The PCA Promise from the Property Care Association Incorporating BWPDA
The PCA promise helps during the selection of a professional and trusted trades-person for damp-proofing and building preservation work can be a daunting process.
Help is at hand with the Property Care Association (PCA), which represents the UK’s damp-proofing and timber preservation sector, as well as the structural waterproofing, and structural repair industries.
The Association’s UK-wide list of contractor members are all carefully vetted before being awarded membership – and are then subject to rigorous auditing procedures once admitted to the PCA. Find out more at www.property-care.org
The PCA Promise
Homeowners looking for a professional trades-person to carry out building preservation work and invasive weed control are now able to add another level of reassurance under a new guarantee scheme launched by the PCA.
The PCA Promise is a new type of warranty which covers timber treatment and damp-proofing works, as well as structural waterproofing, and remedial wall ties. It covers contracts placed with PCA members for;
- Damp proofing
- Timber preservation
- Structural waterproofing
- Structural maintenance
This is for domestic premises where the contract price (including VAT) is more than £250 and up to £50,000.
The PCA Promise meets the criteria required by TrustMark. Under the scheme, the Association gives blanket coverage to its contractor members, so they can offer a guarantee on behalf of the PCA to cover their customers for work in progress and deposits. There is no additional cost to customers for the guarantee, which ensures that should any contractor member of the Association go out of business. At the same time, work is being done; then another PCA contractor will complete the work to the original specification at no extra cost to the customer.
The PCA Promise is in addition to customers’ statutory rights and provides that in the event that a PCA member fails to commence or to complete the contract because they have ceased to trade due to liquidation, receivership, administration or the winding up of the business due to bankruptcy or death of the principal(s), PCA will either
(a) arrange for another PCA contractor to complete the contract with the customer paying the remaining balance of the original contract price less the amount of deposit and/or stage payments that were paid to the original contractor; or
(b) provide a PCA voucher to the value of the amount of deposit and/or stage payments already made. This voucher will be accepted by any other PCA member contractor as payment against a new contract.*
*The maximum liability in respect of any one contract shall not exceed 25% of the original contract price or £10,000 whichever is the less.
Customers who believe that their contractor member of PCA has ceased to trade and wish to take advantage of The PCA Promise should contact PCA without delay: 0844 375 4301
TrustMark
PCA is a member of TrustMark, the scheme supported by the Government to help property owners find reliable and trustworthy tradespeople to make home improvements. TrustMark helps customers find reputable firms to do repair, maintenance and improvement work inside and outside the home. As a trade body accredited with the TrustMark logo, the PCA has met stringent criteria, verifying that the tradesmen it represents can be depended upon to do a good job. Technical skills, financial position, insurance provision and customer care policy are just some of the areas in which the Association has set demanding standards. For further information about TrustMark visit www.trustmark.org.uk
Further Warranty Protection
As well as The PCA Promise, customers choosing a PCA member can also benefit from an additional warranty. On completion of the contract and full payment being made to the relevant PCA member contractor, they will issue a warranty covering both materials and workmanship. Insurance protection of this warranty is available from Guarantee Protection Insurance Ltd.
