From time to time, we see news reports of rogue builders. They vary from stories of shoddy work, through to builders demolishing building works over disputed bills. But for victims of rogue builders, there can be little that causes so much personal anguish and misery.
Make no mistake, it is utterly devastating. To have experienced this is indescribable. The lying, the cheating, the fictitious bills, in some cases the theft of money and personal possessions – it is all appalling. I recently heard of someone who’s entire home collapsed due to astonishingly poor work.
However, what is truly astonishing is the lack of protection for people finding themselves the victim of rogue builders. And remember, it is not just the person whose home is damaged. Subcontractors frequently find themselves unpaid, as are suppliers.
In the first instance, Trading Standards is a start, but they quickly run out of options. The reality is, if you are a victim of these people, your only redress is through the civil courts. And that is just the beginning of your worries.
Presenting a case is incredibly expensive. To take a case to court needs a budget of around £150,000 – securing quantity surveyors to prove the work is substandard, through solicitors to barristers. And you may win. You may win all your costs back to you, and costs of reparations. And then… The rogue builder goes bust on you and you get not one penny back. You are stuck with dodgy building work, that you have overpaid for, and a legal bill you must settle – even if the builder owes you the money.
This week I brought in a Private Members Bill to tackle the scourge of rogue builders. The Domestic Building Works (Consumer Protection) Bill seeks to redress the imbalance of risk between the consumer and the building company. Essentially, it proposes a compulsory licensing regime for builders and building company directors that means anyone who falls short of standards of work and behaviour will lose their license to practice in the industry for good. For the first time, dodgy builders will have something to lose.
I have been working on this for some time with the Federation of Master Builders, as well as Trading Standards, to protect consumers, once and for all. They have been keen on this far longer than I, and together we hope to persuade the new government that this is an area that urgently needs reform.