29/08/2026
The government says its new measures will help put cowboy builders out of business.
They include Trusted Payments, an app linking payments to completed stages and an optional Approved Code intended to help customers identify trusted traders.
Stopping fraudsters is obviously a good thing. But proper builders rely on deposits to buy materials, pay wages and start the work. Should small businesses be expected to fund customers’ projects while waiting for stages to be approved?
Every payment and variation also goes through a private digital system, potentially pushing cash further out of the industry.
And if the scheme is optional, what stops the real cowboys from simply ignoring it?
I want opinions from both sides: tradespeople and customers, would you use it?