The Office of Fair Trading is warning people that the summer is an opportune time for rogue traders. Last year, its Consumer Direct advice service received more than 5,300 complaints about traders offering home maintenance work on the doorstep, a 16% rise from the previous year, with complaints peaking in the summer months from July through to the autumn.

Doorstep sellers may call selling new windows, doors, conservatories or more. But take care, shop around and don’t be pressured into signing an agreement you don’t want or are not sure about.

Doorstep selling is when someone sells you goods or services at your home (or on your doorstep). Doorstep sellers often use a range of high-pressure tactics to persuade you to buy. But don’t be pressured – tell them that you need time to think and that whatever happens you won’t be buying today. For further tips on how to say ‘No’ to doorstep sellers see Consumer Direct’s How to protect yourself.

And remember, never agree for work to start, as you may lose your right to cancel, see Know your rights.

Whatever you are buying it is always good to shop around to find the best deal. The ‘one day only’ deal they offer if you sign up that day will almost certainly still be available a week later. Stop and think about what you really want and take a look at our Shopping around guide to help prepare yourself.

Before you sign up, make sure you fully understand what you are buying and check the small print. Do you fully understand the total costs of the transaction – including the cost of delivery and installation? Also make sure you are clear about the after-sales arrangements such as the guarantees and warranties. Have a look at Consumer Direct’s guidelines on how to pay a fair price for a satisfactory job.

If you do decide to buy, you may also be offered a finance deal to help you pay for the goods. Loans offered in this way are often more expensive than other types of borrowing. If you can afford to borrow, make sure you shop around - you may well be able to find a better deal elsewhere. For information on different types of borrowing, including how to check a lender is legitimate, see Loans made clear.

You can use a credit broker to help you shop around and arrange a loan. But check if they’ll charge for this. If the broker has not arranged a loan for you within six months, the maximum they can charge you is £5.

You can also shop around by using comparison websites that let you compare loans from different companies. If you’re looking for a loan from a home credit lender (doorstep lender), you can use Lenders Compared, an independent comparison website.

Be careful not to apply for credit until you have decided on the best deal. But be aware that applying for several credit products within a short period can damage your credit score – see Credit scoring. Make sure you ask the lender to make a 'quotation search' instead of a 'credit application search', so it won’t harm your credit score in the future.

If you spend more than £35 with a trader at your home, you usually have seven days to cancel and get any money you have paid back.

Your right to cancel should be given to you in writing by the trader and cannot be waived. If you are not given this information you cannot be held to the contract and cannot be made to pay anything.

If you decide to cancel, you should advise the trader in writing within seven days of agreeing to the service. Keep a copy of your letter or email as proof of cancellation. For more information on your rights see Consumer Direct’s ‘Know your rights’.

If a firm selling you a product has arranged a loan for you to buy their product, the lender may also be responsible for the purchase. This means that if anything goes wrong with the supplier you may be able to get your money back from the lender – see Problems with purchases bought with a connected loan.

This law also applies to credit card purchases (but not credit card cheques) – see Getting help (Credit cards).