Trading Standards Doorstep Scams - Cleaning & Maintenance

30th July 2024

There's been a recent increase in reports of doorstep scammers who go door to door and offer to carry out cleaning or maintenance work on properties. In many cases they provide misleading information about their products, saying they will save money on energy bills or increase the value of your house.

In one case, cold callers offered to clean and seal a couple's roof for a cost of £10,000, saying that the sealant would save them hundreds of pounds on their energy bills.

After taking a £2,000 deposit they simply power washed the roof and then left the property.

They did not provide any contact details and the couple were unable to get in touch to ask for a refund.

Another cold caller told a woman that the facia/soffits on her roof looked like they needed to be repaired. He offered to carry out the work for £200, before saying it would need to increase to £250 due to the cost of buying paint.

She agreed and transferred the money. The man carried out around a third of the work, then left, taking her ladders with him, and did not return.

How to Avoid
Any unsolicited trader who offers to carry out work on your property must give you their business name and address.
Don't agree to let a cold caller start work straight away - do plenty of research into their company and, if something doesn't look right, don’t deal with them.

Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at approvedtrader.scot

Rogue traders often imply that urgent work is required in order to pressure householders into making a decision quickly. Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot.

Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk

Report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Report scams to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via scamwatch.scot.

Find out more
Police Scotland: www.scotland.police.uk/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards: approvedtrader.scot
Trading Standards Scotland: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers