BuildAlert sends letters. JobFilter sends jobs.
BuildAlert mails you planning applications. JobFilter scans five data sources, scores them, and fires Gold leads to your WhatsApp before the letter even lands.
BUILDALERT
Physical letter through your door
2-3 days delivery. Then you browse the portal. Then you decide.
£2 per letter × 10 jobs = £20
And that's before you've quoted a single job.
JOBFILTER
WhatsApp alert on your phone
Within minutes. Scored. Buyer named. Value shown. One tap to act.
£39/month × unlimited jobs = £39
One price. Every signal. No per-action cost. Ever.
NO CHASING
NO COMPETING
REAL UK LEADS
STAY IN CONTROL
DO THE MATHS
HOW MANY JOBS DO YOU CHASE PER MONTH?
Move the slider. See what it actually costs to find work with each platform.
BREAK-EVEN: 15 jobs/month
Chase 15+ jobs a month and JobFilter is cheaper. Most trades chase more.
BUILDALERT COST
£30/mo
15 jobs × £2 per letter
Cheaper at this volume — but you only get planning data.
JOBFILTER COST
£39/mo
Unlimited scans. All 5 signals. WhatsApp alerts.
Slightly more at this volume — but you get 5 signals, scoring, and WhatsApp.
HONEST TAKE
BUILDALERT ISN'T BAD. IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH.
WHAT BUILDALERT DOES WELL
- Planning application alerts delivered to your door
- Simple model — £2 per letter, no subscription
- Covers 400+ UK planning authorities
- Physical letter is a clever direct mail play
- No lock-in — pay only when you want a letter
If you only want planning applications mailed to you, BuildAlert does that fine. The letter model is clever for direct mail.
THE PROBLEM
- A well-written letter sent a day late still loses to whoever turned up first
- No energy signals — misses retrofit demand entirely
- No council contracts — buyer names and values hidden
- No scoring — every application looks the same
- No WhatsApp — letters take days, jobs move in hours
- No property sales or business registration data
- £2/letter adds up fast if you're scanning multiple areas
Speed beats copy. The builder who turns up first gets the job — not the one with the nicest letter.
FIRST MOVER ADVANTAGE
THE BUILDER WHO TURNS UP FIRST GETS THE JOB.
Industry data shows 70% of jobs go to the first person to quote. Not the cheapest. The first. BuildAlert mails you a letter. By the time it arrives, someone with WhatsApp already won the job.
WITH JOBFILTER — MINUTES
WITH BUILDALERT — DAYS
Speed wins. Letters don't win. WhatsApp does.
BUILDALERT vs JOBFILTER
SAME TRADE. MORE SIGNALS. SMARTER DELIVERY.
Planning applications
BuildAlert: Yes
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — scored & filtered
Energy upgrade signals
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — energy demand mapped to your patch
Council contracts
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — buyer named, value shown
Ownership change signals
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — who just bought and needs work
New business signals
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — new businesses needing premises work
GOLD / SILVER / BRONZE scoring
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — chase only what pays
WhatsApp alerts
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — within minutes
Physical letter service
BuildAlert: Yes — £2 per letter
JobFilter: — Template included — you post
Private scans
BuildAlert: Planning data only
JobFilter: ✓ No shared auction — scored before delivery
Delivery speed
BuildAlert: Days — mail cycle + browse
JobFilter: ✓ Minutes — pushed to your phone
Signals per scan
BuildAlert: 1 — planning only
JobFilter: ✓ 10 — planning, energy, contracts, ownership, HMO, grants +
Pricing model
BuildAlert: £2 per letter — pay per action
JobFilter: ✓ £39/mo — unlimited everything
Per-action cost
BuildAlert: Yes — every letter costs
JobFilter: ✓ No — scan as much as you want
Subscription lock-in
BuildAlert: No — pay as you go
JobFilter: — No — cancel anytime
Council coverage
BuildAlert: 400+ planning authorities
JobFilter: ✓ All UK councils — all 5 signals
Data freshness
BuildAlert: Mail cycle delay
JobFilter: ✓ Real-time scanning
Free tier
BuildAlert: No
JobFilter: ✓ Yes — preview leads, no card
INTELLIGENCE ENGINE
TEN SIGNALS. ONE SCAN. BEFORE ANYONE ELSE KNOWS.
BuildAlert shows you planning applications. JobFilter shows you planning plus nine more verified signals — each scored so you know which ones to chase first.
