The collapsed lead site's statement of affairs estimates £38,911 in cash against £2.87 million owed to its bank. A comparison of the terms at Checkatrade, Bark, TrustATrader and MyBuilder shows the other ways tradespeople lose money on lead sites.

Tradespeople who were owed money by Rated People when it collapsed are unlikely to be repaid, according to the company's statement of affairs. The document, filed at Companies House on 1 October 2026, estimates that nothing will be left for unsecured creditors. A member who paid for a service they never received would normally have an unsecured claim.

Rated People closed its tradesperson memberships when it went into liquidation in September 2026, and its shareholders passed the resolution to wind the company up on 16 September. Checkatrade Group bought the brand and website the same week. Jobs posted on Rated People now go to Checkatrade members. The old memberships did not transfer.

The statement, signed by a director on 14 September, puts the company's cash at £38,911. Its secured lender, Nationwide (trading as Virgin Money), is owed £2,872,557 and will be paid first. Another £487,061 is owed to 25 staff and to HMRC, who also rank ahead of ordinary creditors. Unsecured claims total £9,871,805. They include £183,635 owed to Google and £254,528 listed as "accruals and deferred revenue", a line that covers both money taken for services not yet delivered and costs not yet billed.

Local Ladder, which builds websites and runs local SEO for tradespeople, found the figures while updating its UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker. The tracker now sets out the small print of the five biggest trade lead platforms side by side, taken from each platform's own terms and help pages and checked on 5 November 2026.

What the small print says

Checkatrade: most memberships run for a fixed 12 months and renew automatically. Members can only cancel by phone, in the month before the renewal date. Checkatrade's own help page says replying to the renewal email does not cancel, and that stopping the direct debit "alone will not end your contract". Credits for its new Opportunities Board expire after six months. Local Ladder could not find a published figure for how many members receive each plan lead.

Bark: credits expire three months after they are bought, and unused credits are not refunded. Bark will not return credits if the customer hires someone else or stops replying. Up to five professionals can respond to each customer.

TrustATrader: the whole year is billed in advance, cannot be cancelled once a listing is live and is non-refundable. Unlike Checkatrade, it does not renew automatically.

MyBuilder: there is no contract or membership fee, but the lead fee is due as soon as a homeowner shortlists you, whether or not you win the job.

Elliot Blackler, founder of Local Ladder, said: "Rated People members paid for a service that stopped overnight, and on the company's own estimate there's nothing left to pay them back.

"The one that catches people out is the Checkatrade renewal. Miss the one-month window and you're signed up for another year, and an email won't get you out of it. Before you join any lead site, find out exactly how you leave."

The liquidators, James Thompson and Ben Woodthorpe of S&W Partners, will decide what creditors receive. Former Rated People members can contact them at [email protected].

The full comparison and its sources are at https://localadder.co.uk/uk-trade-lead-cost-tracker/ and are free to use with credit to Local Ladder.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Rated People Limited is company number 05540422. The resolution to wind up, the appointment of liquidators and the statement of affairs were filed at Companies House on 1 October 2026: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/c...

The statement of affairs is the director's estimate of the company's position on 14 September 2026. What creditors finally receive may differ.

The comparison was checked on 5 November 2026 against each platform's published terms and help centre pages. Every source is linked in the tracker.

Local Ladder does not sell leads and has no commercial relationship with any platform in the comparison.

About Local Ladder

Local Ladder builds websites and runs local SEO for established UK trades and home service businesses. Its UK Trade Lead Cost Tracker, updated every quarter, records what Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and TrustATrader charge tradespeople, with a source and date for every figure.

Media contact

Elliot Blackler, founder, Local Ladder
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07868 288649
Web: https://localadder.co.uk