TrustMark, the government-backed quality mark for reputable tradesmen, was relaunched this week by Consumer Minister Jenny Willott with new improved standards of consumer protection under a renewed master licence from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Peter Hansford, the government’s chief construction adviser, also emphasised the government’s strong commitment to TrustMark and called upon more firms to get behind the scheme which is central to boosting the reputation of tradesmen and consumer confidence in the domestic repairs, maintenance and improvement market.

Some of the key changes to the TrustMark core criteria include:

“The new core criteria also reflects that so much has changed since 2005 - including new laws and much higher expectations and understanding of 'what good looks like' by industry, consumers, government and all stakeholders.

“We can now show that TrustMark is truly fit for purpose in a modern market. It captures best practice, gives trades a much clearer understanding of what's expected, and aims to strike the right balance between 'light touch co-regulation' and good consumer protection. Most of all, the 'new TrustMark' aims to increase confidence among consumers, which is at the heart of a successful and economically strong market.