Home service marketplace Plentific.com has revealed that tradespeople rank amongst the highest trusted professionals in the UK.

The latest consumer insight revealed that over two thirds (69%) of UK homeowners say that gardeners are the most trusted. This is just 1% less than the number of homeowners who say police are the most trustworthy of all professions listed (70%).

Other trusted tradespeople were electricians in third place (66%), painter/decorators in fourth (63%) and plumbers in fifth (59%). These trade professionals all ranked higher than lawyers (51%), car mechanics (46%) and bankers (33%) when it comes to homeowners saying they are trustworthy.

When carrying out electrical repairs or maintenance work, many things can go wrong, resulting in serious incidents that could be potentially life-threatening. That’s why it’s so important for a homeowner to be able to trust the professional carrying out this kind of work. The same could also be said about plumbers, who ranked highly with homeowners on the list of most trusted professionals. These kinds of tradespeople are involved in many important projects that, if done incorrectly, could be very costly to the homeowners to fix.

On the other end of the scale, unsurprisingly for some, politicians ranked bottom of the list with just 13% of UK homeowners saying they are trusted. Car salespeople came in at 16%, followed by journalists (18%), and estate agents (22%). Occupying the middle of the table for total UK homeowners were recruitment consultants (34%) and builders (43%).

When it comes to bad press, the phrase ‘cowboy builder’ goes a long way in tarnishing the perception of these tradespeople and the trust they receive from homeowners. Botched building work, home improvement horror stories and an overall unease when it comes to hiring a builder all work against their reputation. Renovation projects that require a builder often involve a big investment from the homeowners.

With this in mind, Plentific aims to reassure the customer by providing the Plentific Guarantee and ensuring professionals selected for the job are verified with all the necessary credentials and insurance needed. This all works to put the homeowner at ease when hiring a builder they know they can trust.

Stephen Jury, spokesperson for Plentific, commented: “It's fantastic to see tradespeople listed so highly in the trusted professionals list. With homes being an important financial asset for most, you should have trust in a professional you hire to improve or repair your home.”

www.plentific.com