But often there is no guarantee that it will get fixed.

The BBC's Nicola Carslaw reports on the home improvement minefield

According to a new survey, fear of getting ripped off by "cowboy builders" has become an inbuilt worry of many homeowners.

More than half who responded were concerned that the builder they choose may carry out dodgy repairs on their home, and that they would be over-charged.

Twenty two per cent believed their chosen builder may have a criminal record, while ten per cent even felt at risk of a physical assault from him when he is in their home.

Ian Cameron, of Skillbase which conducted the survey with the Commercial Union, said it was a sad reflection of the building trade today.

"I think it is an amalgam of the reputation that builders have acquired as well as some homeowners talking from personal experiences.

"There have been a few bad experiences that have been very well-publicised," Mr Cameron said.

Government insulation

The Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) agrees that cowboy builders are a nuisance.

Research carried out by the AA two years ago said they cost the country �400m in unpaid taxes.

The government is also taking measure to stamp out rogue builders

In June, the DETR set up a working party to implement measures to turf out cowboy builders.

Firstly, it plans to draw up an approved list of builders and enforce a kitemark guarantee for which builders can qualify.

Indeed, the Skillbase survey echoed the public's desire for a quality benchmark, with 94% in favour of a law to supply a written guarantee of workmanship.

But Mr Cameron says he is not convinced that this gets to the heart of the problem.

He says: "This may well work toward eliminating the 'rogue-ish' element among builders.

"But the onus is now on homeowners who must then ensure that they use a builder with the approved kitemark."

Mr Cameron also said that the kitemark would be a deterrent against cowboy builders, so long as it was issued by an organisation that "had teeth".

The writing on the wall

There is currently no government regulation on who can enter the building trade.

The only way of telling if you have fallen into the hands of a rogue builder is if you happen to get a range of estimates and they range from �850 to �11,000. Someone somewhere is not telling you the truth.