electric wires wrapped around a gas fire flue

 

 

 

 

This air and mortar was “supporting” two steels

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

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

We were left with visibly leaking roofs, inadequate foundations resulting in roof movement and door damage, uncertified, on site steel welds that Building Control cannot pass without certification. Most of the work needs correcting and the company has initiated the voluntary liquidation process that stops our court case against them. Meanwhile they have set up other companies to continue trading. 

We are left with acros supporting our roof, have lived in their mess throughout the pandemic and now have to pay double and more to correct their work and any legal expenses so far accrued. They knew the process and have ignored or delayed most procedures. We’ve endured their mess for 4 years.

Since commencing diagnostic repair works further poor workmanship and additional non British Standard and unsafe work has been discovered, requiring knocking down and re-building. The walls were missing mortar, electric cables were wrapped around the gas fire flue and materials used were not fire safe. The whole structure was at risk of falling down. Trading Standards feels this unsafe work doesn’t require investigating yet Building Control wont pass it unless it is knocked down and both Citizens Advice & the Police recommended Trading Standards.

This appears to happen continuously in the construction business and both Trading Standards and legal apathy towards it allows it to continue.

Builders are protected from bad consumers by Ltd liability yet consumers are not protected from bad builders.

There are good, genuine, hard working, honest construction worker companies available, we have had some wonderful support and help from some but they suffer from the lack of trust people like us have in the construction industry. They repeatedly inform us that obtaining work and client trust can be difficult and wish the dishonest incompetant/cowboy traders to be publicly shamed.

The Law is weighted too heavily on the construction industry side and Justice through the Civil Law Courts is only available to those who can afford it, most can’t. It is too easy to avoid responsibility for bad work by liquidating Ltd liability companies. The cost of ensuring these cowboys are made to pay for their mistakes is too high for consumer Law/Civil Law/Construction Law to be applied.

1. The Construction industry needs reform to stop the cowboys using Ltd liability as a “get out of Jail free card”. 
   3. A registration system similar to other sectors would help if it is mandatory, monitored and revoked if poor workman ship is evidenced.
2. The cost of Justice needs to be reduced or access to financial aid available if Trading Standards cannot allocate resources to investigations.
3. There needs to be a neutral governing body to ensure cowboys are named and shamed.