FMB and councils link to curb cowboys

by John d'Arcy



The Federation of Master Builders has joined forces with Local Authority Building Control (LABC) to launch a new initiative aimed at stamping out rogue traders in the home improvement market.

FMB director general Ian Davis said his members would be working in partnership with 400 local authority building control departments to make a "frontline attack on the cowboys".

The campaign would be built around the federation's established MasterBond warranty - a 10-year guarantee underwritten by insurance group Allianz Cornhill. As well as supporting the promotion of the warranty to homeowners, local authority building control officers would provide independent references and checks on firms applying for MasterBond registration.

Speaking at the Interbuild exhibition on Tuesday (23 May), Davis said: "The local authority partnership gives our MasterBond initiative the extra muscle needed for increasing public confidence in the industry. It provides our campaign with a frontline resource for alerting homeowners to the benefits of choosing builders able to offer a recognised warranty."