A tradesperson may say one thing, a lender another, and an old article can outlive the rule it describes. Where it matters, we show the source, the date, and the limit.
Source
Where the figure came from
Checked
When it was last verified
Evidence
What's confirmed, what's a claim
Limits
What this can't tell you
There is no vetted panel. Accreditation membership is publicly checkable, so the most useful thing we can do is point you to the official register and let you confirm it for free, rather than imply we have already done it for you. Insurance and references are declared by the firm, so we tell you to confirm those directly too.
Not every figure on VettedHome carries the same weight, so we grade it: an official record, such as a gov.uk grant value or a Companies House filing, is the strongest evidence. Next is something a firm or body has published itself, such as a manufacturer's warranty terms. Below that is something we have confirmed directly with the firm or body, which can change without notice. Lower still is a secondary source repeating a figure rather than the primary one. Lowest is our own editorial judgement, clearly written as such. Where it matters, the page says which of these a figure is.
What to look for in a trade
The right accreditation for the work
A trade doing this work should hold the recognised accreditation for the job: Gas Safe for gas work, NICEIC or NAPIT for electrical work, MCS for solar, heat pumps and other small-scale renewables, and TrustMark or the Property Care Association where they apply. MCS certification is also what lets a heat pump qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.
How it is checked: Publicly verifiable. Each body keeps a free public register you can search by name or postcode.
Public liability insurance
Any trade working on your property should hold valid public liability insurance for the job.
How it is checked: Self-declared by the firm. Always ask to see a current certificate before work starts.
A real, contactable business
Look for a named business with working contact details, so you are dealing with a traceable company rather than an anonymous lead.
How it is checked: Partly verifiable. Company details can be checked on Companies House where the trade is a registered company.
Not sold to a list of cold callers
When you enquire, we read it and reply by email. We do not currently pass it to a trade, and your details are never sold on to a list.
How it is checked: This is our own policy, applied by us.
Check a trade yourself
Accreditation is free to verify and is the single most reliable check. Search the relevant official register by the trade's name or your postcode before any work starts:
- Gas Safe Register (gas engineers)
- NICEIC (electricians)
- NAPIT (electricians)
- MCS (solar, heat pumps, renewables)
- TrustMark (government-endorsed quality scheme)
- Property Care Association (damp, timber, waterproofing)
Then ask the trade for a current public liability insurance certificate and recent references or examples of similar work, and get the quote and scope in writing. Accreditation confirms a trade is registered and able to do the work; it does not on its own guarantee workmanship or that insurance is current, which is why these direct checks matter.
What happens after you enquire
- You tell us the work your property needs.
- We read your enquiry and reply by email. We do not currently pass it to a trade.
- You take it from there: search the official register yourself, get your own quotes, and check accreditation before you agree to anything. There is no obligation.
Sanity-check your quote: indicative UK costs
Knowing the typical cost of a job helps you spot a quote that is far too high or suspiciously low. These are indicative UK figures from named sources; your own quote will vary with your property, location and specification.
- Air source heat pump: typically around 11,000 pounds installed before any grant, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
- Solar panels: a typical 3.5 kWp home system costs around 7,000 pounds, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant: 7,500 pounds towards an air source or ground source heat pump on the gas grid, rising to 9,000 pounds for an off-gas property replacing an oil or LPG system, 2,500 pounds for air-to-air, and 5,000 pounds towards a biomass boiler (off-gas properties only), per gov.uk.
For most other jobs, costs depend heavily on the property, so we suggest getting a written quote rather than relying on a single headline price.
Verified homeowner reviews
We are setting up independent, verified reviews so homeowners can see real feedback on VettedHome. We will only publish reviews we can verify, and we will show the genuine rating and number of reviews, never an inflated figure. This space is intentionally blank until that is live.
Common questions
What does "VettedHome" actually mean?
It's our name, not a claim that every trade has already been checked by us. What we do check and keep current is the information we publish: grant figures, costs and rules, each sourced. For a trade's accreditation, insurance and references, we tell you exactly which free official register to check and what it does and doesn't prove, so you can verify it yourself before work starts.
Do you check every individual tradesperson yourself?
No. We don't run our own audit of every firm. The single most reliable check, accreditation, is one you can confirm for free on the relevant official register, and we point you straight to it.
Is checking a Gas Safe or MCS number really vetting?
Accreditation is the baseline, not the whole picture. It confirms a trade is registered and legally able to do the work, but it does not by itself guarantee workmanship or that insurance is current. That is why we also ask you to confirm insurance and references directly.
Does my enquiry get shared with a trade?
Not currently. We read it and reply by email; we do not pass your enquiry to a trade. Your details are never sold on to a list, and sending an enquiry commits you to nothing.
VettedHome is an independent UK home information site, operated by Best Business Loans Ltd (company number 16833937). We are not a lender or installer. Our editorial standards and sourcing are overseen by our editor, Adam Parker. Last updated: .