Some regions in England and Wales are more cowboy than craftsman. In 2025, over 14% of home improvement complaints were flagged as potential scams, up from 8% in 2022. While the total number of complaints fell, the rise in suspected rogue traders shows that homeowners still need to keep their wits about them. 

Home improvement projects often rely on trust, especially when work involves roofing, doors, flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, or structural repairs. Even a smaller upgrade can become difficult if the quote, measurements, materials, costs, and installation details are not agreed upon at the start.

To find out where homeowners are running into the most problems, we analysed Citizens Advice Consumer Service data on home maintenance and improvement complaints. We also reviewed exclusive FOI data on the cost of putting issues right.

From this, we’ve revealed where complaint rates are highest, which scams account for the largest share of cases, and which types of work are most likely to lead to disputes.

At a glance: cowboy builder hotspots

  • Suspected scam rates have climbed over the last few years

    Potential scams made up 14% of home improvement complaints in 2025, up from 8% in 2022, and 2026 is following a similar trend.

  • Complaints are down, but the risk has not disappeared.

    Total cases fell by 24% between 2022 and 2025, from 50,346 to 38,356.

  • Repairing cowboy home improvement jobs may have cost households up to £189.2 million since 2022.

  • Wales has the highest complaint rate of any region.

    It recorded 335 complaints per 100,000 people, ahead of the South West and North West.

  • The North West is also a cowboy complaint hotspot.

    Fylde, Blackpool, Rossendale, South Ribble, and Wyre make up the top five local authorities with the most complaints per 100,000 people.

  • Roofing and poor workmanship drive the most complaints.

    Roofing-related work accounts for 20% of complaints, while substandard services make up 64% of all cases.

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Suspected scam rates are climbing in home improvement complaints

Year

All cases

Estimated potential scam cases

Potential scam rate

2022

50,346

4,024

8%

2023

42,243

3,851

9%

2024

41,974

5,666

14%

2025

38,356

5,177

14%

2026*

6,427

831

13%

*Year-to-date, using January & February data available at the time of analysis

Graph showing the increase in scams from 8% in 2022 to 14% in 2025, with a stone wall background.

In 2022, there were 50,346 recorded cases by Citizens Advice Consumer Service. Of these, an estimated 4,024 were flagged as potential scams, giving the year a potential scam rate of 8%.

By 2025, the number of recorded cases had fallen, but the proportion flagged as potential scams was much higher: now 14%.

The biggest jump came between 2023 and 2024, when the potential scam rate rose from 9% to 14%. 

Early 2026 data suggests that suspected scams remain elevated. In January and February, 6,427 home improvement cases were recorded, with an estimated 831 flagged as scams. This means the year-to-date rate is 13%.

Monthly data also shows when suspected cowboy builders were most active:

1. March 2025: 539 estimated potential scam cases

2. April 2024: 536 estimated potential scam cases

3. November 2023: 459 estimated potential scam cases

Before you book: the details that protect your project

  • David Turner, Head of Product at Leader Online, says:

    “These figures do not mean every complaint flagged as a potential scam was confirmed as fraud, but they do show why it is important to check the details before a project starts."

  • “A good tradesperson should be clear about what is included in the quote, which materials will be used, how long the work should take, and when payments are due.

    If those details feel vague, rushed, or keep changing, it is sensible to pause before handing over money."

  • “For bigger home projects, especially work involving flooring, doors, kitchens, bathrooms, or structural changes, homeowners should get the quote, product specifications, timeline, and payment terms in writing so there is a clear record if anything goes wrong. Homeowners should also make sure the exact product and finish are named in writing. For example, marble laminate flooring or oak LVT, rather than a vague note that simply says ‘new flooring’.”

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Homeowners could have spent over £189 million fixing cowboy builder mistakes

For many homeowners, the cost of a problem job doesn’t end with the original invoice. It can mean finding more money to repair poor work, replacing unsuitable materials, or paying another tradesperson to finish the job.

