Beware the cowboy builder BOOM

How thousands of families desperate for home improvements are being fleeced by rogue tradesmen – and left living in ruins

COWBOY builders and organised criminals are exploiting the postpandemic building boom to target homeowners ‘desperate’ for home offices and extensions.

The number of complaints about building crooks and rogue traders rose by more than a quarter last year, new figures reveal.

The Citizens Advice helpline received close to 60,000 reports of shoddy work, with social media sites a magnet for unscrupulous firms.

Victims told Money Mail they had been fleeced of tens of thousands of pounds and left to live in building sites, unable to afford remedial work. Experts say in the worst cases, some have even been conned into signing over their homes to criminals.

The head of doorstep crime at National Trading Standards also warns that aggressive cold-calling is making a comeback.

She adds that prison sentences are a ‘hotel break’ for organised building criminals, who simply used their time inside to recruit more members.

Lockdowns spurred scores of families to improve their living space, with many extending kitchens and lofts or building home offices. But the demand also sparked a chronic shortage of quality builders and a spike in the price of materials.

Builders’ groups raised concerns that families are so desperate to get work done they are taking risks and are vulnerable to cowboys.

The courts have also seen a flurry of cases. Last year, Gerald Johnston, from Goole, East Yorkshire, was jailed for two years after he conned a blind man out of hundreds of pounds for roof repairs that were not necessary.

The victim told the court he felt ‘ashamed and betrayed’.

James Lee Knight, 44, from Cornwall, was also jailed for fleecing victims out of a total of £100,000 and leaving their homes uninhabitable, damp or with leaking sewage.

Another cowboy builder, Jamie Thompson, was jailed after ‘crippling’ a family by spending their £46,000 on drink and drugs instead of building their extension.

The home of Julie and Kelvin Briggs, near Stockton-onTees, Co Durham, was left looking like a building site for four years and they were told it will cost £63,000 to rectify.

In November, ministers were lambasted for failing to back a statutory licensing scheme, which would bring the building trade in line with gas installers and electricians.

Current weak regulations leave victims of cowboy builders with no way of getting their cash back. Anyone can call themselves a builder without any qualifications, experience or evidence of training. This means that the only protection available to homeowners is contract law — the legally binding agreement between them and the builder. For simple claims of up to £10,000 against a firm or individual in England and Wales, homeowners can take action in the small claims court, after paying fees of between £35 and £455. In Scotland you can pursue a ‘Simple Procedure’ claim for up to £5,000; and the limit is £3,000 in Northern Ireland. Larger claims are considerably more expensive. Fees are charged at 5pc of the claim — for example, £1,500 for a £30,000 claim — and it is likely you would need to instruct lawyers, which could cost tens of thousands of pounds. Even if you win, the builder can claim they do not have the money to pay, or victims may find the firm has gone into administration.

Insurers are also unlikely to cover the cost of any damage caused by rogue builders.

An Association of British Insurers spokesman says: ‘While you should always check your policy for the scope of cover provided, damage caused by faulty workmanship, faulty design or use of faulty materials is not commonly covered by home insurance.’

Katherine Hart, doorstep crime lead at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, says: ‘The number of cowboy builder incidents has gone up significantly. People can get scammed up to and beyond £50,000. The criminals will exploit for as much as they can get. I’ve heard of people who have ended up signing over their home.

‘People are so desperate to get work done. These are criminal organisations that see a weakness in society and they’re quite quick to exploit it.’

Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, says: ‘Even when you’ve done all your homework you can still fall victim to an unscrupulous building company.

‘There is a huge demand for builders coming out of lockdown, with people wanting to extend their homes, material prices going up and a skills shortages. It’s difficult to get a good builder at the moment.’

Last night there were renewed calls for the Government to regulate the industry and protect vulnerable homeowners.

Tory MP Mark Garnier, who fell victim to a rogue builder himself and campaigns on the issue, says: ‘This is a massive problem. It is

such a completely bust system. The Government have got their head in the sand over this.

‘We need a licensing regime with an ombudsman — then we can crack on and regain confidence to get building work done.’

Industry figures reveal that one in three homeowners has been put off starting work because they are worried about taking on a rogue builder.

In 2021, the Citizens Advice consumer service had more than 58,800 reports of issues related to home improvement, glazing products and installations. This compared with 50,000 reports in 2019, and 46,000 in 2020.

Most complaints about work in 2021 involved major renovations, roofing and chimney repairs, and windows and door frames. The Citizens Advice ‘problem with building work’ web pages also had a record 160,000 views in 2021, up from 105,000 in 2020 — a rise of 52 pc.

Until regulation is introduced, there are ways you can protect yourself.

Only use a builder who has been recommended or one you find on a trusted directory, such as the Federation of Master Builders’ Find A Builder online service.

Always make sure you have a written contract with your builder, detailing the price, what is included and the timescale for each stage.

Pay for work only once the job, or each stage, has been completed satisfactorily. And beware builders who are not VAT-registered, offer a dirt-cheap quote or insist on cash payment.