DC Trades Company Vetting Process

A transparent, evidence-based process that protects residents, homes, and local communities

Choosing a tradesperson should never rely on guesswork.
To protect the public and preserve the integrity of our region’s businesses, every company applying to join DC Trades undergoes a structured, ethical, and evidence-based verification process.

🛡️ Customer Safety First: Why Only 30% Of Applications Are Approved

At DC Trades, your safety is our highest priority. We operate under a "Customer Safety First approach" ~ ensuring every business listed has passed "strict ethical and legitimacy checks".

So far, for every 145 businesses that have applied to join the DC Trades directory.
"Just 42 have been approved".

That’s an acceptance rate of around 30%, and "we’re proud of that".

We exist to protect homeowners, residents, and local communities from unreliable or unvetted services.

We require every business applying, to provide - as many of the documents listed below as possible:

• A proven trading history
• No outstanding debts or legal issues
• Publicly verified 5-star reputation
• Full transparency and ethical service delivery
• Public liability Insurance
• Supporting emails from existing customers to show authenticity
• Industry Recognised Certifications. FENSA, CERTASS, MCS Accredited, GAS Safe, Federation Of Master Builders, GDPR Registration, plus all recognised Government Registrations.

As a growing regional authority, we are committed to our ethical standards and legal processes that ensure regional safety across Devon and Cornwall.

If your business wasn’t approved this time, please do not be discouraged. We welcome reapplications after 6 months, once customer-first improvements have been made.

Though we do not require all the supporting documents mentioned, we ask for as many as possible to speed up the verification process.

We’re not here for popularity.
We’re here for protection.

Legal Disclaimer:

“We vet all businesses based on the documentation and evidence provided. While we take all reasonable steps to ensure legitimacy, we cannot offer a full guarantee of future performance or behaviour. Approval is based on transparency, not perfection.”

Our vetting service is 100% free, and we do not charge for vetting potential listings. Our service is here to help.

DC Trades verifies businesses based on the documentation and evidence provided at the time of application.
While we take all reasonable steps to ensure legitimacy, we cannot guarantee future conduct or performance.

Approval is based on transparency, honesty, and accuracy — not perfection.

Our full verification policy:
https://dctrades.co.uk/verification-policy

Our vetting service is free, and we do not charge for vetting.
We exist to protect households, residents, and the wider community.