An FOI to Citizens Advice from Leader Online covering 1 January 2022 to 4 June 2026 shows that 2025 was the most expensive year for reported detriment costs - the cost to fix or finish the work. Homeowners recorded £2.33 million in extra spending to put issues right in 2025 alone. That was more than double the total recorded in 2024 (£949,827). 

Across the 4.5-year period, reported detriment costs totalled £7.34 million. However, only 0.8% of complainants provided a detriment cost. Applying the median reported detriment cost (£1,000) across all 189,224 complaints would suggest the true bill could be as high as £189.2 million. While only an estimate, recorded detriment costs may only capture a small proportion of the real figure.

The costs were spread across almost every type of work, with many more than doubling between 2024 and 2025. These include major renovations (including lofts, conversions, and extensions), as well as roofing, roof sealing, and chimney repairs.

Home improvement complaints have fallen by almost a quarter since 2022

Year

Home maintenance & improvements complaints

Year-on-year change

2022

50,346

-

2023

42,243

-16%

2024

41,974

-1%

2025

38,356

-9%

2026*

6,427

-0.2%

*Year-to-date, using January & February data available at the time of analysis

Although potential scams are on the rise, the total number of home maintenance and improvement complaints has fallen each year since 2022, dropping from 50,346 cases to 38,356 in 2025.

Early 2026 data points in the same direction, though it should only be treated as a narrow indicator:

  • January to February 2025: 6,290 complaints
  • January to February 2026: 6,278 complaints
  • Year-on-year change: down 0.2%

The largest annual drop came between 2022 and 2023, when cases decreased by 16%.

Monthly data shows the highest volume was recorded in November 2022, when 5,023 complaints were filed. Since then, monthly complaint volumes have generally been lower, with no month in 2025 exceeding 3,571.

However, falling complaint volumes do not mean homeowners can relax. Even with fewer overall cases, a larger proportion of projects are now flagged as potential scams. This means careful checking of quotes, timelines, and materials remains important.

Why fewer complaints do not mean the risk has disappeared

  • David explains:

    “A fall in recorded complaints is encouraging, but it does not automatically mean homeowners are facing fewer risks. The drop in complaints may partly reflect the type of work homeowners are having done. Research shows that planning approvals dropped to 149,747 in England, marking a 15-year low, and separate ONS data shows repair and maintenance work grew by 3.4% in Q1 2026, while new work fell by 1.9%."

  • “If more households are focusing on essential repairs and maintenance rather than starting larger new projects, the complaint picture may naturally look different."

  • “But smaller or more necessary jobs can still carry risk. A repair, replacement door, flooring update, or urgent maintenance job may involve a lower overall budget than a major renovation, but homeowners still need to agree on the scope of work, the materials being used, the payment terms, and who is responsible if the job is delayed or completed poorly.”

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Fylde tops England and Wales’ home improvement complaint hotspots

Wales has the highest rate of home maintenance and improvement complaints of any region, with 335 complaints per 100,000 people between 2022 and 2026.

It’s followed by the South West, with 310.1 complaints per 100,000 people, and the North West, with 309.8.

Map of England and Wales showing home improvement complaint hotspots with Fylde at the top.

Other regional data shows:

  • The North West ranks third regionally, even though five of its local authorities are the most affected across England and Wales.

  • London has the lowest complaint rate, with 206 complaints per 100,000 people, despite recording 18,753 complaints overall.

  • The average is 288 complaints per 100,000 people, meaning that places like Wales, the South West, the North West, and the East Midlands all sit well above average.

Complaint hotspots

When the data is narrowed to local authorities, the North West takes over the top of the ranking:

Rank

Local authority

Region

Home maintenance & improvements complaints

Complaints per 100,000 people

1

Fylde

North West

374

437.7

2

Blackpool

North West

630

436.9

3

Rossendale

North West

314

429.9

4

South Ribble

North West

477

410.8

5

Wyre

North West

487

410.1

6

Oadby and Wigston

East Midlands

252

408.5

7

Stockport

North West

1241

408.3

8

Broxtowe

East Midlands

467

407.6

9

Flintshire

Wales

621

398.4

10

Conwy

Wales

456

396.9

The top five complaint hotspots are all in the region, with South Ribble and Wyre also appearing near the top.

