How Best Bristol chooses Bristol firms, and the registers to open before you ring one
What gets a Bristol firm onto a list and what never does, the three things we weigh, what Pro and Top do and do not buy, how to correct us, and the official register to check for each kind of firm, from Gas Safe to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Updated
Best Bristol lists Bristol firms that do one job well and can be checked. A list here is a quick reply to "who should I ring for this?", and every firm on it has to earn its place on the same three points.
What gets a firm in, and what never will
In
- It does the job the list is about. A dentist that places implants goes in the implants list. A general builder does not turn up among roofers.
- Its record in public holds up. We read what real customers wrote on public pages for what it says, such as the same complaint about a deposit coming up again and again.
- Its own site and official channels back it up. Services, prices where it publishes them, registration numbers and how to reach it.
- It works in Bristol or the built-up area round it, from Clifton and Bedminster to Fishponds, Filton and Bradley Stoke. Bath, Keynsham, Portishead and Thornbury are places in their own right and sit outside these lists.
Out
- A fee. Nobody pays to be added, and nobody pays to move up.
- A different trade. A firm that mainly does something else does not sit in a list for a job it only dabbles in.
- Another town. A firm based in Bath or Weston-super-Mare that will travel to Bristol is not a Bristol firm.
- A score on its own. A high rating from a handful of reviews tells us little, so reputation is read as a whole and not as one number.
Bristol's own wrinkles
Hills and conservation areas
Bristol has 33 conservation areas, which change what work on a house needs permission. Our conservation area guide shows what the council asks for.
Two universities, a lot of shared houses
Student lets run on different rules from family lettings, with licences and planning limits of their own, set out in our shared house guide.
Streets that need a permit
Parking in many central streets is controlled. The permit guide prices a permit for your zone before you rent or buy.
Group by group: the register to open before you ring
A list tells you who to start with. A register tells you whether a firm is allowed to do the job. We link the main one for each group below, and we recommend you open it before you pay a deposit.
| Kind of firm | What it can show you | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Roofers, builders, plumbers, electricians and other home trades Roofers, plumbers, electricians, builders | For gas work, the Gas Safe register. For energy-saving jobs, TrustMark. | Gas Safe Register and TrustMark |
| Dentists and private clinics Dentists, aesthetic clinics, physiotherapists | Each dentist on the General Dental Council register. A clinic that carries out regulated care on the Care Quality Commission's lists. | General Dental Council online register and Care Quality Commission |
| Solicitors Solicitors, conveyancing | The Solicitors Regulation Authority register, by firm or by name. | Solicitors Regulation Authority register |
| Surveyors and architects Chartered surveyors, architects | RICS for a chartered surveyor, the Architects Registration Board for the title "architect". | RICS and Architects Registration Board |
| Letting and estate agents Letting agents, student letting agents | Membership of a redress scheme, and for a landlord the council's licence register and the Rent with Confidence accreditation. | The Property Ombudsman and West of England Rent with Confidence |
| Vets Vets, emergency vets | The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons register of vets and practices. | RCVS Find a Vet |
| Money and insurance Mortgage brokers, financial advisers, insurance brokers | The Financial Conduct Authority register, for the firm and the permissions it holds. | FCA register |
| Nurseries and schools Day nurseries, Montessori nurseries | The latest Ofsted inspection report for the setting. | Ofsted reports |
| Food and events Caterers, wedding caterers | The Food Standards Agency hygiene rating for the business. | Food hygiene ratings |
| Tree work and solar Tree surgeons, solar installers, heat pump installers | The Arboricultural Association for approved tree contractors, MCS for solar and heat pumps. | Arboricultural Association and MCS |
| Driving instructors Driving instructors | The government's service for finding driving instructors. | GOV.UK driving lessons |
| Any company Every list | Companies House shows who runs a limited company and whether it files its accounts. | Companies House |
Most of these registers are search forms, so we link the page and not an individual entry. A firm that is not on the register for its trade can still be a good one: it simply does not hold that qualification.
Free, Pro and Top
Being on a list is free. Pro gives a firm that is already listed a bigger page, with photos, services and contact details, and leaves its place untouched. Top is one of the first three places on a list and is always marked as such. Only a firm that is already on a list can buy either.
Something wrong?
If a firm has shut, moved or changed what it does, or if a list has the wrong one in it, write to info@bestbristol.uk with the page and what you saw. A firm that wants its details corrected can use the claim button on its entry. We do not take payment for corrections.