Planning approved
Approved applications before they hit any directory. BuildAlert does this too.
Energy upgrade signals
Properties legally required to upgrade — retrofit work coming. BuildAlert does not cover this.
Council contracts
Public tenders with buyer names and values. Not in BuildAlert.
Ownership changes
New owners renovate. We catch the signal before they call anyone. BuildAlert misses this.
New businesses
Newly registered businesses needing premises work. Another signal BuildAlert does not have.
HMO licensing
Landlords need compliance work before the licence clears. BuildAlert has no compliance signals.
Building control
Projects moving from planning talk into real site work. Not tracked by BuildAlert.
Auction property
New auction wins need fast refurb and repairs. BuildAlert misses this entirely.
Void premises
Empty premises and distressed sites create urgent local work. Not in BuildAlert.
Retrofit grants
Funded upgrade windows create timed demand for heating, solar and electrical work. BuildAlert has no grants signal.
THE DIFFERENCE
BUILDALERT GIVES YOU DATA. WE GIVE YOU JUDGEMENT.
GOLD
WORTH CHASING
High value, real urgency, official source confirmed. Drop everything for this one.
SILVER
WORTH WATCHING
Good signal but timing is unclear. Keep it on your radar.
BRONZE
QUIET-WEEK LIST
Real signal, not urgent. Low value or too much competition right now — revisit when your diary is quiet.
BuildAlert mails you every planning application in your area and lets you figure out which matter. We score them so you know in seconds.
WHAT TRADES SAY
TRADES WHO'VE SEEN BOTH SIDES.
We didn't pay for these. They're what trades tell us when they compare the two.
"I was spending £40 a month on BuildAlert letters. JobFilter gives me unlimited for £39 and nine more signals. The maths is simple."
— Builder, West Midlands
"BuildAlert makes me log in and browse through applications. JobFilter WhatsApps me before I even know to look."
— Electrician, Manchester
"The scoring is what sold me. BuildAlert throws everything at me and I have to sort it myself. JobFilter tells me which ones are worth my time."
— Plumber, Bristol
"By the time a BuildAlert letter lands, someone with WhatsApp has already quoted. Speed wins. Every time."
— Roofer, Leeds
WHATSAPP BODYGUARD
LETTERS TAKE DAYS. WHATSAPP TAKES SECONDS.
BuildAlert sends physical letters. By the time yours arrives, the job might already be gone. JobFilter scores the lead and fires it to your WhatsApp within minutes of detection.
98% open rate
Not email. Not an app. WhatsApp — where you already work.
Within minutes
Gold leads fire instantly. Not batched. Not delayed.
One-tap action
Lead arrives. Tap. You're on it. No dashboards to hunt through.
FOUNDING 30
£39/mo UNLIMITED. VS £2 PER LETTER.
BuildAlert charges £2 per letter. Scan 20 areas? That's £40. JobFilter is £39/month for unlimited scans across all five signals. One job covers it.
FREE
See the signals. Know what's out there. No card needed.
Preview leads only
FOUNDING 30
£39/mo
(founder price, locked while active)
Full access. WhatsApp alerts. Source links. Price locked while your plan stays active.
- Full lead details unlocked
- WhatsApp gold alerts
- Official source proof links
- Buyer names & deadlines
- Price locked while active
STANDARD — £79/mo
Full access at standard price. Available after founder slots are gone.
No lock-in. Cancel anytime.
30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. NO QUIBBLES. NO HOOPS.
WHAT YOU GET
ONE JOB PAYS FOR THE MONTH. EVERYTHING AFTER IS PROFIT.
No shared auction
Scored before delivery — no five-trade blast, no race-to-the-bottom resale.
Verified signals only
Planning approvals, public contracts, verified energy signals. Not forms. Not ads.
No per-action cost
Scan as much as you want. One price. No credit packs. No per-letter fees.
Built for trades
Made in Birmingham. For people who work with their hands.
Cancel anytime
No contracts. No lock-in. Leave if it doesn't work for you.
30-day guarantee
Try it. If it doesn't pay for itself, we refund. No questions.
SCAN YOUR AREA FREE
BUILDALERT SHOWS YOU WHAT'S PLANNED. WE SHOW YOU WHAT'S WORTH CHASING.
Scan your area free. See what work is active near you — including the signals BuildAlert doesn't cover. No card needed. No signup wall. Just results.
BUILT FOR TRADES. NO CONTRACTS. FAIR SYSTEM.