Wales’ position as the highest-ranking region is seen further down the local authority list, with Flintshire and Conwy both appearing in the top 10. Flintshire recorded 398 complaints per 100,000 people, while Conwy recorded 397.

The Isles of Scilly recorded the fewest actual complaints, with just two since 2022, although this should be read in the context of its much smaller population.

Suspected scams tell a different story from the complaint volumes

When looking at suspected scam data, the picture changes slightly. While Wales had the highest overall complaint rate, it sits near the lower end for potential scams, with 10% of complaints flagged.

The regional findings show:

The East of England has the highest rate: 12% of complaints were flagged as potential scams, equal to 2,046 cases.

The South West ranked highly on both measures: it placed second for overall complaint rates and third for suspected scam rates, at 11.5%.

The North East had the lowest suspected scam rate: 9% of complaints were flagged, with 729 potential scam complaints recorded.

Potential scam complaints

When the data is narrowed to local authorities, the North West takes over the top of the ranking:

Rank

Local authority

Region

Home maintenance & improvements complaints

Potential scam complaints

Potential scam complaints as % of all complaints

1

Forest of Dean

South West

295

53

17.97%

2

Test Valley

South East

380

67

17.63%

3

Brentwood

East of England

236

40

16.95%

4

Ipswich

East of England

394

63

15.99%

5

Ashford

South East

299

47

15.72%

6

Babergh

East of England

307

48

15.64%

7

Mole Valley

South East

285

44

15.42%

8

Stevenage

East of England

240

37

15.44%

9

West Devon

South West

212

32

15.09%

10

Warwick

West Midlands

532

80

15.04%

Map of England showing areas with high potential scam complaints as a percentage of all complaints.

Suspected scams are much more spread out than general complaint hotspots. Instead of one region taking the whole top five, the highest rates are split across the South West, South East, and East of England.

Forest of Dean has the highest local suspected rate, with 18% of its home maintenance and improvement complaints flagged as potential scams. Test Valley follows at 17.6%, while Brentwood ranks third at 16.9%.

The East of England is especially visible once the data is broken down locally. Six areas in the region appear in the highest-ranking 10: Brentwood, Ipswich, Babergh, Stevenage, Bedford, and Peterborough. This helps explain why the East of England records the highest regional suspected scam rate.

Roofing accounts for one in five home improvement complaints

Roofing, roof sealing, and chimney repairs are the biggest sources of home maintenance and improvement complaints, accounting for 36,267 cases year-to-date between 2022 and 2026.

That means roofing-related work makes up 20.2% of all complaints, or roughly one in five cases.

The next two categories are almost level:

  • Major renovations, including lofts, conversions, and extensions: 21,744 complaints, equal to 12.1%
  • Window frames and doors, excluding electric garage doors: 21,616 complaints, also equal to 12.1%

Together, the top three categories account for 44.4% of all home maintenance and improvement complaints, showing that issues are especially common across large, structural, external, and access-related work.

Rank

Job type

Complaints

Share of total

1

Roofing, roof sealing, and chimney repairs

36,267

20.2%

2

Major renovations, including lofts, conversions, and extensions

21,744

12.1%

3

Window frames and doors, excluding electric garage doors

21,616

12.1%

4

Fitted kitchens

13,836

7.7%

5

Other general building work

13,310

7.4%

6

Plumbers and plumbing

12,786

7.1%

7

Paving, driveways, patios, and decking

12,037

6.7%

8

Fitted bathrooms

10,791

6.0%

9

Insulation

7,930

4.4%

10

Electrical services and installations

7,067

3.9%


The data also points to several high-cost, high-disruption projects where problems can quickly become stressful for homeowners. Fitted kitchens ranked fourth, with 13,836 complaints, while fitted bathrooms ranked eighth, with 10,791 complaints.

