Rogue traders and older people: how to protect your parent
Doorstep crime targets older people living alone, and the classic lines are the jobs every house needs: gutters, roofs, driveways and insulation.
How big is the problem?
There is no up-to-date national count. Trading Standards work from 2014/15 estimated around 169,000 doorstep crimes a year, with most rogue-trader victims aged 75 or over and only a small fraction ever reported. More recent local figures show how much is at stake: Kent Trading Standards found victims lost an average of £15,700 each in 2024, and Hertfordshire found about £10,940.
National Trading Standards' 2024/25 report describes rising roofing complaints, repeat targeting of people with foam loft insulation, and traders searching planning applications for victims.
The usual script
- An unexpected knock: "We're working nearby and noticed a problem with your roof / gutters / chimney."
- Pressure to decide today, often with a "discount" that ends now.
- Cash requested up front, or a trip to the bank.
- A small job that grows, with new "problems" found once they're up the ladder.
- No written quote, no landline, no proper address.
What to set up
- A rule your parent can lean on. "I never buy anything at the door, my son sorts all that." It's easier to say no when it isn't personal.
- A doorstep password for the people who are meant to come. No password, no entry. How ours works.
- A card by the door with the faces of people allowed in and your number. Ring the number on the card, never a number the caller gives.
- Get the regular jobs done by someone checked, on a schedule. A house where the gutters were cleared last month gives a cold-caller nothing to point at.
- Priority Services Register with their energy and water companies, which comes with a doorstep password for utility visits.
If it has already happened
Report it to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133, and to the police on 101 (or 999 if the trader is still there or anyone feels threatened). Don't feel embarrassed: these people are professionals at this.
Sources: Aplin (2022) and Age UK on 2014/15 Trading Standards estimates; KentOnline (2024); Hertfordshire study, ScienceDirect (2025); National Trading Standards Annual Report 2024/25.