Edinburgh Trusted Trader approaches its 10th birthday
10 Years of Edinburgh Trusted Trader 2015 - 2025
In June 2015, the City of Edinburgh Council launched the Edinburgh Trusted Trader scheme to address a pressing concern: residents' difficulty in finding reliable, vetted local tradespeople. Now, a decade later, the scheme has become a cornerstone of trust and quality in the city's home improvement and service sectors.
What Is Edinburgh Trusted Trader?
Edinburgh Trusted Trader is the city's only official trader directory, backed by the City of Edinburgh Council, supported by Police Scotland and with members vetted by Edinburgh Trading Standards.
A Decade of Growth and Impact
Since its inception, the scheme has experienced substantial growth:
- 36 initial applicants in 2015 expanding to over 300 members by 2025
- This has resulted in over 188,000 work requests from Edinburgh residents over the past decade
- 95% of scheme members renew each year
- 25,675 residents who were asked if they would use the scheme again graded it 4.8 out of 5.
Looking Ahead
Edinburgh Trusted Trader celebrates its official 10th birthday next week, as it was on the 17 June 2015 that the scheme was formally launched by the City of Edinburgh Council, with help from the members, Trading Standards and Police Scotland.
Below are some of the original members helping us on the launch day, including the late Robin Bolton, from Bolton Roofing Contractors Ltd who was always a big advocate of the scheme.
10 years on, the mission remains the same: to provide residents with a list of vetted and trustworthy local businesses and help combat doorstep crime and rogue traders.
The scheme aims to:
- Increase consumer confidence
- Promote good practices within local businesses
- Help prevent doorstep crime.
All members undergo a rigorous vetting process conducted by Edinburgh Trading Standards. This includes checks on business practices, customer service history, and compliance with legal standards. Only businesses with a minimum of 6 months of clean trading history are eligible to apply. On average, 30% of applications are rejected because they are unable to meet the strict criteria.
Over the coming month, we will be highlighting and showcasing some of the scheme's members and achievements.
For more information, to find one of our vetted members, or to consider joining the scheme, visit trustedtrader.scot/Edinburgh