When you need to hire an electrician for work in your home, you need to be really careful that you find a good one! We all know that there are two main types of tradesmen that none of us want in our homes:

• The "cowboy", who wants to get as much money out of you as possible for as little work as they can get away with
• The "incompetent", who means well, but ends up making the situation worse!

More often than not, the "cowboy" is also incompetent and with electricity, this mixture can prove fatal!

So how do you go about finding a good electrician? Here are a few tips:

1. Make Sure They're Qualified

Whilst it's sadly not a legal requirement within the UK for an electrician to be qualified, the better ones will always have taken the necessary steps to gain their qualifications in order to put your mind at ease. Ask to see copies of their certificates.

2. Check Out Stated Affiliations

Most electricians will be affiliated with one of the recognised "standards" organisations, such as the NICEIC. If they claim to be members, go to the relevant website and check them out. These organisations vet their members annually and often provide additional warranties to you, so current affiliates are more likely to do a good job for you.

3. Check Their Insurance

When an electrician comes into your home to work with something as dangerous as your electricity supply, you need assurances that if something goes wrong, you're covered. This comes in the form of Public Liability Insurance. Ask your electrician to show you a current certificate of insurance before you agree to have any work carried out.

4. Check Out References

Good tradesmen understand the power of references and will be happy to provide them. Don't just ask though - follow up and check them out and be sure to ask appropriate questions, such as whether then work was completed on time or whether additional costs crept in at the last minute.

5. Trust Your Gut!

If your gut instinct is to avoid a particular electrician, even if everything else checks out, then trust your gut. I've learned the hard way over the years that my instinct never lets me down. Learn to trust yours too.

If you follow these tips, you will increase your chances of finding a great electrician to carry out your work.