These are the kinds of projects where details matter early. Work involving new doors, kitchen fittings, bathroom finishes, tiles, worktops, flooring, or larger renovation plans often includes several moving parts, including product specifications, measurements, delivery timings, and installation work.

Year-on-year data adds another layer. Damp proofing saw the largest annual fall in complaints in 2025, down 30% compared with 2024, although this was from a relatively small base. ‘Other’ general building work saw the largest rise, up 33% in 2025, which may partly reflect how broader or harder-to-classify complaints are logged.

Poor workmanship drives almost two-thirds of complaints

Poor workmanship is the clearest driver of home maintenance and improvement complaints, with substandard services accounting for 114,442 cases across the analysis period.

That means 63.8% of all complaints were linked to service quality, far ahead of any other complaint type.

Quality concerns also appear. Defective goods ranked second, with 26,473 complaints, equal to 14.8% of the total. These two categories show how often complaints relate to either the standard of work completed or the quality of the materials, products, or fittings involved.

The main complaint types were:

  • Substandard services: 114,442 complaints, equal to 63.8%
  • Defective goods: 26,473 complaints, equal to 14.8%
  • Prices and charges: 6,777 complaints, equal to 3.8%
  • Business practices: 5,690 complaints, equal to 3.2%
  • Selling practices: 4,657 complaints, equal to 2.6%

Because ‘substandard services’ account for such a large share of complaints, let’s have a look at this category in more detail.


Rank

Substandard services complaint type

Home maintenance & improvements complaints

Share of total

1

Substandard services

88,787

77.6%

2

Failure/delay in providing service

13,171

11.5%

3

Customer service

5,120

4.5%

4

Safety substandard services

4,003

3.5%

5

Damage to customer belongings/property

1,823

1.6%

Most complaints in this group were logged under the same broad ‘substandard services’ label. Failure or delay in providing a service accounted for 13,171 complaints, equal to 11.5% of substandard service cases.

This means more than one in 10 complaints within the substandard services category related to work being delayed or not provided at all. This can be one of the most difficult issues to manage, especially when a room or home is unusable, materials have already been ordered, or other trades are waiting for one stage of the job to finish.

There were also 4,003 safety-related substandard service complaints and 1,823 complaints linked to damage to belongings or property, showing that poor work can affect more than just the project's completion date.

How to protect yourself from home improvement scams

Even the best-planned renovation could go wrong. The trick is not just spotting warning signs but knowing what to check before you agree to work and where to turn if something does not go to plan.

Practical guidance for every homeowner from David

"Not every disappointing job is a scam, but the data shows that poor workmanship and defective products account for the majority of complaints. Follow the below to protect yourself and raise disputes."

These steps help you avoid misunderstandings and give you something concrete to point back to if things go wrong.

To protect yourself:

  • Details

    Get clear, detailed quotes that list the work, materials, timings, and payment stages.

  • Record

    For any specific product, make sure you record the exact style, size, finish, and quantity agreed – especially where a specific product, such as an internal oak door or an internal glazed door, has been chosen for a particular room.

  • Ask

    Ask to see recent examples of similar jobs the tradesperson has completed.

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If you’re unhappy with the work:

  • Raise the issue

    Raise the issue straightaway with the tradesperson and explain what you want them to fix.

  • Keep evidence

    Take photographs, save messages and emails, and keep receipts, contracts, and timelines.

  • Use written complaints

    Citizens Advice provides template letters for poor-quality work that you can send to a trader to demand a remedy.

  • Seek external help if needed

    You do not have to solve it alone.

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Official routes to report scams or unfair trading

  • Report Fraud

    This is the UK’s main fraud reporting centre. Homeowners can report suspected fraud using their online reporting hub or by calling 0300 123 2040.

  • Tell your bank or payment provider

    If a trader has taken money unfairly or you suspect unauthorised payment requests, contact your bank immediately so they can investigate and protect your account.

  • Report via Citizens Advice

    You can report a suspected scam or rogue trader behaviour through the Citizens Advice Consumer Service by phone or online. They can pass details to Trading Standards, which investigates unfair or unsafe trading practices.

