Editorial policy

Editorial standards

How we research, write and update the trade guides and homeowner advice on NI Trades — and the limits of what we publish. Editorial content is produced from a homeowner perspective by a non-regulated, non-trade-qualified team. It is general information only and is not professional, legal, regulatory, financial or pricing advice.

Last reviewed: 1 May 2026

Read this first — what this content is and is not

NI Trades is not a regulated trade body, professional body, chartered surveyor or engineer, qualified gas/electrical/plumbing registrant, building inspector, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser or insurance broker. Editorial content on this site is written from a homeowner perspective for non-trade readers, with the help of generative AI tools, and reviewed by a human editor before publication.

It is general information only. It is not professional, legal, regulatory, financial, valuation or pricing advice. Pricing figures and statutory references are indicative and may be wrong. Always obtain written quotes from a qualified tradesperson and confirm regulatory points with the relevant authority or a suitably qualified adviser before any work or payment.

  1. Who writes our editorial — a homeowner perspective, not a regulated trade

    NI Trades is an online directory and introduction service. We are not a regulated trade body, professional body, chartered surveyor, chartered engineer, qualified gas engineer, registered electrician, registered plumber, building inspector, solicitor, accountant, financial adviser or insurance broker. We hold no statutory authority, no industry accreditation, and no professional licence to give trade or technical advice.

    The editorial content on this site is written from the standpoint of an informed homeowner — drawing on widely available public information and our experience operating an introduction platform — and is intended only to help non-trade readers form a general working understanding of common home jobs in Northern Ireland. It is not a professional opinion, technical specification, code-compliance assessment, valuation, condition report, legal opinion or insurance recommendation.

    Where any decision matters (statutory work, structural work, gas, electrical, planning, building control, insurance cover, contract terms, dispute strategy), you must obtain advice from a person or body that is appropriately qualified or registered for that decision. Nothing on this site is a substitute for that advice.

  2. Independent of advertisers and listed tradespeople

    Tradespeople pay for listings on NI Trades, and brands may pay to advertise. Editorial content is produced independently of any individual paying tradesperson or advertiser and is not changed in response to commercial pressure. Where a section relies on data we collect from listed jobs (for example, observed cost ranges) the source is identified. We do not accept payment to feature a tradesperson within a guide and we do not write “sponsored” editorial.

  3. Sourcing, dating and review cycle

    References to statutory schemes (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, FENSA, OFTEC, Building Regulations Northern Ireland 2012, and similar) point to the relevant public register or published rule as it stood on the date the page was last reviewed. Cost figures, where given, reflect a periodic review of activity on the platform combined with publicly available market data on the date of review.

    Each guide carries a “last reviewed” date. Every category guide and homeowner-advice page is reviewed at minimum every 12 months and re-published with a refreshed date; pricing-sensitive sections are reviewed more often, normally every 6 months. A review date does not warrant that every fact on the page was true on that date — it indicates only that the page was looked over by a human editor.

  4. Northern Ireland focus

    We deliberately limit guidance to Northern Ireland practice — building control schemes, statutory registers and pricing norms differ across the United Kingdom, and our content is not intended for use elsewhere. Where we mention rules from Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland (for context or comparison) we say so. Do not assume guidance written for Northern Ireland applies in another jurisdiction.

  5. Plain English

    We write for homeowners with no trade background. Where a regulatory term is unavoidable (for example, “Part P”, “Building Regulations Northern Ireland 2012”, “F-gas”, “OFTEC”) we explain it in context rather than assume familiarity. Plain English is not a substitute for legal precision; where precision matters, consult the underlying source.

  6. Use of generative AI in our editorial content

    NI Trades uses generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools in the production, drafting, summarising, restructuring, expansion, translation and ongoing maintenance of editorial content on this platform. We treat AI as a working tool. We do publish AI-assisted and, where we consider it reasonable, AI-generated content. We reserve the right to use AI in any aspect of producing, updating, moderating and operating the platform — now and in future — without further notice.

    We disclose this voluntarily. There is no current UK statute that requires a website to label AI-generated content for a UK consumer audience, and the EU AI Act Article 50 transparency obligations do not apply to a UK-only platform that is not offering an AI system into the EU market. We disclose our use of AI because we think transparency is the right approach.

