In this FAQ section, you'll find answers to common questions you might have as a MyBuilder.com job poster. We keep these Frequently Asked Questions up to date, so you should find it a useful resource.
Click on a topic on the left to show all questions. Then click on a relevant question to see the answer. If you can't find the answer to your question, you can contact us through the website and we'll get back to as soon as possible.
Click here or visit Post a Job at the top of any page on the site. Describe your project in as much detail as possible. The better your description, the more interest you're likely to generate from tradespeople.
You can also upload images such as photographs, plans or ideas to help tradespeople better understand your requirements. Try to include the following information:
Please don't put any contact details or sensitive information in your job title or description as anyone using the site can view this section.
We manually approve all jobs before they are posted to the site. Once your job has been approved you will be notified by email, and tradespeople who are interested will start sending you messages and quotes through the site.
While waiting for your job to be approved, you can search for tradespeople and invite them to quote on your job. Once your job is live, MyBuilder will automatically send an email to those tradespeople asking them to look at your job.
Don't forget you can easily edit your job description at any time and add pictures.
Job descriptions that don't contain enough information tend to get little interest from tradesmen.
If we've asked you to provide more information about your job, simply go to your MyBuilder account and edit the job description. There, you'll find a few helpful suggestions about what sort of information tradesmen might like to know.
We also recommend that you add images to your job. Images can help generate more interest and, in some cases, tradesmen may be able to provide an estimate or quote online without the need for an initial site visit.
Once re-submitted, we'll review your job again and all being well, get it live on the site.
The first step is to use our Request Quote feature which can be found on every tradesperson's profile. We will send the tradesperson an email and they should then get in touch with you. After that you can communicate securely and privately through our built-in messaging facility.
Please note that invited tradesmen are automatically shortlisted and your contact details shared.
If you no longer need a tradesmen, you can end your job listing. If you haven't shortlisted any tradesmen, your job will be marked as 'cancelled'. You will be able to re-open your job anytime.
If you have shortlisted tradesmen and contact details have been exchanged, you are not able to cancel your job. You retain the ability to message and hire your shortlisted tradesmen. You can also still decline or shortlist other interested tradesmen.
If you've found a tradesman for your job it's important that you indicate whom you've hired by clicking the Hire button on the tradesman's profile. Hiring through MyBuilder allows you to leave feedback.
Yes. When you post your first job we'll ask you for a postcode which we'll use as your default address. If you need a tradesman for a different property, simply submit the postcode for that property on the post a job form. We will then alert tradesmen closest to the postcode of your job.
Shortlisting allows you to choose and exchange phone numbers with tradesmen who expressed interest in your job.
You must shortlist tradesmen before you can send messages, hire or leave feedback.
If you don't want to shortlist any of the tradesmen who express interest in your job, we recommend that you search our directory and invite other tradesmen to your job. Out of courtesy you should decline tradesmen you're not interested in. When you decline tradesmen, we send a polite message to inform them.
We’ll send the tradesman a text message and an email alert with your phone number.
You’re not able to remove or replace shortlisted tradesmen. If you’re unhappy with any of the tradesmen you’ve shortlisted and you've shortlisted the maximum of 5 tradesmen, you can always re-list your job.
Absolutely not! We’ll only pass your number on to the tradesmen you’ve shortlisted for your job.
No - MyBuilder does not display any of your contact details on public parts of the site.
A maximum of 5 tradesmen can be shortlisted for each job.
You might think that finding the best tradesperson for your project will be a challenging process. Which quote should I choose? How can I be sure they'll do a good job? Our article entitled Advice on hiring a builder will help you make the right hiring decision and ensure the project is completed to your satisfaction.
Adding a tradesman to your shortlist will send them your telephone number.
Simply log in to your account, select the correct tradesperson from your list and click the green
We will politely inform other interested tradesmen that someone else has been hired.
Of course not. Who you hire is totally up to you. We are here to help, and we want to help you find the best tradesperson for your job. If you decide to cancel your job or hire a tradesperson through another source, you can simply remove your listing from the site.
This is something that we do from our end. Simply contact us and we will change it for you.
Certain tradesmen may offer a small discount against your final invoice in order to avoid paying the Success Fee to MyBuilder. While this might sound like a good idea at the time, remember that you are unable to leave feedback for the tradesman once the job has been completed. If your job or project goes wrong for any reason, you have lost the ability to hold the tradesman accountable for the work they have carried out and to tell other members of the Community about your experience.
You should report anyone asking you to work outside MyBuilder by clicking the Report this tradesman link located in the top right-hand corner of any tradesman's profile.
Yes - if your listing has ended and you have shortlisted one or more tradesmen, you can still interact with and hire tradesmen who have expressed interest in your job.
If you need more quotes, you can also search for tradesmen and invite them to quote.
The final agreed price is not made public. This information is only visible to us, yourself and the tradesman.
Feedback is at the heart of the MyBuilder community. Quite simply, feedback is an evaluation of work carried out. Job posters can read previous feedback comments on each tradesperson's profile, before they hire. More importantly, Job posters can add to a tradesperson's reputation and bring accountability to their project by posting feedback when the job is done.
