Why is it so hard to find tradesmen

[loopyluloopy]

Literally that.

Need work done and worried I will be scammed.

How do I find decent trades people who can do work in my area without getting reviews from people I know?

I've tried check-a-trade (my dad was not happy about this) he thinks I will be scammed.

Word of mouth - the top local tradespeople, who are usually smaller businesses don't tend to need to sign up and pay money to be on sites like check a trade etc. as they will get more than enough business from WOM.

Google and looking at reviews - generally you can spot 'fake' reviews as they tend to be general and don't include specific details of the job/ outcome.

We are moving to a new area so will face a similar problem as we want to do some reno work. I plan to note down everyone doing building work in the surrounding streets. Often they have boards outside or at least a branded van. We will research all those companies and go from there. It might be a good way to introduce ourselves to some of the neighbours - there are two in the street we are moving to having a big renovation so that's a good starting point. It helps if you aren't in a rush - I'd wait a year for the right company. Hopefully, there will be a neighbours WhatsApp group but appreciate it can take a while to get added to those groups if you are new in the area.

Facebook is a lottery. We've had a few great people - including an amazing electrician and odd job man. We've had some awful - decorators especially. As others have said, so many recommend their partners or even themselves (even if you've specifically said you are looking for recs from people who have used the company). So many local FB groups are now full of crazy conspiracy people so I'd be a bit worried about taking a recommendation from them. I realise that this probably varies depending on location!

Hi there, I started a company to solve this exact problem! Good tradespeople are very rare, but after being one myself for 10 years I realised the value of connecting good, respectful tradespeople with clients and created www.refinedcontractors.com - you might be interested to have a look!

You have to find people who love what they do, not the ones who are all about the money. They are out there and do exist, I think you can tell how they talk about it. If they're selling themselves really hard, they're probably a bit crap. The good ones should be sold out busy all the time.
I found a plasterer by literally accosting him in the street, I saw him rinsing off his tools and thought he was doing it very thoroughly and with care.
He said he only works through word of mouth and doesn't advertise. Bingo I thought. He was absolutely amazing. Not cheap but absolutely treated his job like a craft.