Please take a few seconds to sign my important petition;

To get a response from the Government, I need 10,000 signatures.

To get a debate in Parliament, I need 100,000 signatures.

So please take a moment to sign.

My name is Ionie Smallwood. Last September, I hired a contractor to undertake a rear extension of my residential property. My trust was shattered and my home left in a devastating state of disrepair, all due to a lack of professionalism and accountability from the contractor I employed. He took my lifetime savings, and hastily abandoned the project when I voiced my concerns about the quality of the build, leaving me without a kitchen, a washing machine to this day, including without heating throughout the bitter winter.

This personal experience has made me want to protect other people through launching a campaign that goes beyond my personal experience. I have made it my mission to protect other UK citizens from experiencing the same devastating situation. This petition will impact all individuals who rely on trade organisations, especially in construction, electric, plumbing, gas, and similar fields.

These trade organisations should be legally required to have mandatory public liability insurance, regardless of their company type (LTD/sole trader/LLP etc). This measure is not only a necessary move but an urgent one. It is designed to protect consumers nationwide across the UK,  particularly vulnerable members of the community with limited construction knowledge, from unscrupulous, unethical, and unprofessional tradespeople. Mandatory public liability insurance for all businesses in a trade will provide a safety net for consumers to cover the immense costs of any damages or losses caused by negligent, faulty, or substandard work.

This isn't just a personal issue. It's a national problem, significant and widespread among many households. According to the Office for National Statistics in the UK, there are an estimated 2.8 million residential repair or renovation cases involving tradespeople each year. A large number of these, unfortunately, end in frustration as consumers face similar problems to mine leaving them with no financial means to repair the damage and the trader simply folds the company and starts another one.

By pushing for this requirement on a nationwide scale, we lead the way towards a safer and more accountable trade industry across the UK. No one should be made to suffer inhumane living conditions at the hands of cowboy builders, these people are crooks, and they should be held accountable for the damage they cause to people's homes; a place that should be your sanctuary and safe haven. Mandatory public liability insurance should be a legal requirement to protect consumers form suffering as I have suffered. It will protect hard-earned money consumers give to traders, and most importantly, we drive a change that betters our living conditions and the quality of traders operating across the UK.

Join me in demanding immediate action. Require mandatory public liability insurance for all trade organisations.