Illegal and rogue traders

Reporting an incident and getting advice 

Unfortunately, there are some traders who want to cheat people out of their money. Victims are often vulnerable in some way, for example older adults and people with disabilities. 

Citizen’s Advice offer advice about consumer rights and how to report a trader. 

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service 

If the matter is urgent, report the incident to our trading Standards team straight away. 

Email us at tradingstandards@royalgreenwich.gov.uk. 

If a trader is at your home and refuses to leave when asked, call the Police. 

How we can help

We help tackle illegal and rogue traders by: 

• working with police and other agencies to disrupt their activities
• following up reported incidents and attending when traders are at the door or are due to return
• using incident reports to build up a picture of illegal trading happening in the borough 

What to look out for

If you buy goods or services at your home that cost more than £42, you usually have 14 days to cancel the contract. 

The trader must give you written notice of this. It's a criminal offence if they do not. 

If a trader uses misleading or aggressive sales practices, this could be a criminal offence. Contact the Citizens Consumer advice service for advice. 

You should also look out for people who: 

• knock on your door and have a friendly but insistent manner while selling their services
• quote low prices without looking at the work needed
• do not give their address 

Precautions you can take

To avoid being a victim of an illegal or rogue trader, never agree to have work done by someone visiting your home uninvited. Ask yourself if you would have had the work done if the trader hadn't called. 

If you do want the work done, you should: 

• ask for the trader’s full name, address and landline phone number
• ask for a fixed-price quote in writing rather than an estimate
• get quotes from a few different traders - you may find you can get the job done cheaper and better, or find that the work is not needed at all
• never pay any money until the trader finishes the work
• under no circumstances let the trader take you to the bank, post office or cashpoint to withdraw money 

Find a reliable trader

Find registered local traders on the Find a trader now website run by the London Borough of Bexley.