Housebuilding costs increased by nearly 20% in last quarter - says Checkatrade

The average cost of a kitchen fitting has gone up by 12% on the previous quarter, while insulation installation costs are up 20%, plastering jobs are up 16% and gardening jobs have increased by 10%

The cost of household building work has surged by almost a fifth (19%) over the past quarter, with the average job now costing £12,634, up from £10,626 in the previous quarter.

This increase is attributed to rising labour and material costs, according to Checkatrade's UK Home Improvement Index. Despite this, consumer demand remains strong, with a 1% increase in building jobs between quarters one and three.

The data, based on over 10.5 million jobs carried out by UK tradespeople, also reveals significant price hikes for specific tasks, including kitchen fittings (up 12% to £7,376), insulation installation (up 20% to £4,634), plastering (up 16% to £2,343), and gardening jobs (up 10% to £679).

Additionally, the average cost of a "handyman" job has increased by 25% to £563. In response to these findings, Checkatrade has welcomed new guidelines from the Competition and Markets Authority aimed at enhancing consumer protection by improving vetting processes on "trusted trader" websites.

The report also identifies roofers as the least trustworthy trade, with 16% of applicants being declined membership, followed closely by driveway and patio workers at 15%. Chimney sweeps are the highest-rated on the platform, with an almost perfect average score of 9.99.

Checkatrade's CEO, Jambu Palaniappan, stated: "Prices have risen 6% across all jobs, but this quarter’s stand-out finding is the dramatic increase in the average cost of building work, which has seen a 19% surge in average prices."

He added: "This is significant and reflects the ongoing increases in the cost of labour and materials."

He also highlighted the issue of rogue tradespeople, saying: "We also continue to see the issue of rogue tradespeople plaguing the industry, with roofing called out as a particular problem area. Our vetting saw us block applications from 16% of the roofers who attempted to join our platform in Q3, and we have proactively reviewed our own approach to this challenging sector."

He concluded by saying: "All roofers on Checkatrade are being re-vetted and we require them to provide proof of at least six months’ incorporation and trading history, adding a new layer of reassurance for consumers."