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Methodology

Leader Online is a UK home improvement retailer specialising in doors, flooring, wall panelling, tiles, and other products for renovation and DIY projects. We help homeowners plan practical upgrades with clearer product information, reliable materials, and guidance for getting the details right before work begins.

As part of ongoing work to support homeowners through better-planned home improvement projects, we ran this study to understand where complaints about home maintenance and improvement work are most common, how suspected scam rates have changed, and which job types are most likely to lead to disputes.

To do this, we analysed Citizens Advice Consumer Service data to identify trends in home maintenance and improvement complaints across England and Wales. The dashboard was filtered to complaints relating to home maintenance and improvements, under the House Fittings and Appliances goods/service category. The analysis covers complaints recorded between January 2022 and February 2026.

1. Annual trends

We recorded the total number of home maintenance and improvement complaints by month and year. 

2. Job types

To identify the jobs most commonly associated with complaints, we analysed the dashboard’s Goods/Service breakdown.

3. Complaint types

To identify the most common reasons for complaints, we analysed the dashboard’s Complaint Type breakdown.

4. Local authorities

For the local hotspot analysis, we used the dashboard’s Map by Local Authority data, which shows the number of cases by local authority where known. We then calculated complaint rates per 100,000 people using ONS population estimates for 2024.

5. Potential scams

For the potential scam analysis, we used the dashboard’s Scams Summary data. Monthly potential scam percentages were converted into estimated potential scam complaint counts by multiplying the total number of monthly complaints by the percentage flagged as potential scams. 

Annual potential scam rates were then calculated using a weighted average, based on complaint volume. 

For local scam rankings, we compared the number of complaints flagged as potential scams with the total number of home maintenance and improvement complaints in each local authority. 

Note: Authorities with fewer than 100 total complaints were excluded to avoid overinterpreting percentages based on very small sample sizes.

6. Financial detriment

To assess the financial impact of home maintenance and improvement complaints, we submitted a Freedom of Information request to Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice provided data held by the Citizens Advice Consumer Service relating to Payment Value, Payment Currency, and Detriment Value for cases recorded under the Goods/Service Sub-Header: (AB) Home maintenance and improvements. 

The FOI data covers 1 January 2022 to 4 June 2026, and includes 189,224 cases under this sub-header. 

Citizens Advice confirmed that Detriment Value was recorded in 1,483 cases.

Citizens Advice provided Detriment Value broken down by year, goods/service type, complaint type, and Trader Trading Standards Office. 

The figures shown are based only on cases where a Detriment Value was recorded. Some Detriment Value cases did not have a recorded payment currency. 

Citizens Advice stated that it had assumed these cases were made in GBP after reviewing trader regions, purchase method, and other case details, so we have also assumed that cases with no recorded currency were GBP.

Caveats

All complaint figures are based on reports made to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. They should not be interpreted as verified offences, upheld complaints, or confirmed cases of fraud. 

The term “potential scams” refers to cases flagged as potential scams in the Citizens Advice data, not necessarily confirmed criminal activity. Local authority data is based only on cases where the local authority was recorded in the dashboard. Areas with blank or unavailable local authority data were excluded from the local authority rankings.

Citizens Advice confirmed in its FOI response that complaints made to the Consumer Service are not verified. The figures reflect what clients told advisers, so Citizens Advice could provide advice or make an appropriate referral to Trading Standards. 

Detriment Value is not a mandatory field for Citizens Advice advisers to capture. As a result, financial detriment figures should be treated as recorded detriment, where available, rather than the total cost of all home maintenance and improvement complaints. 

Detriment Value was recorded in 1,483 cases out of 189,224 total home maintenance and improvement cases in the FOI data. Therefore, financial loss figures show recorded consumer detriment, rather than the total national cost of cowboy builders. The FOI detriment data covers 1 January 2022 to 4 June 2026, while the Tableau dashboard analysis covers January 2022 to 13 March 2026.