Checkatrade Alternatives for London Renovation (2026): 7 Better Routes for Finding a Builder

You've spent an evening on Checkatrade. You've shortlisted three builders, sent enquiries, and now you're staring at quotes that vary by £18,000 for the same job. One didn't turn up to the site visit. Another won't put a fixed price on paper. The reviews look fine, but something feels off, and you're wondering whether the platform is helping or just adding a layer.

Checkatrade works for plenty of homeowners. It also charges contractors a membership fee, and those fees end up baked into quotes. If you're about to spend serious money on a kitchen extension, bathroom refit or loft conversion in London, it's worth knowing what other routes exist before you sign anything.

Here are seven alternatives, what each one costs the contractor (and therefore you), and which suit which project sizes. I run All Well Property Services in Anerley SE20, and I've quoted against contractors who came via every one of these channels. I'll be fair to each platform. They all have a place.

Why people search for Checkatrade alternatives

Most people who type "checkatrade alternatives" into Google have one of three things going on. A job went badly and the platform's resolution process didn't help. They've heard membership fees get passed on through inflated quotes. Or they want to go direct without an intermediary in the conversation.

All three are reasonable concerns. Checkatrade membership for a tradesperson sits in the region of £799 to £1,200 per year plus VAT as of 2026, depending on the tier. That's a fixed cost a contractor has to recover across however many jobs they win through the platform. It doesn't mean every Checkatrade quote is padded, but on smaller jobs the maths can be noticeable. The vetting covers ID, insurance and references at sign-up, but it isn't a guarantee of workmanship.

The platforms below all have their own version of this trade-off. Some charge a flat fee. Some sell leads. Some take a cut of the final job value. Each model shapes the quotes you receive.

The 7 alternatives, ranked by project size

1. MyBuilder

MyBuilder is a community-based platform where homeowners post a job and approved tradespeople apply to quote. You shortlist who you want to invite to a site visit. Ratings are job-by-job rather than a blanket star count, which gives a more honest picture of how a contractor performs across different project types.

MyBuilder takes a percentage of the completed job value, typically 5 to 8 per cent as of 2026, charged only once the work is done. Contractors pay when they earn, which removes the pressure to recover a flat annual subscription on every quote. The downside: the percentage scales with job size, so on a £60,000 extension the platform fee is meaningful.

Best for: smaller jobs and trades-specific work like a single bathroom, a rewire or a roof repair. Quality of applicants for full renovations is variable.

Watch-outs: the lowest quote almost always misses something. Read recent reviews on jobs of similar size and scope, not the overall rating.

2. TrustATrader

TrustATrader runs a directory model. Contractors pay an annual membership fee, broadly similar to Checkatrade at £700 to £1,200 as of 2026, and get listed in a searchable directory. You browse, shortlist, and contact contractors directly. No bidding system. Closer to a verified Yellow Pages.

Vetting includes ID, insurance and reference checks at sign-up. Reviews are submitted by customers and moderated. It tends to attract established local businesses rather than sole traders chasing leads.

Best for: mid-size jobs where you want to do your own shortlisting. Good for bathroom refits, smaller extensions, decorating jobs.

Watch-outs: TrustATrader doesn't actively quality-control jobs after sign-up. Membership renewal is the main filter. Ask to see two or three recent finished projects in person.

3. Rated People

Rated People sells leads. You post a job, and the platform charges contractors to access your contact details, typically £15 to £40 per lead as of 2026. Contractors usually buy three to five competing leads per quote, paying £60 to £200 before they've spoken to you.

This affects pricing directly. A contractor who's spent £150 on leads to win one job has to recover that. On a £3,000 job, that's a 5 per cent uplift before profit. On a £500 job, the platform fee can outweigh the margin entirely. Contractors also compete on speed of response, so the first three to call tend to win regardless of fit.

Best for: standalone trade work where the price is transparent, such as boiler service, lock change or gutter clean.

Watch-outs: high-pressure follow-up calls are common because contractors have already paid for your details. If a quote arrives within minutes, ask whether they've understood the job.

4. Houzz

Houzz started as a design inspiration site and grew into a contractor directory with a strong visual portfolio focus. Contractors list completed projects with photography, and you browse by style, room type or location. Houzz Pro is the higher-tier subscription for businesses.

It's a better fit if you've got a clear design direction and want a contractor whose finished work looks like what you're trying to build. The pool skews toward firms doing higher-end fit-outs. Houzz Pro subscriptions run higher than the directory platforms, typically £80 to £300 per month as of 2026 depending on tier, and contractors recover that through pricing.