Feedback has two important elements: the past and the future. Before you decide which tradesperson to hire, you can look at past feedback to check them out. After you hire someone and the work is finished, you add to that feedback. This system rewards excellent service and punishes bad work. Your feedback closes the loop and give the next customer valuable information about that tradesperson.
A tradesperson hired through MyBuilder has a strong incentive to do their absolute best because they are held accountable for any work done for you. Hiring someone through MyBuilder is safer for this reason. Do not use anyone who suggests that you bypass the site. An honest tradesperson who intends to do good work will want your feedback.
MyBuilder feedback is transactional, which means that only people who have actually hired that person can leave feedback on their profile. We work very hard to ensure that all feedback is genuine, which helps everyone using MyBuilder.
Great! Simply log in to your account and find the tradesperson that you used in your list. You won't be able to post feedback until you have hired a tradesperson through the site, so if you haven't done so already, click the Hire button on their profile and submit the agreed details.
Once you have hired a tradesperson, you will then be able to post feedback by clicking the Leave Feedback button. Feedback should only be left after the job is finished.
We're sorry if you've been let down. We request that all tradesmen contact customers in advance if they are unable to meet an appointment. Report anyone who fails to turn up by clicking the Report this tradesman link in the top right hand corner of any tradesman's profile. We will take appropriate action if we believe that a tradesman has not acted in the best interests of our community.
We suggest that you focus on other tradesmen in your list and make alternative arrangements.
We require new tradesman to provide details of two previous clients before we allow them to use the site. Each reference is verified by MyBuilder in a number of ways before comments are posted to the tradesman's profile. Tradesman can add a maximum of four references to their profile.
Job feedback is an evaluation of work carried out for a job that was listed on MyBuilder. Job feedback can only be left once a tradesman has been hired through the site and a transaction has taken place. All feedback comments undergo stringent technical and manual checks.
Feedback is hugely important to our Community. It is a valuable indicator of a tradesman's reputation on MyBuilder - most homeowners depend on it when deciding who to hire.
We obsessively check all feedback
Genuine feedback gives our Community the knowledge to hire tradesmen with confidence - those who try to play the system are permanently removed from MyBuilder.
No. Once feedback has been posted to the site, it cannot be edited or removed. This is to prevent fraudulent changes, to prevent feedback blackmail and to avoid any possible confusion and loss of confidence from other users who would see feedback comments change unexpectedly.
In the first instance we recommend that you discuss any problems with the tradesperson directly and try to work out a solution that suits both parties. Most tradespeople want customers to be happy with their work and will be keen to resolve any issues amicably and to their customer's satisfaction.
If you are unable to reach an agreement and still feel that work hasn't been completed to your satisfaction, we recommend that you leave feedback. The ability to leave a comment on the tradesperson's profile creates a level of accountability that wouldn't otherwise exist.
Please note that tradespeople have the right to reply to any neutral or negative feedback posted to the site. Responses to neutral or negative feedback are posted directly beneath the original feedback and cannot be edited or removed once posted.
Additional resources
Read our help and advice article about dealing with disputes
Ask your local Trading Standards office for help and advice.
Visit Citizens Advice, a telephone and online consumer advice service supported by the Office of Fair Trading. Citizens Advice provide practical and impartial advice to help consumers resolve problems and disagreements they may be having with suppliers of goods or services.
Unfortunately MyBuilder cannot get involved directly with disputes.
We take our feedback system very seriously and strive to ensure that every piece of feedback on our site is:
All feedback comments undergo stringent technical and manual checks. If feedback does not pass our checks to a standard that we can be confident about its authenticity, we remove it from the site.
All feedback undergoes manually and technical checks before we allow it to be published to the site. We have to be certain that each piece of feedback is genuine.
No, it's completely free for job posters. MyBuilder works by charging the tradesperson a small fee when they are shortlisted for a job.
Tradesmen are not permitted to pass on our fees directly to job posters. Report anyone who adds our fee to your quote by clicking the Report this tradesman link in the top right hand corner of any tradesman's profile.
MyBuilder is an online marketplace that brings together consumers, builders and tradespeople. We are not an agency and we don't personally endorse tradespeople who use MyBuilder. The accountability that we offer is our feedback system. Feedback is a major determining factor for tradespeople getting work through MyBuilder, and they take it very seriously.
A tradesperson with valid qualifications, accreditations and memberships will have evidence of this and should be able to provide you with proof. Please note that you will need to verify any information provided by a tradesperson prior to hiring.
Since December 2010, new tradesmen are subject to reference and insurance checks as part of their application to join MyBuilder. More importantly, tradesmen build their reputations on MyBuilder with reviews from genuine clients. You see what a tradesman is really like, warts and all.
Do bear in mind that, whereas formal qualifications can play a part in the hiring decision, other important factors such as MyBuilder feedback, client references, workmanship guarantees and years of experience should also be taken in to consideration when making your final decision.
Tradesmen can be permanently restricted for a number of reasons: from administrative reasons to customer complaints.
