommendation platforms.

The consultation is looking at how to strengthen consumer protection by setting reasonable proactive expectations on how platforms vet tradespeople, tackle fake reviews and treat complaints if things do go wrong.

Mathieu Proust, COO of Checkatrade, commented: “The fact that we have had to block more trades from joining Checkatrade than ever before points to a worrying trend in the broader industry that consumers must be savvy about when planning their home projects.

“High demand for tradespeople and longer-than-average wait times for jobs has placed huge pressure on the home services industry, creating the perfect environment for unscrupulous characters to step in and take advantage.”

Over half (55 per cent) of people are not confident they can spot a ‘cowboy’ from a verified tradesperson, so Checkatrade warns homeowners to be alert to red flags.

Before becoming a member of Checkatrade, tradespeople must pass up to 12 checks and agree to uphold the Checkatrade Standard—six commitments outlining the site’s high expectations for conduct and behaviour.