Here at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), we all know how important it is that only great builders can join, so that every member can display their logo with pride. It’s the number one reason that builders join us, to underline the fact that they run a credible, reliable business.
That’s why we spend time vetting each and every business that applies, carrying out no less than 17 separate checks on each one of them, in addition to the inspection of work that must be passed before joining.
But what happens if things go wrong despite all of that? Members do get expelled, but how does that happen and who makes those decisions?
What is the FMB Standards Committee?
The FMB Standards Committee is ultimately the group that can impose sanctions on members.
Meeting quarterly, the Standards Committee is made up of ordinary members of the FMB from across the UK, together with two independent members, from Trading Standards and the legal profession.
The committee is chaired by a member of the Board, Rob Clark from Broadfield Construction Ltd in the North West. This is important because everyone on the committee has a good understanding of how difficult it can be to keep all the plates spinning that are part of daily life for a builder, as well as how tricky some customers can be to deal with. They always look at both sides of any story, and take a balanced view before reaching their decisions.
How does the FMB Standards Committee work?
The committee is governed by the FMB Rules, which every member has a say on at the AGM each year. It operates fairly and transparently, with the best interests of the FMB and all its members at heart.
If anyone alleges that a member’s standard of work, or the way they treat customers, is not up to standard for a Master Builder, and especially if such allegations are made repeatedly, or a very serious allegation is raised, then the FMB staff do their best to investigate the case and gather whatever evidence there is, to share with the committee. This might include inspector’s reports, photos of work, and statements.
Generally speaking, this would arise out of the Dispute Resolution Process, but the vast majority of cases going through that process are not referred to the committee, so this should not put members off from using that service. Any member in this position will always have the chance to respond, to attend the meeting of the Standards Committee and put their own case forward.
The committee can then make one of three decisions: to expel the member from the FMB, to issue a warning to the member; or to dismiss the case against them. Members who are expelled are listed in the FMB Master Builder magazine, and on the website, and are not eligible to re-apply for membership for at least five years.
Why the FMB Standards Committee expels members
So what makes the difference between a member being expelled, or given a warning? Here are some recent case examples that help to explain the causes for expulsion.
Declining standards
In the first case, a building firm in the Northwest had joined FMB in 2017, with all checks and inspections passed. We started to receive customer dispute cases in 2021, and by 2022 had four complaints, including one involving a £78,000 extension, where work had come to a halt. According to the customer, the builder was attending only erratically and not communicating the cause of any delays.
Another case against the same builder involved a small extension for £47,000, which had been completed but subsequently the rendering had begun to detach from the walls, and the builder wasn’t responding to the customer’s calls or emails asking them to come back and suggest a solution. They had also failed to supply the necessary certificate for the electrical work. Once two more complaints had been received, the member was referred to the next meeting of the Standards Committee, but resigned their membership before the committee could take any action. The business was therefore listed as ‘resigned whilst under investigation’ on the FMB website.
From conversations with the member as part of dealing with these cases, it was clear that changes had happened within the business, during the period after 2021. This was a challenging time for every business with the impact of the pandemic on building work, and FMB recognises that this did have an impact with staff absence, difficulty in accessing sites, and materials shortages all making it hard to successfully complete some projects. In most cases members have been able to explain these factors, and no further action need be taken. However, in this particular case, the business had been being run by an experienced Director in the period from 2017 to 2021, who had subsequently retired and become a ‘sleeping partner’ in the business. The director who had taken over day-to-day running of the business did not have the same values around customer care and business reputation, and therefore problems had been allowed to escalate. The FMB could not have known about these changes, until further investigations were carried out after the complaints were received.
Poor workmanship
Another expulsion of a builder based in London resulted from allegations of poor workmanship on a loft conversion, where the customer said that they were experiencing water leaks, and the builder was uncontactable. They also provided a surveyor’s report to show that the roof tiles had been incorrectly installed. The FMB then received another complaint on a similar theme.
The member attended a Standards Committee meeting. He did not accept that his method of installing the roof tiles was not correct, despite the Committee members pointing out that it was not in accordance with building regulations or manufacturers guidance. The member was expelled.
Key takeaways
We hope that members reading this will not be alarmed by the idea that they could be expelled for making a mistake on a job or having a difficult relationship with a client – we know these things happen from time to time. Provided that members deal with such matters in a professional way, and take responsibility for sorting out any issues that arise, then even if they were to be referred to Standards Committee (which is unlikely unless this happens on a frequent basis), they can rest assured they will get a fair hearing.
It is only when continued membership of a builder is likely to bring the FMB’s good name into disrepute that expulsion is the outcome, and that action is taken to protect the FMB’s reputation for the benefit of all members.
If you have any questions about the work of the Standards Committee, you are welcome to email me via [email protected], or any of the Dispute Resolution Team via [email protected], or indeed the Standards Committee Chair, Rob Clark via [email protected].
Authors
Hayley Lorimer
Hayley Lorimer is Director of Membership Services at the Federation of Master Builders, and a member of the FMB’s Senior Management Team. Hayley was Director of Training at the FMB from 2011–2015, and prior to that Director of the FMB’s Southern Region. Hayley has responsibility for the FMB’s staff training, as well as for development of a range of modern and relevant services, including training and business support, to help the FMB members run profitable and safe businesses.
