TTA Warranty Scheme

With TV programs devoted to finding rogue traders and the stories you read in the press and hear on the news about homeowners being ripped off by "cowboys" how do you make sure that only true professionals do work on your biggest financial asset; your home.

We all know how easy it is to find tile fixers via Yellow Pages and Internet search engines but what they don't show is how competent the fixer is. To start with you should only use a tradesman who is a member of that industry's trade association. The Tile Association checks potential member companies for financial health and insists on references. The Tile Association logo is your assurance of quality products, excellent service and professional workmanship.

The Tile Association are so confident of our members' workmanship that we have introduced the TTA Warranty Scheme especially for TTA Registered Fixers working in the consumer sector. The Tile Association has used its power as the lead body for the industry to team up with a national insurance company, QANW, who will back our fixer members' work.

Because it is an insurance backed scheme you can be assured that even if the TTA Registered Fixer goes out of business, you will still have cover. There are many businesses offering a "guarantee" but when you ask what the guarantee is, you are told that the business will sort out the problem. When asked if they are insurance backed, the answer is no and who knows if these businesses will still be in there in a few months or years time.

The TTA Warranty Scheme is insurance backed and can be provided for tiling contracts from a value of £250 including VAT to a value of £5,000 including VAT. Cover will only be provided for wall and floor tiling in a single private residence with no business use and excludes projects such as swimming pools. We are assuming that most customers buy the tiles, so the TTA Warranty Scheme will only cover the workmanship of the TTA Fixer. It will cover your tiling for six years after full payment has been made for the tile installation works to the TTA Registered Fixer.

Getting your tiling work covered by the scheme is very simple. Your TTA Registered Fixer will have all the details and will provide you with a TTA Warranty Request Form once you have paid for the completed work. You must then fill in the TTA Warranty Request Form and send it to the Administrator of the Scheme who will then confirm your cover directly to you by sending the relevant Policy Documentation.

The Tile Association Warranty provides protection for consumers in the event the TTA Registered Contractor ceases to trade, through a legally recognised Insolvency Procedure or other defined causes such as death or state retirement. The policy runs for a total period of 6 years from completion of the works. For the first 2 years of cover, and where the contractor has ceased to trade, protection relates to defective workmanship. The policy then provides cover in the event of a specified Major Defect for a further period of 4 years, between the second and sixth anniversary of completion, extending the full policy term to 6 years in total. A Major Defect is considered to be an acknowledged defect caused by defective workmanship performed by the Contractor resulting in a breach of British Standard BS5385 and involves rectification work to over 40% of the Insured Works.

This will give TTA Registered Fixers an undoubted edge over any other fixers as this is the ONLY insurance backed warranty scheme in the tiling industry.

Tiles can last a lifetime and add real value to your home so when choosing someone to do work on your home always choose the best you can afford. Remember you get what you pay for and peace of mind is priceless.