Our methodology · Editorial

How we write and review every guide

In-house research, four-step sign-off, sources cited inline, and scheduled re-reviews of every guide: pricing normally every 6 months, everything at least every 12, sooner when schemes or rules change. Distinct from how we vet the tradespeople who list on the platform.

See the four-step processRead our editorial standards
Last reviewed 19 August 2026
Who writes the guides

Researched and written in house

NI Trades content is researched and written in house in Northern Ireland rather than by a large newsroom or an agency, and we would rather be honest about that than invent a masthead. Drafting is assisted by AI tools, as disclosed in our editorial standards; every figure is then checked against the cited primary sources, NI regulators and published fee schedules before anything goes live, and every page carries its sources and review date so you can audit the work rather than trust a byline.

The NI Trades Research Desk
Editorial & Research
Northern Ireland
Researched in house, checked against the cited primary sources and reviewed on the date shown on each page.
All guides, questions and datasets
How a guide gets to publish

The four-step process

Research
The desk pulls primary sources for the topic: UK and NI regulators (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, OFTEC, FENSA, HETAS, FMB), NI-specific Building Control guidance, and live quotes from working NI tradespeople where the topic touches price or scope. We preserve the source list inline so readers can audit it.
Draft against working-trade input
Cost figures are compiled from written NI quotes and published NI sources, following the methodology on our Cost Index. Process descriptions are checked against the regulator's own guidance, not third-party summaries. We do not generate cost figures from UK averages and stamp them as NI, the NI market differs.
Editor sign-off
Before publishing, every draft is reviewed against four criteria: every claim sourced or attributable, every figure current to the stated review date, language safe for a homeowner under stress, and the guide names the limitations of its own advice. Drafts that fail any criterion go back for rework.
Publish and re-review
Every guide goes live with a visible Last Reviewed date. Guides are re-reviewed every quarter and any time a regulator changes a rule, a platform changes a price, or a contributor spots a market shift in NI quotes.
Sources

What we cite, inline, in every guide

  • Gas Safe Register, the only legal register for gas work in NI
  • NICEIC and NAPIT, the two competent-person schemes for electrical work
  • OFTEC, oil-firing technical association covering boilers and tanks
  • FENSA and CERTASS, replacement-windows competent-person schemes
  • HETAS, solid-fuel heating competent-person scheme
  • FMB, Federation of Master Builders, the main trade body for NI builders
  • NI Department for Communities, landlord and tenant guidance applicable in NI
  • HSENI, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (gas safety enforcement)
  • Local Building Control offices at the eleven NI councils, for council-specific procedural detail
  • Live quotes from working NI tradespeople holding the relevant registration, refreshed every quarter
Keeping guides current

How we re-review every guide

Every editorial guide stores two dates in the codebase, a published date (immutable) and a reviewed date (bumped whenever the guide is re-read end to end). The reviewed date is the date shown in the byline. If a guide says “Reviewed 28 May 2026”, that means a member of the editorial team actually re-read it on that date and confirmed every figure, rule and link.

We re-review pricing content normally every 6 months and every guide at least every 12 months (matching our editorial standards), and out of cycle when:

  • A regulator (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, OFTEC, FENSA, HETAS) changes a rule, fee or process.
  • A major platform (Bark, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Rated People) changes pricing.
  • NI cost ranges shift more than 10% based on incoming trade quotes.
  • A reader flags a factual issue.
Found a mistake?

How to flag a correction

If you spot a figure, a date, a procedure or a link that is wrong, please tell us. Email hello@nitrades.co.uk with the page URL and what you think is wrong. Corrections we accept are made within five working days, and a short note is added to the page with the date of the change.

Scope

What this methodology does not cover

This page describes how the editorial guides are written. It does not describe how we vet the tradespeople who list on NI Trades, which is a separate process with its own page. It also does not describe how we handle complaints about a tradesperson, which is covered in our complaints process.

Nothing on this site, including the editorial guides, constitutes legal advice. If a job involves statutory compliance you are uncertain about, consult the relevant regulator directly or take professional advice.