Homeowners across the UK have fallen victim to fraudulent builders, with some losing substantial sums of money. Citizens Advice reported that 4.8 million homeowners experienced problems with home repair jobs over an 18-month period, with approximately 1.7 million facing additional costs averaging £750 to fix poor or incomplete work. Some customers have been overcharged by more than £5,000.
One such victim, Sheri Ingram, hired a builder to renovate a home in south Wales who requested upfront payment for supplies. The builder subsequently stripped the property, claiming to find structural problems, and repeatedly requested additional funds. After extracting approximately £14,000 from the couple, the builder disappeared. The builder was later imprisoned for six years after defrauding nine victims of £400,000 across multiple offences. In another case, a roofer in London was sentenced to 28 months in prison for overcharging an elderly homeowner £5,000 for roof work completed in just 48 hours.
To address these issues, the government has introduced new consumer protections. A register of trusted traders is being established, alongside a Trusted Payment app endorsed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. The app implements a 24-hour delay on milestone payments, allowing consumers to cancel if they feel pressured. Payments for completed work are held in escrow by the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman until both parties are satisfied. Projects exceeding £2,500 are covered by a two-year warranty, and traders who fail to comply with ombudsman decisions can be removed from the platform.
However, the National Federation of Builders has raised concerns about the initiative, noting that many reputable builders may not participate due to time constraints. The organization has instead proposed a digital building passport system that would record all significant work and track builder performance, allowing poor-quality work to be recorded against responsible traders.
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