‘My children had to sleep on the floor’
AN A-level student recovering from cancer was forced to sleep on the floor for three months when a rogue builder left without finishing a loft conversion.
Mother-of-two Emma Short, from Coventry, spent £9,500 before the tradesman suddenly stopped work on the conversion claiming he had ‘gone bankrupt’.
She has also shelled out £4,000 on repairing damage done to the house and her furniture by his workmen.
Emma, who works as a trainer for special educational needs schools and foster carers, was originally told the work would be completed at a total cost of £15,000 to £17,000, and that it would take eight weeks.
The two-bedroom house in Coventry marked a new start for her family following an acrimonious divorce.
But shortly after the build began in January 2021, problems started. The workmen regularly damaged her walls, furniture and carpets, and often only worked a couple of hours each day. As delays mounted, Mrs Short’s two daughters, now aged 13 and 19, were forced to sleep on inflatable beds on the sitting room floor for months.
Her eldest child, Courtney, who has an autism spectrum disorder, was recovering from childhood cancer and studying for her A-levels at the time.
Eventually, weeks passed with no work being done and, in June, the builder told Mrs Short he was going bankrupt and would not complete the project.
The electrics, plastering and insulation have been left unfinished, while the council has ordered the stairs to the attic be ripped out as they do not meet fire regulations. There is also a hole in the roof, dangerous wires hanging out from the wall and the builder owes money for furniture his workmen damaged.
Emma says: ‘As a parent, I feel I’ve failed my children. They’re living in a building site and I can’t do anything to get it fixed.
‘The woman from the council said, “I’m not even going to look”. She said I needed to rip it out and start again.
‘I’m angry that the builder has done it. He knew my situation and my daughter’s past, and yet he still chose to do this.’
Trading Standards refused to investigate, telling her it was a civil matter, but Emma cannot afford to go to court. She has made a complaint to her home insurer but has not yet received any response.
She adds: ‘The rules are useless. I don’t know where to turn or what to do.
‘I work hard for my money, I miss out on things for my children and to keep a roof over their head, and now I feel it’s worthless and pointless.’