Best for: design-led projects where look and finish matter as much as price.

Watch-outs: a beautiful portfolio doesn't tell you how the contractor runs a site, manages subcontractors or handles Building Control. Ask to speak to a recent client about the process, not just the result.

5. Local Facebook groups and Nextdoor

The most underrated route. Borough-specific Facebook groups and Nextdoor are where people post genuine recommendations after a job has finished. No platform fee, no vetting, no moderation beyond group rules. You'll see recent unfiltered feedback from neighbours who used a contractor six months ago, including the awkward parts.

Because there's no platform taking a cut, the contractors recommended this way aren't pricing in a fee. The catch is there's also no vetting. You need to do your own qualification checks.

Best for: finding shortlist candidates to then vet properly. Particularly good in tight-knit South East London communities like Dulwich, Forest Hill, Beckenham and Crystal Palace, where the same firms come up repeatedly.

Watch-outs: always check Companies House, insurance certificates and trade accreditations independently. A neighbour's recommendation is a starting point, not a substitute for due diligence.

6. Architect referral

If you're using an architect for planning drawings or Building Control submission, ask who they've worked with on completed projects. Architects build long working relationships with contractors they trust. They see the work standards, the site management, the way snags get handled. A referral from a respected local architect carries weight no platform review can match.

No platform fee at all. The architect doesn't take a cut, and the contractor isn't paying for the introduction. The contractor knows that messing up the job will cost them a long-term referral source, which aligns incentives.

Best for: extensions, loft conversions and any project that needed planning permission or a structural engineer.

Watch-outs: architects sometimes refer only to one or two contractors, which limits competition on price. Get a comparison quote from at least one other source. Check the architect isn't taking an introducer's fee.

7. Direct hire of a design-and-build firm

The final route skips the platform entirely. You find a local contractor through your own research and hire them directly. If they're a design-and-build firm, they handle the drawings, structural calculations, Building Control submission and the build itself under one contract.

This is the category All Well sits in. No platform fee, no lead cost, no percentage cut. The price you see is the price for the work, with the contractor's overhead and margin built in directly. The trade-off is you do more of the vetting yourself.

Best for: full renovations, extensions, loft conversions and projects above £50,000 where the cost of getting it wrong is high. A single point of accountability for design and build removes most of the coordination problems that bigger projects suffer from.

Watch-outs: verify Companies House registration, ask for proof of NICEIC, FENSA, Gas Safe and CHAS accreditations where relevant, and insist on a fixed-price contract with a clear payment schedule before any work starts.

Side-by-side comparison

Route	Fee model	Vetting depth	Best project size	Speed to quote	Price competitiveness	Main watch-out
Checkatrade	Annual membership (£799–£1,200 + VAT)	ID, insurance, references at sign-up	Small to mid (£500–£25k)	Fast	Moderate	Fees recovered across all quotes
MyBuilder	5–8% of completed job	ID, insurance, job-by-job ratings	Small to mid (£500–£30k)	Fast	Competitive on small jobs	Lowest quote often missing scope
TrustATrader	Annual membership (~£700–£1,200)	ID, insurance, references at sign-up	Mid (£5k–£40k)	Medium	Moderate	No active post-sign-up quality control
Rated People	Per-lead fee (£15–£40)	Basic ID and insurance	Small trade jobs (£200–£5k)	Very fast	Lead cost inflates small jobs	High-pressure follow-up
Houzz	Monthly Pro subscription (£80–£300+)	Portfolio-based, light vetting	Design-led mid to large	Medium	Higher tier pricing	Portfolio doesn't show site management
Facebook / Nextdoor	None	None, you vet	Any (shortlist source)	Slow	Often the keenest pricing	No vetting at all
Architect referral	None	Architect's own experience	Mid to large (£25k+)	Slow	Less competitive (small pool)	Limited comparison quotes
Direct design-and-build hire	None	Your own due diligence	Large (£50k+)	Medium	Often competitive on big jobs	You do the qualification work

Which route suits your project?

Small jobs (under £5,000)

For a single bathroom refit, a boiler replacement, a small decorating job or a roof repair, the platforms work well. MyBuilder's job-completion fee model gives the most competitive pricing, and ratings on similar recent jobs give a useful signal. Checkatrade is fine here too. Get three quotes, check recent reviews on similar work, and pick the contractor who actually visited the site and asked sensible questions.

