What is Completo?

Why Completo exists

Handing a contractor a deposit and hoping for the best is how South Africans lose money.

A geyser quote. A rewire. A "small" renovation that somehow needs another R20,000 by Friday. Sometimes the work is fine. Sometimes the WhatsApp ticks go blue and stay that way. Completo was built so accountability isn't luck — it's the default.

On Completo you get:

1. 1.Verified contractors — credentials checked before they can quote.
2. 2.Competitive quotes — more than one price, on the record.
3. 3.SafePay — your funds held in a TradeSafe trust account until you approve the work. Completo never holds or touches your money.

How SafePay works

SafePay is escrow built for home services. Not a slogan. Not "we'll look into it." Your money sits with TradeSafe until you say the job is done.

If you take no action during the 5-day inspection window, the milestone is automatically accepted and funds are released. So check the work. Look at the taps. Flick the breakers. Don't blue-tick your own house.

Free for homeowners. SafePay costs homeowners nothing extra. The 3.5% platform service fee is built into how Completo works — you see the full job price upfront.

Small jobs count too. A R1,500 drain unblock. An emergency geyser at 10pm. A mid-size kitchen job. If you're paying through Completo, SafePay is there.

Full payment-protection detail: How SafePay works →

Who holds the money?

TradeSafe holds the money. Not Completo. Not the contractor.

• Funds sit in a TradeSafe trust account
• Standard Bank is the custodian of that trust account
• TradeSafe operates as a registered provider for this escrow setup
• Completo facilitates the job and the release flow — we never hold or touch homeowner funds

That's the point. If something goes wrong with a contractor — or even with Completo as a company — your money isn't sitting in our operating account. It's in trust until you approve, both sides agree, or a binding order says otherwise.

SafePay is escrow for home services without the slow attorney-trust paperwork most people never bother with until it's too late. Custody partner: TradeSafe.

How Completo verifies contractors

Every contractor on Completo is verified before they can quote on your job. That's the bar.

Depending on the trade, checks typically include:

• Trade qualifications relevant to the work (e.g. electrical registration where required)
• References from previous clients
• PIRB registration for plumbers where that applies
• Profile and past-work review

We're also rolling out ongoing re-checks over time. Until that's fully live everywhere, the hard rule stays simple: credentials are verified before a contractor can quote.

Disputes, freezes and abandonment

Every job has a 5-day inspection period after the contractor marks work complete. In that window you can approve, or raise a dispute with photos, messages and what you want fixed.

1. 1.TradeSafe freezes the disputed funds immediately.
2. 2.Completo facilitates — we contact both sides, review evidence, and issue a non-binding recommendation. We advise. We don't sit as a court.
3. 3.Both parties have 5 days to accept or reject. If both accept, TradeSafe is instructed to release funds accordingly.
4. 4.If facilitation fails: under R20,000 → Small Claims Court; over R20,000 → AFSA for binding arbitration.

If the contractor disappears, the money is still in trust — not already spent on someone else's next site. Full detail on /safe-pay.

Completo vs Kandua, Procompare, Snupit

Quote marketplaces are good at one thing: finding someone. Completo is built for the part that actually hurts: paying before you're sure.

Use a big directory when you only need a name. Use Completo when you need the name and the money to stay safe until the geyser actually works.

When to use Completo

Good fit: deposits, staged work, anything you'd hate to chase on WhatsApp, mid-to-large jobs, emergencies where you're not thinking straight at 10pm.

Also fine: smaller jobs — SafePay isn't reserved for six-figure renovations.

Post a job is free for homeowners. Compare quotes. Pay only when you approve.

Related: milestone payments in SA, electrician costs, plumber costs, plumbers in Cape Town, plumbing services.

Completo — Frequently Asked Questions