What decides who goes on a Glasgow list

Is this really their trade?

First we ask what a business actually spends its week doing. A general builder who occasionally repoints a gable end is no stonemason, and a practice that handles the odd house purchase between wills and divorces is no conveyancing firm. Those that do the exact job come first, while those that treat it as a sideline sit lower or drop out.

Narrow lists follow the same rule. A property factors list is for companies that manage shared repairs and common insurance as their business, and a kilt hire list is for shops that fit and hire out full Highland dress.

What customers say, over time

Then we look at what people have written publicly about each business, where anyone can read it. A short burst of enthusiasm counts for less than a long, steady record, so a few glowing comments cannot lift a business above one with years of steady praise behind it. The comments that carry weight are practical ones: a roofer who arrived on the agreed day, a final bill that matched the estimate, a fault put right without an argument.

What it tells you itself

Next we read what the business says on its own website and social pages. Which jobs does it take and which does it turn away? Which parts of Glasgow does it cover, how does it price a job, and which registrations, insurance or inspection grades does it hold? A business that spells this out gives you something firm to compare and to point to if a job goes wrong.

Money does not decide

Where a business sits is an editorial call, made on merit and reviewed now and then. No payment buys a place on a list, and none changes the criteria. Pro, a fuller page, and Top, one of the first three spots, are sold only after a business has earned its place, and each carries its label wherever it shows.

Checks worth making yourself

Anyone working on a boiler or gas fire must be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask for the ID card and read the back, which says which types of gas work they may do. Electricians can be looked up through SELECT or NICEIC, which each keep a register of the contractors they assess.

Extensions, loft conversions and many structural changes need a building warrant before work starts and a completion certificate once it is done. Your council’s building standards team, Glasgow City Council inside the city, can say what a job needs. If the building is listed or in a conservation area, ask about consents before work on stone, windows or a flue.

The General Medical Council keeps the doctors’ register and the General Dental Council the register for dentists and dental nurses. Physiotherapists and podiatrists sit on the Health and Care Professions Council register, and opticians on the General Optical Council’s. In Scotland, independent hospitals and clinics are regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, not the Care Quality Commission, and care homes, home care services and day nurseries by the Care Inspectorate, which publishes its inspection reports. Anyone can call themselves a counsellor, so look for membership of a body on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, such as Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA).

Solicitors are listed on the Law Society of Scotland’s Find a Solicitor, which also marks accredited specialists in fields such as family and employment law. If a firm cannot settle a complaint about its service, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission can look at it. Anyone advising on mortgages or investments needs Financial Conduct Authority authorisation, directly or through the firm they represent, and the Financial Services Register shows which.

A property factor must be on the Property Factor Register and follow the statutory Code of Conduct, and an owner whose complaint goes nowhere can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). Letting agents must be on Scotland’s Letting Agent Register and show their number in adverts. Home Report surveys are done by chartered surveyors, and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors lists its members.

Only an approved driving instructor or a trainee may charge for lessons: a green badge in the windscreen means fully qualified and a pink one a trainee. Vets must be on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons register. Anyone teaching or coaching children can belong to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland,.

We do not check each registration ourselves, so confirm it before you sign anything or hand over money.