As many home owners plan to make improvements to their properties in the summer, the Office of Fair Trading has highlighted the options available to consumers to protect themselves should something go wrong.

Tips for consumers

* If you are buying goods or services costing over £100, consider paying by credit card. If you pay by credit card you can claim your money back from the card company if the seller fails to honour the contract, or if the item is faulty or if the seller wrongly describes it or if the supplier goes out of business (see note 1).

* Consider making staged payments and keeping back a significant part of the cost of the home improvements until they are satisfactorily completed, particularly where work such as fitting is involved. This is so you can ask for defects to be put right without the need to make a claim or go to court for compensation.

* Be wary of contract terms requiring full payment in advance, particularly for supply and fit contracts. Check the small print and only pay in full if there is a satisfactory independently-run pre-payment protection scheme, such as that run by Qualitas that will cover you if something goes wrong (see note 2).

Christine Wade, OFT Director of Consumer Regulation Enforcement said:
“It is important for consumers who are asked to pay considerable sums in advance for home improvements to be aware of the ways in which they can protect their interests. Going to court can be difficult and expensive, but these simple steps can provide consumers with some redress should things go wrong.”