Crime rates in Tasmania are not as high as in other parts of Australia, but that doesn’t mean local citizens should throw away caution when hiring tradesmen. Whenever you need to hire someone for a job around the house you need to be careful. You must enquire about their professional experience as well as about their character.
How to find reliable tradesmen in Tasmania
Even in the digital age we live in, word of mouth is still the best way to find a good plumber or electrician. If you need someone like that, start by asking around. Your friends or neighbors can recommend someone they’ve employed in the past. They can tell you if they were satisfied with the services provided as well as with the costs. You don’t want to get scammed.
Another way to find the tradesman you need is to go on job boards. Look up the category you need, view the profiles, check their ratings and reviews.
You should also google the name of the tradesman you want to hire to see if any complaints come up.
Set up a job interview
If you need a faucet fixed, a job interview probably won’t be necessary. However, if you need to redo all the plumbing in the house, that’s a complex job. The plumber will be around the house for many days, if not weeks, so you need to be careful about letting a perfect stranger into your home.
Arrange a job interview to discuss all the details of the job you have in mind. Explain what you need and don’t hesitate to go into details.
Make sure the tradesman is listening to you and see what they propose. If it’s a technical matter you should probably defer to their professional judgement. After all, you’re not an electrician so you don’t know much about these sorts of things.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to hire a carpenter to remodel your kitchen, they need to listen to you and find ways to deliver.
Ask for a background check
Have a look at these numbers. There were 21,452 offences against property in Tasmania from mid-2019 to mid-2020. According to official statistics, there were 4,454 offences against the person for the same period. 62% of all burglaries were against residential locations and you can bet that the burglars scouted the place in advance.
These numbers are enough to motivate any responsible homeowner to ask for a background check like a police check Tasmania before letting a stranger into their house.
You don’t want to inconvenience the tradesman, especially as there’s a high chance they’re just a hard-working and totally decent person. You should propose doing a background check with an online agency. If they agree to it, you can set it up while you chat about your home improvement plans. Look up a reputable online background check service. Fill in the required identity information and upload a quick photo of the person. That’s all there is to it. You can even set a date for the work to begin. Online services can deliver check results in a few business days so you’ll know soon enough if you can trust that person or not.
Reference
Tasmania 2019-2020 Crime Statistics Supplement –
https://www.police.tas.gov.au/uploads/Crime-Statistics-Supplement-2019-20.pdf
