How to report a builder to Torbay Council Trading Standards

Step 1 — Report through Citizens Advice

The Citizens Advice consumer service is the official intake route for consumer complaints in England (and is used in Scotland and Wales too). It gives you practical advice and passes your report to Torbay Council's Trading Standards team — you cannot report most consumer issues to Trading Standards directly yourself.

Step 2 — Know what Trading Standards can and cannot do

Trading Standards investigates criminal breaches — fraud, aggressive or misleading practices, unsafe work — and can prosecute rogue traders. It does not recover your money or award compensation. To get money back, you pursue a civil claim: see our guide to taking a builder to the small claims court.

Step 3 — Gather your evidence while you wait

Whatever happens on the enforcement side, your own civil claim is built from your evidence: the contract/quote, payments, photographs, messages, and any expert report. See how to evidence a building dispute.

Reviewed by Sean McNamara · 2026-09-03 · Source: https://forms.torbay.gov.uk/FairTrading (verified 2026-09-04).