Finding a reliable tradesperson is top of the list for homeowners, with more than one million new skilled workers, needed over the next decade just to meet the rising demand for services across the construction and trades industries.

Making tradies feel at home can make all the difference in retaining the support homeowners need to keep their homes running.

Although the research found that both sides agreed that offering a hot drink and making small talk are still the most important gestures for making visiting workers feel comfortable on the job, other factors on both sides can help foster a positive relationship.

According to UK tradespeople, for example, while customers are keeping up the tradition of offering a hot drink when they have work done in their home (70%), nearly 40% say they don’t have a friendly chat.

In addition, 56% of tradies don’t get offered the use of the toilet, and three-quarters haven’t arranged a parking space or permit for their Transit before arriving at a job.

The survey also revealed the things that annoy homeowners and tradespeople about each other. For tradies, feeling rushed to finish quickly (60%) is the biggest source of tension, this is followed by unfriendliness (53%) and hovering (49%)​.

On the homeowners’ side meanwhile, their biggest annoyances are tradies turning up late (70%) and not cleaning up properly (62%), and a third say they become frustrated when they feel their tradies are rushing in and out of jobs and not taking enough care.

Just under half (41%) of tradespeople even admitted to giving nicknames to their clients, with a third saving these down as contacts on their phone – one in 10 of which were positive.