About

Hire Wise Guide is a project by Maksim Shchegolev.

We collect and read through public discussions from people who have hired tradespeople and professionals in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia: what they asked, what went wrong, what they wish they had checked. From that we write practical guides on finding, vetting and hiring local pros, from roofers and plumbers to solicitors, accountants and tutors.

How we use the discussions

• We do not quote people or name them. We look for patterns: the questions that keep coming up and the checks that would have helped.
• Where an article gives a number from those discussions, it is counted by script from the posts we collected, and the article says how many discussions it is based on and from which dates.
• We do not invent prices, statistics, reviews or case studies. If we do not have a reliable number, we write without one.
• Licensing and accreditation rules change and vary by country, state and province. We point you to the body that runs each scheme so you can check the current rules yourself.

What we are not

We are not a directory, a trade body or a law or accounting firm, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. We do not rank or endorse individual businesses.

Some links on the site are affiliate links. See the affiliate disclosure for how that works.

Questions or corrections: contact us.

Photo credits

Photos are used under the free Pexels and Unsplash licenses.

• Home: photo by Curtis Adams on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Trades: photo by Rene Terp on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Lawyers: photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Immigration: photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Accountants: photo by Karola G on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Mortgages: photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Loans debt: photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Insurance: photo by KúKú Campers on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Solar: photo by Budget Bizar on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Movers: photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Events lessons: photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels (Pexels License)
• Medical travel: photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels (Pexels License)