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Scotland window cleaners licence

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67
Location
scotland
Hi i was wondering if anyone know if you only have to apply for a licence in the area you live in and can then work anywhere or do you have to apply to every different council which could get very expensive as i would have to apply to 5 different councils  

 
East Ayrshire is £238 but it lasts 3 years, Dumfries and galloway is £222ish again last 3 years but South Ayrshsire is £0. Needless to say parts of south ayrshire are over saturated with splash and dash types working for buttons

 
East Ayrshire is £238 but it lasts 3 years, Dumfries and galloway is £222ish again last 3 years but South Ayrshsire is £0. Needless to say parts of south ayrshire are over saturated with splash and dash types working for buttons
In Renfrewshire we need a license and still it's full of splash and dashers. Unfortunately it doesn't see to deter people and little gets done to enforce it. 

 
The discrepancies in cost are appalling.... Mine is £305. The next council along is £93 [emoji848]

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I live on the border of two districts in Scotland. One licence is about £90 for a year while the other is £83 for three years. It's weird. 


The discrepancies in cost are appalling.... Mine is £305. The next council along is £93
emoji848.png


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yeah there dont seem to be any enforcment had a guy chap door last week asking if i wanted my 3 bed mid terrace cleaned for a fiver


It should be a Scottish license, or even a British one, rather than individual councils. 

 
yeah there happy just to turn a blind eye don't get why window cleaners need a licence but gutter cleaners and pressure washers don't. gonna complain to council and go to MP no point in it if they are not gone to enforce it

 
yeah there happy just to turn a blind eye don't get why window cleaners need a licence but gutter cleaners and pressure washers don't. gonna complain to council and go to MP no point in it if they are not gone to enforce it
See, the idea of a licence I agree with. Make sure it’s professionals, that they’re insured and do a criminal check, to make sure they are who they say they are and are safe to be working at people’s homes. But then not to enforce it and only to require certain people to have it, I was told recently that internal cleaners don’t need a licence, that’s what’s annoying!

 
Is that just a Scottish thing, I've been cleaning windows for over ten years and never even heard of needing a license, think your being mugged off, I wouldn't pay it.

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It appears to me,from briefly reading through these comments and it being the first time I've read about anyone needing a licence,that it's a waste of your money!

Ok I get the idea of a background check,and I agree with it. But I don't agree with paying an annual fee of nearly £300 in some areas,as that's just daylight robbery,and it's ineffective if the council can't or won't back it up! They can't back it up,if nobody is breaking any laws.

So it's kind of semi pointless. Ok maybe good to put on your business cards or websites, and that may well be worth the extra cost of the licence in the first place.......if it brings in extra customers?

[emoji848]

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They don't do a criminal check... They say they do, but they don't ask enough questions on the forms to be able to. I believe they'd need you to fill in a full Disclosure Scotland form, which they don't request. They also don't even ask if you've been known by any other names, which would be critical information when checking someone's criminal history. I've also submitted insurance documents with a different name than mine (due to changing my name back when I divorced) and got issued a licence no problem!

Unfortunately though, they can enforce it if they suddenly want to... They are allowed to fine you quite substantially, so although it seems they don't enforce it, it would be quite a risk to ignore it [emoji848]



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Is that just a Scottish thing, I've been cleaning windows for over ten years and never even heard of needing a license, think your being mugged off, I wouldn't pay it.

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
 
Yeah its just a scottish thing

They don't do a criminal check... They say they do, but they don't ask enough questions on the forms to be able to. I believe they'd need you to fill in a full Disclosure Scotland form, which they don't request. They also don't even ask if you've been known by any other names, which would be critical information when checking someone's criminal history. I've also submitted insurance documents with a different name than mine (due to changing my name back when I divorced) and got issued a licence no problem!

Unfortunately though, they can enforce it if they suddenly want to... They are allowed to fine you quite substantially, so although it seems they don't enforce it, it would be quite a risk to ignore it
emoji848.png




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I can't seem to find any info on the penalty of not having a licence on the council website it says call 101 to report someone but no mention of any fine for not having one. I don't think enough people know you need to have a licence and this is a part of the issue i didn't know you had to have a licence until i watched tradmans canvassing youtube video. 

I am going to be doing some canvassing next week and if i get told they have a window cleaner am going to ask if they know if there window cleaner is licences might start to deter people if the next time there window cleaner comes they ask to see a licence or at leaest make them aware there is a licence and they can look in to it

 
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