Be on guard to protect your garden this summer!

Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner

Be on guard to protect your garden this summer!

Over 100 people reported issues with landscapers, gardeners and external home maintenance to Lincolnshire Trading Standards in 2024-2025 – together the amount paid for these services was over half a million pounds!

Criminals target our homes to exploit us for money – they may knock at our doors and say they can resurface our driveways, clear our weeds, trim our trees or clean our guttering quickly and all for a reasonable sum.

Legitimate landscapers and gardeners do not call door to door, and they would never expect you to pay upfront for their services.

Criminal traders will also use trader recommendation platforms to exploit homeowners. They use fake reviews and images to create a sense of reliability.

Maintaining our homes and keeping our gardens looking good is important, following these links for home maintenance information and learn about trusted tradespeople here.

Getting work done on our homes can be stressful. When hiring tradespeople, it’s important not to feel pressured, instead take a step back and follow some basic steps:

Check if you need planning permission or approval.

Get a range of quotes and check if your preferred trader has insurance and is a member of an approved trader scheme, like Buy With Confidence or TrustMark.

Before committing to work, be sure to get a written contract, which can help you get what you paid for.

For Consumer Advice, please Contact the consumer service - Citizens Advice or call 0808 223 1133.

If you experience fraud, please report it to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040.

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Message Sent By
Sophie Olive
(Lincolnshire OPCC, Communications Team, Lincolnshire)