Tradespeople — how can the right partnership protect cashflow?

It’s no secret that running your own business is challenging, especially if you’re a sole trader. Between managing ongoing projects and securing new ones, it’s no wonder completing admin, like securing your trades insurance, often falls to the bottom of the to-do list.

We wanted to know what issues trades businesses are facing, so we surveyed 500 UK-based tradespeople* to find out. Here’s what we found — plus some solutions to help overcome them.

What are tradepeople’s most pressing challenges?

Rising costs of materials is a major concern for tradespeople, with 75% of respondents saying it’s impacting the way they price their jobs.

Additionally, 43% said there’s more competition in 2025, meaning prices have to be more competitive.

Our survey revealed one of the biggest concerns — tool theft. 53% of tradespeople said replacing their tools, if stolen, would cost them over £2000. For nearly one in four, this estimate increases to over £4000 for 22% of the tradespeople we surveyed.

Another pressing issue tradespeople highlighted was the challenge of securing regular work with a quarter saying it is their number one challenge.

30% of tradespeople don’t have business insurance. However, 18% of tradespeople are looking for business insurance this year. This tells us that it’s likely on a lot of to-do lists, but challenges push this task down the order of priorities.

There’s good news; 51% of sole traders plan to hire staff and grow their team this year. It’s worth noting that hiring more staff can help you complete jobs faster, but comes with more requirements, such as having public liability and employers’ liability insurance.

How partnering with landlords can help

We also surveyed 500 UK-based landlords and 68% of landlords are planning on growing their portfolio in 2025, which will increase their need for regular maintenance and support.

Landlords are an underutilised area for tradespeople securing business. 59% of landlords said property maintenance and repairs are their biggest challenge.

Having a good relationship with a landlord can make a big difference in securing scheduled maintenance checks and ad hoc requests.

We’ve broken down which regions landlords are focusing on adding more properties to their portfolio which can help tradespeople compare where more job opportunities are likely to appear.

50% of the landlords also said the best portfolios have a mix of commercial and residential properties. As a trades business, being able to serve both residential and commercial building maintenance projects can open up job possibilities for you.

Having a good relationship with local landlords can make all the difference — creating regular job opportunities in the calendar boosted with ad hoc repair requirements. 62% of landlords require maintenance expertise from tradespeople between 2 – 5 times a year, and 24% use tradespeople somewhere between 5 – 10 times a year.

For context, securing two local landlords, and having them on retainer, could result in up to 20 ad hoc jobs a year!

New regulations can also help support tradespeople’s pipeline. From October 2025 Awaab’s Law will enforce a strict time limit for repairs, meaning landlords must address all emergency repairs including damp, mould and other hazards in under 24 hours.

What’s more, In 2026, requirements will expand to apply to a wider range of hazards. This time limit for landlords can work for tradespeople looking to secure work and having an existing relationship with landlords will help speed up booking jobs and projects.

How is Superscript helping tradespeople?

Superscript is working with Checkatrade to support trades businesses. Having your tools stolen and being unable to work is the last thing tradespeople need. We offer tool protection as part of your broader policy or as a standalone cover to help ease the disruption theft has on both a tradesperson's ability to work, and its disruption to cash flow.

Finding work and creating a steady cash flow is what matters most to businesses, so we’re making it easier for tradespeople to get the cover they need and freeing up their time.

By doing all the admin of finding the right combinations of covers for you, we’ve made the process of getting the right insurance simple and straightforward. Contact us if you want more information.

Superscript surveyed 500 tradespeople across Wales and England via Attest

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