Verified Premium · Methodology
Reviews are gameable.
Verification isn’t.
Eight independent checks. Every Verified Premium builder passes them all. Annual re-verification keeps it honest. Every status change is publicly auditable.
01
The thesis
Trust mechanics in our category fall into two camps: pay-to-list directories that filter by money, and review marketplaces that filter by who's loudest. Both are gameable. Verification is the third option — checks against external sources of truth that builders can't manipulate.
What this is
A repeatable, evidenced, time-stamped accreditation that links to external authorities — Companies House, the insurer, the trade body, HMRC. Each check resolves to a status backed by a document or call.
What this isn’t
A subjective rating. We don’t score builders out of five stars. We don’t accept self-attestation. We don’t charge to skip checks. Verification is binary: pass or don’t.
02
Eight stages
Every Verified Premium builder passes all eight. Failure on any one stage prevents accreditation.
- 01
Companies House
We confirm the company exists, is active, isn't subject to a recent dissolution or strike-off, and that no director carries a current disqualification.
- Evidence
- Companies House public record · auto-checked daily for the active set
- Re-checked
- Annually + on every status change
- 02
Public liability insurance
Minimum £2m cover. We verify the certificate directly with the insurer rather than accepting the document at face value. Expiry date tracked; suspension auto-fires on lapse.
- Evidence
- Direct verification with the insurer · expiry-tracked
- Re-checked
- On expiry · grace window 14 days
- 03
Trade body membership
Where the builder claims membership of FMB, NHBC, TrustMark, Gas Safe, NICEIC or FENSA, we cross-reference against the body's published member list. Claims that don't reconcile are rejected.
- Evidence
- Member-list cross-check · Firecrawl-watched where APIs unavailable
- Re-checked
- Quarterly
- 04
VAT registration
VAT-registered status confirmed with HMRC. Builders below the threshold may declare exemption, recorded with the declaration version.
- Evidence
- HMRC VAT lookup · declaration document for exempted
- Re-checked
- Annually
- 05
Photo-verified portfolio
Minimum five completed projects, with photographs and a short summary of each. New applicants receive a site visit from the verification team to confirm the work was done by them.
- Evidence
- Photographs + summaries · site visit for new applicants
- Re-checked
- Annually with new evidence
- 06
Two written references
Two prior customers contacted directly by our verification team. Each reference call follows the same script and is captured as an audio note. Two passes from two distinct customers required.
- Evidence
- Script-led calls · audio notes retained
- Re-checked
- Re-collected at annual re-verification
- 07
DBS check (principal)
Where work is in occupied homes, the principal completes a DBS check via our certificated provider. The result is captured against the verification record, never published.
- Evidence
- Disclosure & Barring Service · certificated provider
- Re-checked
- Five-yearly + on principal change
- 08
Annual re-verification
Every check repeats annually. Documents nearing expiry trigger reminders at 30, 7 and 0 days. Stale documents trigger automatic suspension; suspension lifts when the document is refreshed.
- Evidence
- Cron-driven scheduler · automatic suspension on lapse
- Re-checked
- Always
03
Annual re-verification
Accreditation isn’t a one-off. Every check repeats every year, and document expiry is tracked continuously between cycles.
First reminder
Email to the builder principal flagging the upcoming re-verification window. Documents that expire in the same window are listed.
Second reminder
Email + dashboard banner. The verification team is alerted to begin gathering re-checked evidence.
Suspension
Status flips to suspended. Builder no longer receives auction invites. Suspension lifts immediately on refreshed evidence; otherwise archived after 14 days.
04
Public verification page
Every Verified Premium builder gets a public profile at /verify/CB-XXXXX. Indexable by search engines, no consumer data, status backed by the audit trail.
What lives there
- Status banner — Active, Suspended, or Not recognised.
- Identity — registered name, trading name, Companies House number.
- Trades and service areas covered.
- Insurance provider, cover, expiry.
- Trade-body memberships.
- Eight-stage accreditation checklist with verified-on dates.
- Verification history — every status change, time-stamped.
- Report-an-issue route.
05
What disqualifies
Honest list. These are the patterns we will not accredit, and the patterns that get a Verified Premium builder suspended.
- Director disqualifications, recent dissolutions, or strike-off proceedings.
- Public liability cover below £2m, or cover that has been allowed to lapse without renewal.
- Claimed trade-body memberships that don't reconcile with the published member list.
- Patterns of complaints across more than one homeowner that resolve against the builder.
- Failed reference calls — two passes from two distinct customers required.
- Failure to provide DBS evidence for occupied-home work.
- Repeated failure to respond to invited auctions, leading to a sustained low response score.
- Misrepresentation on the application — even if discovered after approval.
Ready when you are