The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has written to traders providing home maintenance, construction and improvement services, following more than 1,000 complaints from consumers about the sector.
The CCPC said there were almost 1,250 complaints to its national consumer helpline in the first half of this year relating to home building and improvements, making it the second biggest call driver for that period.
According to the CCPC, the top issues cited by consumers include traders refusing to resolve problems or being unwilling to resolve them to the consumer's satisfaction, consumers waiting a long time for work to be started after agreeing a start date with the trader, and traders not turning up when scheduled to fix an issue reported to them by the consumer.
One complaint was from a consumer who hired a plumber to carry out work on their property.
They reported the plumber's work resulted in leaks in both the roof and the bathroom, and the bath no longer functioned properly.
Despite multiple attempts to follow up, the consumer said the trader refused to engage or take responsibility for the issues.
Another complaint related to someone who hired an electrician to wire their kitchen. The consumer reported that the trader did not initially provide a clear and transparent price and that after persistent requests, the trader eventually quoted a price of €800, or possibly between €1,000 and €1,500.
However, when the trader completed the work, the CCPC said the consumer was charged €2,500. The consumer reported that eight holes were left in their walls and wires were exposed. When the consumer raised concerns about the unexpected charges and requested the issues be fixed, the trader ceased all communication.
The consumer watchdog has published an open letter to traders providing such services and has written directly to almost 3,000 traders across the country reminding them of their legal obligations under the Consumer Rights Act 2022.
Under the act, traders must provide clear pre-contract information, including contact details and the total price (inclusive of VAT), or how the price will be calculated if it cannot be determined in advance.
They must also deliver services that match what was agreed with the consumer and meet reasonable expectations for that type of service.
There is also an obligation to offer remedies if the service does not meet contractual standards.
Patrick Kenny from the CCPC said issues with the home-building and improvements sector are "consistently one of the biggest call drivers to our helpline and can be very costly to consumers".
"Consumers in Ireland and across Europe have important rights when it comes to service contracts and it's important they know that, but equally important is that traders providing the service to them are aware of their responsibilities under the law," he said.
"That's why we've contacted various trade associations, and written to the sector directly, to remind them of their obligations and provided them with clear guidelines on their responsibilities and in particular, what they have to do when things don't go to plan.
"There is an onus on traders to ensure they follow all relevant legislation - failure to do so can result in enforcement action by the CCPC."
