{"id":775746,"date":"2026-09-19T12:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T12:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/775746\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T12:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T12:04:09","slug":"we-lost-14000-can-a-new-clampdown-stamp-out-cowboy-builders-consumer-affairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/775746\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We lost \u00a314,000\u2019: can a new clampdown stamp out cowboy builders? | Consumer affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"

In hindsight, Sheri Ingram<\/a>, 35, can see the red flags. Lee Slocombe, a builder hired to renovate her ex-boyfriend\u2019s home in the south Wales valleys, offered to do the work cheaply because he had materials left over from another job, then asked for money upfront to buy additional supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, we believed him,\u201d says Sheri, who was in her early 20s when it happened, and had just left university. The couple budgeted about \u00a38,000 for work that included removing a supporting wall and building an extension with a balcony.<\/p>\n

Within weeks, the house had been ripped apart. \u201cHe pulled up the floorboards and removed the floor joists \u2013 he said they had wood rot and needed to come out \u2013 took out the staircase, took down the walls, and removed the ceiling,\u201d Ingram says. \u201cThe first floor was pinned up using metal poles, and he threw the rubble out the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slocombe kept finding problems and asking for more money, so Ingram\u2019s then boyfriend borrowed another \u00a36,000 from family. By the end, the couple had handed over about \u00a314,000. The builder gave various excuses about where the money had gone and said he was expecting a medical payout for an injury suffered on another job, which he would use to repay them. He even turned up one day in a sling and said he needed a few weeks off. Then, after about six weeks, he disappeared.<\/p>\n

Sheri Ingram says her then-boyfriend\u2019s home refurbishment cost them nearly double the original quote, with the builder disappearing after just six weeks of work. Photograph: Sheri Ingram<\/p>\n

Slocombe, from Swansea, was jailed for six years in February after defrauding nine victims of \u00a3400,000<\/a> \u2013 his latest conviction in a decade of offending. Ingram\u2019s case was part of a previous trial.<\/p>\n

Ingram is one of many customers who have lost money to cowboy builders. In July, Citizens Advice said 4.8 million homeowners had a problem with a home repair job in the previous 18\u00a0months<\/a>, from unfinished or unsafe work, to disputes with traders. About 1.7 million had to pay more to fix earlier work, or had been overcharged, losing an average of \u00a3750 each. For one in 10, the extra cost topped \u00a35,000.<\/p>\n

Among Andy Burnham\u2019s first promises as prime minister was a crackdown on rogue builders<\/a>, with a register of trusted traders scheduled to go live this month.<\/p>\n

double quotation markThe government is also backing a Trusted Payment app, endorsed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute<\/p>\n

The government is also backing a Trusted Payment app, endorsed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. It will create a \u201cfair contract between trade and consumer\u201d, says\u00a0its director, James Walker.<\/p>\n

Under the system, milestone payments are delayed by 24\u00a0hours, giving time to cancel if consumers feel under pressure, with payments for completed work held in escrow by the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman until the job is finished to both parties\u2019 satisfaction. Projects costing more than \u00a32,500 are covered by a two-year warranty. Traders who fail to follow ombudsman decisions can be banned from the app.<\/p>\n

Sheri Ingram. Photograph: supplied<\/p>\n

Walker says the aim is to create a \u201ctrusted network for consumers\u201d while helping reputable tradespeople win more business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not going to stop a rogue trader going out \u2026 but we are providing a trusted mechanism so you know if you use this process you are protected,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

With the promise of greater protection, Paul Boielle, 82, hopes others will be spared his experience. He had noticed a problem with a corner of his roof when three men knocked on his door. It was soon after his wife\u2019s funeral, and he was caught off-guard and \u201cvulnerable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said they were doing work in the area and asked if I needed any roofing work,\u201d Boielle says. He showed them the problem. \u201cBefore I knew it, they\u2019d taken the tiles off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham has vowed to crack down on rogue builders. Photograph: Leon Neal\/PA<\/p>\n

Among the men was the roofer David Vincent, from Orpington, London, who was later sentenced to 28\u00a0months in prison. He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and engaging in unfair commercial practices.<\/p>\n

The men told Boielle the problem was more serious than he realised, and advised replacing the entire roof, quoting \u00a330,000 \u2013 about twice what he says it should have cost. He paid a \u00a35,000 deposit.<\/p>\n

Roofers arrived soon afterwards, removed the solar panels and tiles, re-felted the roof and replaced everything. The job was finished in 48 hours. Boielle\u2019s son and neighbours were concerned by how quickly it was done, and contacted Trading Standards. An investigation by Hertfordshire council\u2019s Trading Standards service found that Vincent had grossly overcharged Boielle for the work, carried it out to a poor standard, and failed to provide information about the right to cancel.<\/p>\n

The National Federation of Builders says many reputable builders may simply choose not to join Trusted Payments because they are busy and do good work. Photograph: Mediablitzimages\/Alamy<\/p>\n

For Boielle, the ordeal continued after the roofing team left. Tiles were crooked and the wrong capping tiles had been fitted. The work had to be redone and<\/p>\n

it took most of the next year to sort it out.<\/p>\n

The head of policy and market insight at the National Federation of Builders, Rico Wojtulewicz, says many reputable builders may simply choose not to join Trusted Payments because they are busy and do good work. \u201cWe don\u2019t think this is the best approach,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe every building should have a digital building passport \u2013 effectively a logbook recording all significant work, and who did it. If it subsequently fails, or is found to be substandard, that should be recorded against the builder responsible. It would shine a light on companies that consistently do poor-quality work.\u201d<\/p>\n