Trusted Trader Week 2026

Trusted Trader Week runs from Monday 7 to Friday 11 September 2026, across every Trusted Trader scheme in Scotland.

It comes down to one thing: knowing who a tradesperson is before you let them into your home.

Most tradespeople are honest, skilled and do a good job. The problem is that nothing on a doorstep tells you which is which. A uniform, a van with a name on it and a confident manner can be very convincing and a rogue trader does not have to fit a sterotype. Scammers know exactly how convincing they look and what to say.

A Trusted Trader will not cold call

Trading Standards vetted members do not cold call. Not turning up unannounced on a doorstep is part of a scheme's Code of Practice, so a knock you did not ask for is not one of ours.

Even when you are expecting a tradesperson, if anything gives you pause you are entitled to check. Take their details, close the door and look them up. A genuine business will not mind waiting.

And if someone at your door has spotted a problem with your roof or anywhere else on your home, or has a price that is only good today, you do not owe them a conversation. Say "no thank you", and close the door.

Six things worth doing before any work starts

• Never agree to work on the doorstep, however reasonable the person seems.
• Use a scheme where somebody has actually checked the business, rather than a directory anyone can pay to join.
• Always try and get more than one quote, and get each one in writing.
• Get the full business name and an address you can check, not just a first name and a mobile number.
• Be wary of any price that expires today, and of any request for money up front for materials.
• Read the reviews, and check they are verified reviews from real customers.

What Trading Standards vetting actually means

Every member of a Trusted Trader scheme has been through a thorough series of checks and then been approved by their local Trading Standards service before being allowed on to the scheme. That covers the business and the people behind it: who they are, their insurances, their terms of business, their complaints history and more. Currently around around a third of applications are rejected for a variety of reasons, so unlike commercial schemes, you cannot just pay a fee and join.  

Trading Standards vet the business and its owners. They cannot and do not inspect or approve individual jobs, so the standard of the work itself is judged where it should be, in the verified customer reviews on each trader's own profile.

Where to find a Trading Standards vetted trader

If you are looking for a Trading Standards vetted trader anywhere in Scotland, start at approvedtrader.scot. It is the national portal, run on behalf of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, and it searches every local authority approved trader scheme in the country in one place. That includes the sixteen schemes hosted on trustedtrader.scot, and other council schemes hosted and managed elsewhere.

If you already know your local Trusted Trader scheme, you can go straight to it at trustedtrader.scot and search by trade and by town. Every member has been vetted by their own council's Trading Standards service, and the schemes are supported by Police Scotland.

If your area does not have an official Trading Standards scheme of its own, you are still covered. The SCOTSS Approved Trader scheme takes members from anywhere in Scotland.

In their own words

The best argument for the scheme comes from the members. Our case studies are written by the traders themselves, about why they joined, how they found the vetting, and what it has meant to their business. You can read them all at trustedtrader.scot/TrustedTrader-Case-Studies.

Are you a small business?

If you are a tradesperson reading this, membership is a way of proving to a customer what you already know about yourself.

The simplest way to find you nearest offical scheme is by going to approvedtrader.scot/apply: put in your postcode and it will take you to the scheme that covers your area.

You can also apply directly at trustedtrader.scot/signup-choose which will again direct you to your nearest scheme within Scotland. Members tell us the accreditation is often what turns a quote into a job.

Help us spread the word

Please share anything you see from us this week, and use #TrustedTraderWeek if you are posting yourself. You can follow Scotland Trusted Trader on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.