How Home Project Pilot trust scores work

The short version

A Home Project Pilot trust score is an independent 0–100 rating of a contractor. It is produced from verified business records and authenticated homeowner feedback, not from advertising dollars or subscription fees. There is no mechanism on this platform for a contractor to pay for a higher score.

What the score measures

The score reflects how much verified evidence we have that a contractor operates reliably and treats homeowners well. The inputs fall into a few broad categories:

• Business standing. Active licence, registration status, accreditation, and how long the company has been operating under its current identity.
• Public reputation. Aggregated public ratings and reviews from platforms we can independently confirm.
• Homeowner feedback. Reviews and project outcomes reported by verified members of Home Project Pilot.
• Record freshness. How recently each piece of information was confirmed. Stale records lower confidence; recently confirmed records raise it.

We do not publish the exact weightings or calculation steps. The model is treated as a proprietary rating method.

Why the formula stays private

Publishing the precise components and their weights would make the score easy to game. A contractor who knew exactly how to move the number could optimize for the metric instead of for better work. Keeping the method confidential protects the score's usefulness to homeowners.

What you see on every profile

Even though the formula is private, the evidence is not. Every contractor profile lists the verification record we hold — licence details, accreditation status, public ratings, and homeowner feedback — with the dates we confirmed them. You can inspect those facts yourself and draw your own conclusions alongside the score.

What can never influence the score

• Ad spend or lead purchases.
• Whether the contractor subscribes to any paid tier on this platform.
• How responsive a contractor is to us personally.
• Whether a contractor complained about their rating.

Scores change over time

Licences lapse, reviews accumulate, and businesses evolve. Scores are recalculated as the underlying information is refreshed, so the number you see reflects what we know today. A high score is not a guarantee of future work, and a lower score is an invitation to look closer, not a final verdict.

How to use the score

Treat it as one signal in a larger decision. Compare the verification records, read recent reviews, ask for references, and get multiple bids. The trust score is designed to narrow your search quickly; your own due diligence should close it.