Hiring someone to work in your home always carries a bit of uncertainty. You don't know the person, you often can't judge their work until it's done, and in a lot of cases you're expected to pay before you've even seen it. A few simple habits make the whole process safer, whether you find someone through a neighbour, a search online, or an app like Service Connect.
Describe the job clearly, with photos
The clearer your description, the more accurate the quotes you get back. Say what the job actually involves: the room, the size of it, what's broken or what you want done, and roughly when you'd like it sorted. A couple of photos save a lot of back and forth, and they stop a provider from quoting blind and then asking for more once they see the job in person.
On Service Connect, posting a job is free. You describe what you need, choose whether to ask for quotes or set your own budget, and pick a timeframe: flexible, this week, or a specific date. Providers covering your area can then see the job and send an offer.
Get more than one quote
Prices for the same job can vary a good deal between tradespeople, and a single quote gives you nothing to compare it against. Where you can, get two or three before you commit, even for a small job.
The app lets you browse providers, check their reviews, and message more than one about the same job, so comparing offers side by side is straightforward rather than something you have to chase across texts and phone calls.
Ask what's included
A price is only useful once you know what it covers. Does it include materials, call-out, disposal of old parts or rubbish? Is there anything likely to push the price up once they're on site? Ask before you agree, not after the job is finished.
Service Connect providers send custom offers in chat with their price and conditions attached, so you can ask questions before deciding. You can accept the offer, counter it, or decline, and you'll always see the full total, including the buyer protection fee, before you confirm anything.
Check registrations where they apply
Some trades in Ireland carry a registration that matters. Electrical work should be carried out by someone registered with Safe Electric, and gas work by an RGII-registered installer. Asking to see this, or checking the relevant register yourself, is a completely normal question and worth asking every time.
The app lets providers upload qualifications to their profile, but it doesn't inspect or verify those documents, and it doesn't run background checks. Treat a profile as a starting point, and ask directly in chat if you want to see a registration number or a certificate before you book, especially for gas, electrical or childcare work.
Ask about insurance
For anything beyond a very small job, it's worth asking whether the person you're hiring holds public liability insurance, particularly if the work could damage your property or affect a neighbour. Providers on the app declare whether they hold this cover, but it isn't independently checked, so ask to see proof if it matters to you.
Agree the time and price in writing
A verbal agreement is easy to forget or dispute later. Get the date, the time and the final price written down somewhere you can both refer back to, ideally alongside the rest of the conversation rather than in a separate text you might delete.
On Service Connect, the quote, the date and the price all sit in the same chat thread, so there's a record of exactly what was agreed if you need to check it again later.
Avoid large cash deposits upfront
Handing over cash before any work has started is one of the more common ways people lose money on home jobs. If a deposit is genuinely unavoidable, keep it small relative to the job, and be wary of anyone asking for the full amount before they've even arrived.
With the app, there's no cash and no deposit to hand over. Your card is only charged once the provider accepts the job, and the payment is held until the work is marked as done. You then get a window to confirm everything is right before it's released, and if something isn't, you can open a dispute instead of just paying out and hoping for the best.
Keep communication in one place
Texts, missed calls and half-remembered phone conversations are hard to refer back to if something goes wrong. Keeping every message, quote and change of plan in a single thread means you're never trying to piece together what was actually agreed weeks later.
That's how conversations work in the app: from the first message to the final payment, everything sits in one thread you can find again whenever you need it.
An app helps, but it's not a substitute for judgement
Service Connect can make the practical side of hiring easier: comparing quotes, agreeing a price, and not having to hand over cash on the day. It can't replace reading a provider's profile carefully, asking direct questions in chat, and using your own judgement about who you let into your home. Do both, and you're in a much stronger position than most people hiring a tradesperson for the first time.
Ready to give it a go? Get the Service Connect app to post a job or browse providers near you, read more about how buyer protection works, or check the categories it covers before you post.