Mid-size projects (£15k–£50k)

A bathroom suite refit, a small extension, a partial kitchen renovation. Platforms still work, but you need to vet more carefully. Look at TrustATrader for established directory listings, MyBuilder for project-by-project reviews, or use Facebook groups and Nextdoor to identify local firms with recent finished work in your borough. Architect referrals start to make real sense here, particularly if the project needs planning permission or Building Control sign-off. Walk a recent completed job in person before signing.

Major projects (£50k+)

Full kitchen extensions, loft conversions, double-storey side returns, full house renovations. Platforms get risky at this size. Vetting is shallow relative to the cost of failure, dispute resolution processes weren't designed for £80,000 contracts, and the contractor pool skews toward smaller jobs. The two routes that consistently work are an architect-led process or a direct hire of a design-and-build firm that handles the whole thing under one contract. Both give you a single point of accountability if something goes wrong.

What direct hire of a contractor looks like

If you skip the platforms and hire a design-and-build firm directly, the process looks different from a platform-led job. You meet the director, not a sales rep. You get drawings, structural calculations and a fixed-price contract before any work starts. One project manager runs the site from first dig to final sign-off, which removes the gaps that open up when design and build are split between separate firms.

For All Well, that means a free initial site visit anywhere in South East London, a written quote with a clear scope, and a fixed-price contract that covers labour, materials, Building Control fees and waste removal. We hold NICEIC accreditation for electrical work, FENSA for windows and doors, Gas Safe for boiler and gas work, and CHAS for health and safety. Companies House number 12721034, registered in 2020, with 57 verified Google reviews averaging 4.5 out of 5 as of 2026.

We cover 25 South East London boroughs from our Anerley office at Unit 1 Limes Avenue SE20 8QR, which means a project manager can be on site within an hour if something needs attention. Bathroom fits, full renovations, kitchen extensions and loft conversions are the work we do most often. No platform fee built into the price, no lead cost to recover, no percentage cut paid to a third party. If you want a quote, the route is direct: phone, email or the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Checkatrade actually cheaper?

Not consistently. Checkatrade contractors pay an annual membership fee and recover that across the jobs they win, so the platform fee is built into your quote whether you can see it or not. On small jobs the effect is small. On larger jobs, going direct to a contractor with no platform overhead can save several per cent on the bill.

Are Checkatrade-vetted contractors more trustworthy?

Vetting on Checkatrade covers ID, insurance and reference checks at sign-up. That's a useful baseline filter, but it doesn't assess workmanship, project management or fit for your project size. A Checkatrade badge is a starting point, not a guarantee. Check recent reviews on similar jobs and visit a finished project before signing anything.

What's the difference between Checkatrade and MyBuilder?

Checkatrade is a directory. Contractors pay an annual membership fee to be listed, and you find them by searching. MyBuilder is a job-posting platform. You describe your job, contractors apply, and the platform takes a percentage of the final value once the work completes. MyBuilder's model suits smaller jobs. Checkatrade's flat fee suits established businesses that win a steady flow of work.

Should I use a platform for a £100k+ renovation?

Probably not as the primary route. Platforms were designed for smaller jobs where vetting depth matches risk. On a £100,000 renovation, you want either an architect-led process or a direct hire of a design-and-build firm with verifiable accreditations and recent finished projects of similar size and scope. Platforms can still be useful for cross-checking quotes.

How do I check a non-platform builder is qualified?

Five checks. Companies House: confirm at least three years of active filings. Accreditations: NICEIC or NAPIT for electrics, Gas Safe for gas work, FENSA or CERTASS for windows, CHAS for health and safety. Ask for membership numbers and verify them on the relevant body's website. Insurance: public liability of at least £2 million, with a certificate. Recent finished projects: visit one in person. References from clients whose jobs finished in the last 12 months.

What questions should I ask before signing a contract?

Is the price fixed or estimated, and what triggers a variation? What's the payment schedule, and is the final payment held back until snags are resolved? Who handles Building Control submission and sign-off? What's the realistic completion date? Who is the named project manager I'll deal with day to day? What happens if you discover something unexpected behind the walls? A contractor who answers these clearly is one you can probably work with.

Get a free quote

If you've decided to skip the platforms and want a direct quote from a South East London contractor, get in touch through the contact page or call the office on the number listed there. Free site visit, fixed-price written quote, no obligation. We'll tell you honestly whether your project is one we're the right fit for.