We got a full structural survey on the house we're hoping to move to. Apart from ranting about the roof (OMG it's 100 years old and ought to be replaced just because it should last about 80), and loads of caveats about everything, it was full of useful advice, along the lines of "This type of wotsit is prone to thingy. No signs of thingy are currently present, but I recommend going up to the wotsit every X months and checking for thingy by doing Y and Z. If Y or Z show A, B, or C, you need to get blah done. Contact a member of Wotsitstuff Trade Organisation."
Of course, the usefulness of this advice will only be tested over the next 20 years. In the meantime, I think the only way to find reputable tradespeople is looking for neighbours with well-kept windows, knocking on their doors, and asking who they got in.
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"This type of wotsit is prone to thingy. No signs of thingy are currently present, but I recommend going up to the wotsit every X months and checking for thingy by doing Y and Z. If Y or Z show A, B, or C, you need to get blah done. Contact a member of Wotsitstuff Trade Organisation."
Of course, the usefulness of this advice will only be tested over the next 20 years.
In the meantime, I think the only way to find reputable tradespeople is looking for neighbours with well-kept windows, knocking on their doors, and asking who they got in.