THINKING about splashing out on a luxury bathroom, having the bedroom of your dreams or planning to spend the winter in a new conservatory?

York Trading Standards receives more complaints from people whose home improvement projects haven't gone to plan or who have lost money to "cowboy" traders than anything else.

Although you can never be 100 per cent sure that things will be entirely trouble free, remember you do have legal rights if things go wrong and, if you do your homework first, you are less likely to encounter headaches.

Contracts for work and materials are regulated by the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Suppliers of services must carry out work with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time (where no time limit has been agreed) and for a reasonable charge (where no price has been agreed). Any materials supplied must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for the purpose for which they were intended.

If you are considering spending money on home improvements and want to avoid some of the pitfalls, York Trading Standards offers the following advice.

- Shortlist potential traders by seeking recommendations from friends and neighbours, insurance companies or any relevant trade associations

- Plan what needs to be done and obtain any necessary approval from your local authority, insurer or mortgage lender

- Obtain quotes from at least three different traders and insist on written quotations (which are firm prices) rather than estimates (which are just provisional prices and may change)

- Ensure you have a written contract and seek professional advice where more complicated work is involved

- Avoid traders who seek substantial payments "up front" (although it may be reasonable to make some payment for materials, and staged payments are a good way of ensuring the steady progress of the work)

- Pay only for work which has been satisfactorily completed and obtain an itemised receipt which shows full business details. If you pay in full in advance you risk losing your money

- Think about an insurance- backed guarantee which may protect you if the trader goes out of business. This usually involves paying a small proportion of the total cost of the work

- Ignore any claims that the trader is not responsible for the work of sub-contractors. The trader is liable to sort any problems out, regardless of the fact that others may have been employed to do some or all of the work

- Make sure you are fair in your dealing with the trader - pay bills for good work promptly.

If you require further information on this or any other consumer matter York Trading Standards will be happy to help. The telephone number is (01904) 551562, visit our reception at 9 St Leonard's Place or email us at trading.standards@york.gov.uk. The fax number is (01904) 551590.