For everyone
The ToolBox Standard
The seven commitments every verified tradesperson makes, and what each one means in practice.
Why this exists
Verification tells a homeowner that a tradesperson is who they say they are and registered for what they do. It says nothing about how they behave once they are in someone's home. The Standard is the second half of that promise, and it is the thing we actually enforce.
Every tradesperson agrees to it when they join. It applies to the owner, to every employee, and to every subcontractor they send. A tradesperson cannot avoid it by putting someone else on site.
1. Do work you are competent to do
Work inside your trade, inside your registration, and inside your own skill. If a job turns out to need something you are not registered or competent for, stop and say so. Handing it to the right person costs you one job. Doing it badly costs someone their home.
2. Work safely and legally
Follow the health and safety rules that apply to your trade and your site. Where the law requires a registered person to do the work or sign it off, that is what happens. Where a Certificate of Compliance or Conformity is due, you issue it, on time, without being asked twice.
3. Agree the price and the scope before you start
Put it in writing: what is included, what is not, whether VAT applies, and when it is due. If the job grows once you open it up, stop and get the change agreed before carrying on. A homeowner should never be surprised by an invoice.
4. Turn up, and communicate
Answer leads or decline them. Arrive when you said, or tell the homeowner as soon as you know you cannot. If a job runs late, say so early. Most complaints we receive are not about workmanship at all, they are about silence.
5. Behave properly in someone's home
You are a guest. Be courteous to everyone in the house. No discrimination of any kind, no abuse, no intimidation, no unwanted attention. Never work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Clean up. Respect that the people around you may be alone, elderly or vulnerable, and act accordingly.
6. Be honest
About who you are, who is doing the work, what you are registered for, what your insurance covers, and what a job will cost. Do not create or solicit fake reviews, do not offer anything in exchange for one, and never make putting a job right conditional on a review coming down.
7. Welcome reviews, including the hard ones
Ask your customers to review you. Reply to criticism like a professional: acknowledge what happened, say what you will do. A business with a handful of poor reviews and thoughtful replies reads better to a homeowner than one with nothing at all. Trying to suppress feedback is the fastest route off this platform.
What happens if a commitment is broken
Every one of these is a ground for action under Warnings, suspension and removal. A one-off lapse usually means a conversation and guidance. A pattern means a review period or a suspension. Anything involving safety, dishonesty or the dignity of a person in their own home is dealt with immediately, and usually permanently.
And what we commit to you
The Standard is not a one-way document. In return, ToolBox commits to:
- Verify honestly, and say plainly what each check does and does not cover.
- Take no commission on your work, ever, and never sell your ranking position.
- Publish reviews as written, and give you a right of reply on every one.
- Investigate a complaint before acting on it, tell you what it is, and hear your side.
- Give you an appeal on every sanction, decided by someone who was not part of the first decision.
- Never share your customers' details, or yours, beyond what the Privacy policy says.