25/09/2026 Andrew Heppinstall Comments(0)

By Andrew Heppinstall, Founder, Unavoidable Marketing. Facts checked on 25 September 2026.

The new Approved Code for home improvement is a voluntary, government-backed standard, developed by the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO) with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). It is due to take its first businesses by the end of September 2026 and be fully live by December. The separate Trusted Payments app has been live since early September, and homeowners pay its fees. Neither is compulsory, and there is no plan to make them so. For a good trade, the code is a way to prove what you already do well. But it only wins work if customers can find you and see that proof when they are choosing who to call.

What is the new Approved Code?

On 28 August 2026 the government announced its backing for a new Approved Code for the home improvement sector. Businesses that sign up will be able to show they meet higher standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution. It sits within CTSI’s existing Approved Code Scheme.

You do not join through CTSI. Traders join through a code sponsor, and for this code that is FHIO. FHIO says its members pay an annual fee relative to turnover. At the time of writing, FHIO is not yet listed in CTSI’s online Approved Code directory, so ask FHIO where things stand for your trade.

Is the Approved Code mandatory?

No. Membership is voluntary, and the government has set no date to make it compulsory. CTSI and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) are both calling for mandatory licensing of trades on top of it. The FMB’s Brian Berry put it plainly: “Without statutory licensing any voluntary scheme, however well intended, is likely to struggle to gain traction.” That is a campaign, not a policy. If anyone urges you to join “before it becomes mandatory”, be sceptical.

What is Trusted Payments, and who pays for it?

Trusted Payments is a government-backed app, run by a private company, that lets homeowners pay in stages. The work is split into milestones, the homeowner signs off each stage in the app, and the money reaches the trade at 18:00 the next day. The completion payment is held by the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman until the job is finished and signed off. Trusted Payments says its transaction fees are charged to the homeowner.

A trade cannot simply sign up. The app works only with traders vetted through partner bodies, including TrustMark, the FMB, BALI and Buy With Confidence.

Why does a voluntary badge still matter online?

Because customers decide who to trust long before they pick up the phone. They search, scan the map results, read reviews and click through to a website. A certificate in a drawer does nothing. A membership that shows up at each of those points gives a nervous homeowner one more reason to call you.

Joining the code will not lift your Google rankings by itself. It gives you a genuine, checkable proof point. The work is putting it where customers look:

Google Business Profile. Keep your categories, services, service area, hours and photos current, and mention your memberships in your business description. Our State of UK Trade Marketing 2026 report estimates that around 70% of UK trades already have a profile, so simply having one is not enough.
Reviews. Reviews are one of the biggest local ranking factors and usually the first thing a customer checks. Ask every happy customer, reply to every review, and never buy or fake them. Fake reviews have been banned under UK consumer law since 6 April 2025.
Your website. Show your memberships with a link to each body’s own checking page, next to real reviews, your insurance and registration details, and a phone number that is easy to tap on a mobile.
Local Services Ads. Google checks your business, insurance and, for gas work, Gas Safe registration before your ads can run, and that takes weeks rather than days. Your verified badge then sits right where customers are choosing. In my September article for PHAM News, I put the typical cost per booked job at £65 to £280 on Local Services Ads, against £140 to £320 on standard Search Ads. Our Local Services Ads cost guide for plumbers has more detail.

What should UK trades do this month?

Ask FHIO what joining the home improvement code involves, what it would cost a business your size, and when it opens to your trade.
If you belong to TrustMark, the FMB, BALI or Buy With Confidence, ask about offering Trusted Payments.
Do not use an Approved Code logo or claim membership until you have been accepted, and then use the exact wording the sponsor gives you.
Bring your Google Business Profile up to date, including a line on your accreditations.
Ask for a review after every finished job, and reply to the reviews you already have.
Add an accreditations section to your website, linking to the bodies that can confirm you are a member.
If Local Services Ads are part of your plan, start verification now.

Where does Unavoidable Marketing fit in?

We do not run, certify or approve anyone under the Approved Code or Trusted Payments. FHIO, CTSI and the partner bodies do that. Our job is helping trades get found online and making sure customers see their trust signals.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Approved Code for home improvement mandatory?

No. It is voluntary. CTSI and the FMB are calling for mandatory licensing, but that is not government policy.

When does the Approved Code start?

The government says it will be live with its first businesses by the end of September 2026 and fully live by December 2026.

How do I join the Approved Code?

Through the code sponsor, FHIO, not through CTSI directly. FHIO says its members pay an annual fee relative to turnover, and it can explain the criteria for your trade.

Can any trade use Trusted Payments, and who pays?

No. Only traders vetted through partner bodies such as TrustMark or the FMB can use it. Transaction fees are charged to the homeowner.

Will joining the code help me rank higher on Google?

Not directly. It gives customers a checkable reason to choose you once they have found you.

Can I put an Approved Code logo on my website now?

Only once you have been accepted, and only in the form the sponsor allows.

Sources

About the author: Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing, a Leeds agency that helps UK trades and local service businesses win work through Google Local Services Ads, SEO and paid search. His article “What makes Google ads effective?” appeared on the Business Matters page of PHAM News in September 2026.