Citizens Advice Stockport is warning residents to be on the lookout for rogue builders as the national charity reveals it has helped people with 40,000 problems related to home improvements in the last year.

“While there are many good trade businesses out there it is sad fact that too many do not always provide the service that residents expect and deserve” said Cllr Jon Twigge of Hazel Grove.

As people make use of the summer to have work done on their homes, Citizens Advice Stockport is revealing the top three most common building problems people report:

• Complaints about the quality of the work carried out
• Building work being unsafe or faulty
• Disputes around the cost of the work

People contacted Citizens Advice wanting to know how to resolve their home improvement problems and their rights around refunds and compensation.

Citizens Advice Stockport is offering top tips on how to avoid problems when hiring someone to carry out work, and your rights if things do go wrong.

To see the the tips that Citizens Advice Stockport recommend see their article at stockportcab.org.uk/archives/2687

If you’ve had a problem with building work, and you’re not sure about your rights or what to do next, visit Citizens Advice Stockport or call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06