    Where AI is used, the following always apply:

    • Human accountability. The NI Trades editorial team is the publisher of, and is accountable for, every page on this site. AI does not have authority to take editorial decisions, decide what is published, or finalise content. A human editor decides what goes live.
    • Review, not certification. AI-assisted content passes through human editorial review. Review is a sense-check by a non-trade homeowner reader, not a technical certification. We do not represent or warrant that AI-assisted content is free from error, omission, factual mistake, “hallucination”, out-of-date reference, or imprecise wording. Errors can and do occur.
    • No warranty as to accuracy. AI-assisted content is provided on the same basis as the rest of our editorial content — as a general homeowner-perspective guide, not as fact, professional advice, valuation or technical specification. Where you need accuracy, verify with a qualified person or the relevant authority.
    • Identity-safe. We do not use AI to fabricate quotes, testimonials or attributed statements from real, named individuals or businesses. We do not synthesise images, audio or video to depict real, identifiable people.
    • No automated decisions about you. AI is not used to make solely automated decisions about a user that produce legal or similarly significant effects (for example, listing approval, suspension or removal). Those decisions are taken by a human administrator. See our Privacy Policy.
    • Personal data. Where AI tools touch personal data — for example, in moderation, search, customer support, or research that involves user records — we do so on a documented lawful basis under the UK GDPR and apply appropriate safeguards. The categories of processor we use are listed in our Privacy Policy. Where the lawful basis is consent, you may withdraw consent at any time as described there.
    • No dishonest commercial practice. The use of AI is not relied on to make, sustain or rescue any claim about a tradesperson, a price, a regulation, a guarantee or any other material fact. Nothing in this clause limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, or any other non-excludable consumer protection legislation in force in Northern Ireland.
    • Copyright. Copyright in computer-generated works is, as a matter of UK law, an unsettled area. We make no claim of exclusive copyright ownership in any specific AI-generated output. To the extent that any copyright subsists in editorial content on the platform, NI Trades reserves all rights necessary to host, display, edit, update, restructure and republish that content for the purposes of operating the platform.
    • Third-party rights. Where AI tools are operated by third-party providers, we use them in accordance with the provider’s terms. Output is reviewed for obvious third-party rights issues before publication. If you believe specific content infringes a right of yours, contact us using the corrections route below and we will look into it.

  7. Reservation of right to use AI across the platform

    Beyond editorial content, NI Trades reserves the right to use AI and machine-learning tools in any aspect of running and maintaining the platform — including, but not limited to, content moderation, fraud and abuse detection, search and ranking, user support, content classification, image labelling, internal research, draft responses to user enquiries, summarisation, and analytics. Any such use is conducted within the legal-basis framework set out in our Privacy Policy. We may add, change or remove AI-supported features at any time without notice. Use of an AI-supported feature does not transfer responsibility for the platform’s operation away from NI Trades.

Pricing-sensitive sections — general guides only, not fact, not a quote, not a valuation

Any cost ranges, “typical price” tables, hourly rates, day rates, or budgeting figures published anywhere on NI Trades are general indicative guides only. They are not:

Real-world prices are driven by site access, materials, scope, finish level, scheduling, region, supply chain, sub-contracting, regulatory approvals and many other variables that we do not see and cannot price. Figures we publish are rounded, simplified and aimed at a homeowner who has never looked at the trade before. They will be wrong for some jobs, and could be wrong by a wide margin.

Before you commit to any spend, you must obtain at least one — and preferably more than one — written quote from a properly qualified tradesperson based on a site visit and a clear written scope. Do not rely on any figure published on NI Trades to plan a budget, agree a price, evaluate a quote, raise finance, set an insurance sum-insured, or make any other financial decision. NI Trades accepts no liability for any decision taken on the basis of a published figure.

Statutory and regulatory references — informational, not legal advice

Where editorial content refers to statutory schemes, registration bodies, building regulation requirements, planning rules, consumer rights, landlord duties or similar, those references are intended as a starting point for a non-trade reader and are simplified accordingly. Statutory schemes and regulations change. Edge cases exist. Northern Ireland-specific rules differ from Great Britain. We do not undertake to keep every reference current. Nothing in our editorial content is legal advice, regulatory advice or a substitute for confirmation from the relevant authority or a qualified professional. Always check the current position with the relevant register, your local authority building control, or a suitably qualified adviser before acting.

Not professional advice — disclaimer of reliance

The editorial content on NI Trades is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis as general information. It is not professional, technical, legal, regulatory, financial, valuation or insurance advice. It is not a recommendation to engage any particular tradesperson, to undertake any particular work, to spend any particular sum, or to refrain from doing any of those things.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, NI Trades, its directors, officers, employees and agents accept no liability for any loss or damage of any kind arising from a reader’s reliance on any editorial content (including AI-assisted content), including, without limitation, financial loss, loss of opportunity, loss of time, increased costs, work that proves unnecessary, or work that proves insufficient. This paragraph is subject to our Terms, including the limitation-of-liability section, and does not exclude or limit any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Corrections

To request a correction, email hello@nitrades.co.uk. A request for correction is not a complaint about a tradesperson — for that, see our Complaints policy.

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