With Australians engaging an average of seven tradies per year for jobs ranging from plumbers to cleaners, its clear that were a house-proud bunch.
There are simple steps hipages recommend all homeowners follow to ensure the tradie they hire has the appropriate qualifications for the task at hand.
Request the licence. Before a tradie commences any work, always request to see their licence (where required) and check its valid for the value of the planned project.
Not all trades require a licence, and the rules vary from state to state, though trades like plumbers, electricians and builders always require formal qualifications.
Ask for examples of work. Take a look at previous projects to get an idea of the standards you can expect and if the work aligns with your plans. According to the hipages Tradie Trust Index, 72 per cent of consumers check how reputable a tradie is by reviewing examples of work before hiring them.
Read online recommendations. It is also worth reading online reviews or client feedback. Recommendations provide reassurance to potential customers, with 46 per cent of consumers trusting online testimonials.
The key to fostering a trusting two-way relationship is an honest and open line of communication, says Stuart Tucker, chief customer officer of hipages.
"Its also advisable to formalise all details of a job in writing, particularly with the amount of responsibility that is transferred onto a tradie."
The Tradie Profile page at hipages.com.au lets customers view licence numbers for each tradie, as well as licence requirements for their trade categories in the state they service.
Search efficiently. Aussies are still spending almost 30 hours each year searching for tradies using a variety of outdated methods, from searching online to asking friends and family. However, emergence of the on-demand tradie economy enables consumers to bring more efficiency to their lives by utilising digital solutions.
"As the trades industry undergoes a digital transformation, it is great to hear that 84 per cent of tradies have developed a digital presence in the past five years," says Tucker.
Trustworthy tradies. The hipages Tradie Trust Index found both consumers and tradies rate electricians as the most trustworthy trade. Consumers sense of trust is very closely tied to response rate and cost, says Tucker.
When hiring an electrician, its more often an emergency situation with your local sparky coming to the rescue. Almost 50 per cent of an electricians jobs are emergency or ad hoc.
"It also doesnt hurt that sparkies are some of the most commonly hired tradies in Australia, with the fastest turnaround quote times in the industry.