Managing Property Contractors: How to Audit Work & Save Money.

The question isn't "Will a contractor let me down?"
The question is "When?"
It is the most frustrating thing for me in property. You hire a professional, you pay the invoice, and you assume the job is done. But this week, I was reminded—yet again—that in this game, assumption is the mother of all failures.
I discovered that paying for a job doesn't mean getting the job done. And if you aren't careful, you could lose thousands of pounds simply because you trusted the wrong person.
Let’s be brutally honest about what happens when you don't audit your trades.

I had some leaks in a roof—slates, ridges, and the chimney. Standard stuff.
I hired Roofer #1. He did a drone inspection (looked professional), quoted me £600, and claimed he fixed the slates and the ridges. I paid him.
Two weeks later, I hired Roofer #2 to sort out the chimney. Because I have been burned before, I asked Roofer #2 to check the previous work while he was up there.
What he found made my blood boil.
Roofer #1 had repointed the front of the ridge tiles... but left the back completely untouched. The concrete was missing. The wind could have lifted those tiles right off.
When I texted Roofer #1, his reply was: "We did front ridges, not back, buddy."
Buddy?
If you hire someone to fix a roof, the objective is to make it watertight. You don’t fix half a tyre. You don’t fill half a tooth. You don't fix one side of a ridge.

Here is the problem we face as landlords: We are not experts in everything.
I know about property, but I am not a roofer. I cannot easily climb up three storeys to check the mortar mix.
Contractors know this. The unscrupulous ones rely on it.
They know you can't see the top of the chimney. They know you won't crawl under the floorboards. So, they cut corners.
This destroys trust. And for a contractor, trust is your currency.
If Roofer #1 had done the job properly, he would have had my business for years. Instead, he tried to be clever, saved himself 30 minutes of labour, and lost a lifetime client.

So, how do we fix this? How do we stop being a cash cow for lazy trades?
I am implementing a stricter protocol for managing property contractors, and you should too.

1. Demand Detailed Written Quotes Never accept a quote that just says "Roof Repair - £600." That is a licence to do whatever they want. I want a breakdown: "Remove loose concrete, repoint front AND back ridges, replace 5 slates." If it is in writing, they cannot say "I didn't quote for that, buddy."

2. The "Audit" Budget This is a game-changer. For expensive or critical jobs (like roofs, damp, or electrics), I am now willing to pay a different builder for one hour of their time just to go and audit the finished work. Paying £50 to verify a £1,000 job is the best insurance policy you can buy.

3. Ask for Evidence The second roofer—the good one—sent me videos and photos before, during, and after. He showed me the problem and the solution. If a contractor refuses to take a photo of the finished work, do not pay the invoice.

— Trust is not a strategy. You must verify the work, especially regarding "invisible" repairs like roofing.
— Vague quotes are dangerous. If the scope of work isn't specific, you have no leg to stand on when they do half a job.
— The "Audit" is worth the cost. Hiring a second set of eyes to check the work puts pressure on the first contractor to perform.
— Contractors live on repeat business. If they burn you once, cut them loose immediately.

This week was a frustration, but also a valuable reminder. In this business, you are the CEO. It is your job to quality control your product.
If you are letting contractors run wild, you aren't an investor—you're just a bank account.
Take control.
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By Noel Cardona

The Property Renegade will always stay alert of what is happening in the market!

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