How to Become a Licensed Decorator

What is the CLE?
The Construction Licensing Excecutive (CLE) has been created to separate the legitimate contractor from the rogue traders.

What is a legitimate Contractor?
He is a Contractor who works to proper certified standards, who is properly trained, works to a code of practice and who puts the Customer first.

The CLE is fully supported by all sectors of the Construction Indusrty, Trade and Professional Associations, The Scottish Parliament, Consumer Bodies, Trading Standards and Manufacturers.

The CLE have laid down the criteria which Contractors must meet prior to obtaining a license. The Board of the CLE have appointed the Scottish Decorators' Federation as the Licence Awarding Body for the Painting and Decorating industry in Scotland.

The criteria that Contractors must meet is laid out within this page.

In the future it is likely that holding a license will be a requirement for obtaining work in many sectors of the industry as it proves that you are fully legitimate working to high verifiable standards which are guaranteed and which are constantly and independently checked.

Who are the CLE Board?
The CLE is a Board of various bodies who have come together to raise and certificate standards within the industry.

They are:

• Scottish Executive Building Standards Division
• Scottish Executive Enterprise & Lifelong Learning
• Scottish Association of Chief Building Control Officers
• Society of Chief Trading Standards Officers in Scotland
• Council of Mortgage Lenders
• Scottish Consumer Council
• Association of British Insurers (ABI)
• Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
• STUC
• Scottish Decorators' Federation (SDF)
• Scottish Building
• Scotland & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF)
• Scottish Electrical Contractors Association (SELECT)
• National Specialist Contractors Council Scottish Committee (NSCC)
• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland (RICS)
• Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)
• Civil Engineering Contractors' Association (CECA)

Why you should become a Licensed Decorator

• It proves you are a legitimate company.
• It certifies that your work has been inspected and that it reaches the high standard required to obtain a license.
• It guaranteed that your workforce is completely competent and that they are registered with SCORE / CSCS.
• It acknowledges that for domestic work you will use proper contracts.
• It guarantees you use Trade Quality materials.
• It provides your Domestic Customers with a 12 month warranty underwritten by the Scottish Decorators' Federation. Non-SDF members are required to provide their own insurance backed warranty.
• It guarantees that you have adequate insurance
• It provides customers an independent complaints and restoration of work mechanism.
• It ensures you abide by a Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure.

In short, it is testament to the customer that you have been inspected, selected and that you work to the highest standard

How to become a Licensed Decorator
To become licensed a business is required to demonstrate that it can comply with the following criteria.

1. Technical Competence
   This is done by inspecting your work
   
   
2. Employee Competence
   Operatives must possess a SCORE or CSCS Skills card
   
   
3. Financial Probity
   Businesses are required to provide evidence of financial integrity, both on application and on an ongoing basis.
   
   
4. Customer Care
   Businesses must agree to abide by a published Code of Practice and Customer Charter. They must also agree to abide by decisions made by Inspectors during investigations
   
   
5. Warranty
   Businesses must provide a warranty for domestic work. If a business is not a member of the Scottish Decorators' Federation it must supply its own insurance backup warranty of work.
   
   
6. Comply with all statutory obligations
   This includes all current and relevant Health and Safety legislation.
   
   
7. Liability insurances
   All businesses must provide evidence of Public Liability Insurance to a minimum level of £2m and comply with statutory requirements for Employers' Liability Insurance. This must be provided annually or if you change insurance companies.
   
   
8. Contact Documentation
   All domestic work must have signed contract documentation, which is available from the Scottish Decorators' Federation. This Contract invokes Domestic warranty and customer claims procedures.
   
   
9. Training
   Decorators are required to prove that they undergo training on an annual basis.
   
   
10. Address
    Decorators are required to work from a proper business address ( this could be a home address for small businesses )
    
    
11. Communication
    All Licensed Decorators are require to have a landline telephone.
    
    
12. Materials
    You must use Trade Quality materials and hold a serviced account with a manufacturer of merchant.
    
    

Who are members of the Registration Board
The overall cost will include the CLE license fee, an SDF administration fee and a commercial charge for inspection. However, if you are a member of the SDF, the Federation will subsidise the inspection costs.