If you have any concerns about a tradesman whose account has been restricted, feel free to contact them directly and ask for more information.
If you are unable to contact the tradesman, we would suggest focusing on others in your list. Please note that you can completely remove tradesmen from your list if you wish by clicking the "Remove" button next to his username in your list.
Ask a Tradesman is a tool we created to make it possible for users to get great advice directly from expert tradesmen. Once you've posted a question to the site, you'll receive quality answers straight to your inbox.
MyBuilder does not divulge any of your contact details on the site. All your information is completely safe.
We remove any contact details that are included in questions. We take your privacy very seriously, and want you to have a safe experience on our site. The last thing we want is for you to post your details on public view and receive unsolicited calls or spam email.
Not at all - you're free to use the facility without posting a job to the site.
You'll need to post your job to the website and use our Request Quote feature which can be found on every tradesperson's profile. We'll send the tradesperson an email and they should then get in touch with you. Once a tradesman accepts your invitation, you can communicate securely and privately through our built-in messaging facility.
To edit your question - navigate to the My Jobs tab at the top of the page. Then select the My Questions link from the left hand side. Choose the question you'd like to edit and click the Edit additional info button. When you're happy with the edit, hit the Submit button.
To delete your question completely please contact us.
Yes - we manually approve all questions and answers to ensure they're relevant and in keeping with our policies.
We may decline questions for the following reasons:
Public liability insurance covers any damage or accidental injury to a third party or their property caused by a tradesman or their employees or their business. It also covers any related costs and expenses such as legal fees, as well as hospital treatment costs (including ambulance charges) that the NHS may claim from the tradesman.
Public liability insurance will cover a tradesman's employees from claims made by members of the public against a tradesman, their employees or their business.
Public liability insurance does not cover claims from the tradesman's employees or sub contractors for damage or injury; You will need to ensure that the tradesman has employer's liability insurance.
A business that isn't covered by public liability insurance may be exposed to serious financial risk if it was found to be liable to pay for damages or compensation from its own pocket.
Employers' liability insurance is protection from claims from a tradesman's employees or former employees for injury during their time working for the tradesman. Employer's liability insurance is required by law under the Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance Act by any UK business that employs staff or uses labour only sub contractors.
The tradesman has submitted their liability insurance documents to MyBuilder and confirmed that the information is accurate and up to date.
MyBuilder is not able to provide any guarantees that the tradesman's insurance policy is valid or live. Appropriate checks should be carried out by members to verify that a tradesman's insurance policy wording and indemnity limits are appropriate for the type of work the tradesman or company states they can carry out.
In order to get the most from MyBuilder, it's important that you're able to receive our email updates. Unfortunately, some email providers occasionally block our messages.
If you're not receiving our messages, your email provider may be blocking our mail. To help fix this problem, you should add do-not-reply@mybuilder and info@mybuilder.com to your safe senders list.
If you're not sure how to do this, please check your email provider's help and advice section. This will only take a few minutes and helps us to deliver a better service to our community.
Official Hotmail, MSN, Live Support or watch a quick video
Official Yahoo, BT Internet support or watch a quick video
Official Google/Gmail, Virgin Media support or watch a quick video
Official AOL support or watch a quick video
You can easilyreset your password by email or SMS. We will automatically send you a message containing instructions about how to reset your password.
We support our Community primarily via email and the help section of our site. We currently don't offer full telephone support. If you need to talk us however, please send us a message including the following information:
We will endeavour to call at your preferred time, otherwise we will respond to your enquiry as soon as possible.
MyBuilder only accepts images in JPEG format. Adobe Acrobat Professional will allow you to save PDF files directly to JPEG format. Alternatively, there are a number of applications available from the web that will convert PDF files to JPEG.
MyBuilder is a community site that promotes mutual respect and friendly conduct amongst all users. We work hard to ensure that all content posted to the site is appropriate and in keeping with our policies.
If you happen to be subjected to or encounter such conduct or content, please click the Report this tradesman link in the top right hand corner of any tradesman's profile. We will do our best to investigate reports of this nature and take appropriate action as necessary.
Absolutely. We're very happy that you've had a good experience using MyBuilder. Send us a message with your comments and we'll post them on the site. Please let us know if you're happy for us to publish your name and/or company details along with the testimonial.
Alternatively, if you'd like to tell us about your experience over the phone, include your number and the best time to call and let us contact you.
Certainly. We're constantly updating the site and always looking for new ways to improve our service. Send us a message with your suggestions. If you'd like to talk to us over the phone, include your number and the best time to call and let us contact you.
We take your privacy very seriously, and want you to have a safe experience on our site. The last thing we want is for you to post your details on public view and receive unsolicited calls or spam email.
Yes, your information is completely safe. MyBuilder does not divulge any of your contact details on the site. All communication takes place securely via the built-in messaging feature located in My Jobs, which allows you to choose who you respond to, and who you want to work with.
Unlike other websites that work on a 'lead generation' model, we do not sell your personal information to third parties, so you won't receive any unsolicited emails or phone calls.
