A HOMEOWNER living near the beautiful New Forest lost £120,000 in life savings and was left with spinal injuries after he unknowingly employed a cowboy builder.
Malcolm Carter, 73 ,from Hampshire, initially asked the builder for a relatively straightforward renovation which he expected to take less than a month and cost a maximum of £24,000.
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More than three years later, a nightmare botched job has cost him six figures and life-changing injuries because of an injury as a result of the unsafe work.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Mr Carter said: “It’s a lifetime sentence.
“I now live with a permanent disability because of the builder’s actions, a daily reminder of the devastation he brought into my home and my body.
“Night after night, I lie awake, unable to escape the torment.
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“I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in years.
“Every time I try to rest, my mind drags me back to those memories – the betrayal, the pain, the overwhelming sense of loss. It’s like being trapped in a nightmare that never ends.”
On top of emotional and financial suffering, Mr Carter’s home is still not up to standard.
He added: “Every single day, I’m forced to confront the physical evidence of his incompetence.
“I walk through my own home and feel the uneven dips beneath my feet, each one a cruel reminder of the work he botched and the trust he shattered.
“There’s no escaping it. My home, which should be a place of safety and comfort, has become a constant, inescapable reminder of everything I’ve lost.”
Nightmare build
Mr Carter and his wife Teresa’s nightmare began when they decided to convert their garage and renovate their kitchen, as well as and convert a bedroom into a bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.
He found a builder through tradespeople review and listing site CheckATrade.
The builder claimed the work would be complete within three weeks and would cost around £24,000.
Mr Carter thought the quote seemed reasonable and proportionate to the job in hand.
Worked started in September 2022 with Mr Carter paying for the work upfront – a total of £23,891.
Mr Carter and his wife were out of the house on holiday in Guernsey while the work was being carried out.
They returned to find the house uninhabitable and booked into a hotel in Southampton for a couple of weeks.
But by the end of the sixth week, Mr Carter work had not been completed satisfactorily, included a badly fitted joist, an ensuite shower that had not been connected, and the installation of a new defective boiler.
And Malcolm found out the builder was not gas safe registered, despite having moved the boiler that was falling off the wall.
The building was also deemed unsafe by the building inspector.
INJURY FROM HOME
At his wits end over the delays and shoddy work, Mr Carter decided the construction company couldn’t continue working on the property.
Mr Cater didn’t realise that some of the flooring also hadn’t been fitted correctly.
Walking through his home after moving back in, he subsequently fell through one of the new floors in the bathroom dislocating discs, which he then had surgery on.
He was in hospital for almost three weeks as a result.
He explained: “Falling through the floor meant I spent three weeks having spinal operations. Sadly, one went wrong, and they cut through a nerve – so now my leg is 80 per cent numb for life.”
The couple found new builders to make the property safe, and up to standard, this cost a staggering £56,000 on top of money already paid out.
This work included getting the utilities connected and working.
As well as refitting, including plastering, electrics and flooring.
He also had to spend almost £37,000 spent on the kitchen and wooden floors. Mr Carter says these were heavily damaged by the initial builder
It also included rebuilding the entire garage, which was part of the original conversion.
Mr Carter also had to cover the cost of a new bathroom suite, windows and a boiler because it had been ruined by the initial builder.
The total that Mr Carter has ballooned to more than £120,000 to date from an initial expectation of £24,000.
Mr Carter said: “Every day we get up, we are reminded of his bad work.
“The kitchen and flooring is all breaking up, but we can’t afford to get it redone.
“It is a daily stress, he doesn’t seem to go from our lives.”
Not received cash
Mr Carter took the builder to the smalls claims court, which ruled that the defendant must pay nearly £8,500.
The small claims court limit is £10,000.
And Mr Carter only had qualifying receipts that he could put in up to £8,500.
If you want to go higher, then the only option is to go to a higher court.
But even of the £8,500 due to him, Mr Carter has not received a penny to date.
However, CheckATrade has given Mr Carter £1,000 in compensation for the experience.
Mr Carter’s original builder operated under the company name Nationwide Construction Ltd. It was contacted for comment.
A Checkatrade spokesperson said: “We are sorry for Mr Carter’s experience.
“Concerns like this are incredibly rare and do not reflect the vast majority of interactions customers have with our members.
“Our vetting and protections are industry-leading and have been enhanced even further since Mr Carter’s complaint in 2022.
“Out of over three million jobs annually on Checkatrade, just 0.03% result in a guarantee claim being made.”
How to get help
Rogue tradespeople exploit the fact that anyone can call themselves a builder, with no minimum level of competence in place, according to Chris Carr, president of trade body, The FMB.
He added: “Malcolm’s dreadful debacle with a cowboy builder is exactly why we need to see building companies licensed and consumers prioritised and protected.
“At the FMB, we see cases like Malcolm’s all too often.
“This is why we are calling for a mandatory licensing scheme for all building companies, to ensure that only qualified, reputable professionals are allowed to operate in our industry.”
Unfortunately, taking legal action is costly and time-consuming but the only way to currently get compensation.
Small claims courts require you to prove your case, and legal costs can be substantial – potentially up to £150,000, with no guarantee of recovery.
Speaking to the FMB Build Up from the Basement Podcast, MP Mark Garnier who has campaigned for licensing of building companies said: “The only way of resolving the issue of a cowboy builder is going down the legal route to court. “
The problem is that even if you win a court case, a rogue builder operating as a limited company can go bust, leaving you out of pocket.
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Rogue builders can then quickly set up new companies and repeat the same behaviour with other victims.
If you are a victim, report the builder to relevant authorities and consider campaigning for stronger regulation to help protect others.
How to avoid a cowboy builder
NOT all builders are bad but follow a few simple steps could help avoid a nightmare situation. Here are tips from the Federation of Master Builders…
- Check that your builder is a current member of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), using the Find a Builder Service.
- Make sure you ask for a quote rather than an estimate, and have a written copy of the quote and work agreed.
- Develop a brief that is well thought out, researched and agreed between all parties. This will help you to begin your project on a high.
- Have a written contract in place that covers start and finish dates, agreed rates and material costs, what will happen in the event of a delay and how the builder will manage post-work clean up (including who will pay for a skip if needed).
- FMB members have access to contracts through the Master Builders members area. Ensure that any changes to the original agreement are put in writing by the contractor.
- Pay by card in stages, avoid paying any upfront costs and look into payment protection.
- Let the contractor know about any issues you have with their work and give them a chance to resolve them. The FMB is certified by the Chartered Trading Institute to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution Services (ADR) to FMB members and their clients, to assist in reaching a satisfactory outcome to building disputes.
- If your work was not completed by a Master Builder then you can seek assistance from the Citizens Advice, Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06.
- If you think you have a dodgy builder taking money from you, gather all evidence – contracts, receipts, photos, and communications – contact the builder in writing to give them a chance to resolve the issue, and report the matter to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice.
- If you suspect fraud, report it to the police, and consider leaving honest reviews online to warn others.
- You should also check if insurance will cover any losses.
