Building trade professional associations

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UK professional builder associations

There are numerous UK professional builder associations. If you are one of the 175,000 building companies in the UK, you may be considering registering with one. Perhaps you’re just not certain what the benefits would be and if they are worth your time and money. After all, just about every professional association does charge a membership fee, and it certainly does take time to check out each association.

Common benefits offered

Various professional builder associations will offer common benefits. For instance, almost all of them offer their members discounts on insurance covers that are directly related to builders. Most of them will also offer ways for members to promote their businesses. All professional associations provide their members with the latest news related to their specific trade.

One of the most important benefits of membership is being able to connect with other builders and related tradesmen. Most associations provide online forums, chat rooms, and web sites, which allow members to interact as a social community. They also host several conferences, training courses, and seminars to help their members stay up to date and certified in their various areas of expertise. This interaction provides the members with abundant opportunities to exchange ideas, learn new techniques, and find solutions to the problems they may be facing as builders.

More benefits

There are several more benefits to joining a professional builders association. One is the reputation of credibility and trust that association membership helps you to establish with the general public. Another benefit is the increase in business due to the leads that are generated through the association’s directory, official web site, and other members.

Being a member in good standing in a professional association also helps to establish your reputation as an expert among other professionals. Additionally, an association usually represents or provide legal support for their members in legal cases. The associations actively participate in creating the industry’s standards. They work with the government to form regulations that are in the best interest of the associations’ members. By being a member, you can help determine which standards and regulations the association works towards establishing.

Benefits outweigh disadvantages

There are a few disadvantages of membership too. For instance, the high membership fees may not seem worthwhile if you never participate in the association’s activities. Also, there may be times when you disagree with the standards and regulations the association is trying to establish. In some cases, being a member can have a negative impact on your business, if the association or another member has a poor reputation, which can occur from someone having a bad experience with another member of the association. However, for the most part, membership of UK professional builder associations can convey positive benefits.

UK associations include:

Confederation of roofing contractors, Association House, 22d Victoria Place, Brightlingsea, Essex. CO7 0BX
Federation of Crafts and Commerce, 4, 5 & 6 Quaypoint, Northarbour Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3TD
Federation of master builders, Gordon Fisher House 14/15 Great James Street London WC1N 3DP
The Guild of Master Craftsmen, 166 High Street Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XU
National Federation of Builders Limited: B & CE Building, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9QP
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors Ltd, Roofing House, 31 Worship Street, London, EC2A 2DY
National House Building Council (NHBC), NHBC House Davy Avenue Knowlhill Milton Keynes MK5 8FP