Should builders/tradesmen be better regulated?

[CowboyBuilders]

Changed name for this.

Why are there so many dodgy builders around. Sadly, I've paid out a very large sum of money for an extension, new kitchen and flooring and it's falling apart after a year.

Do some builders have no care for others and it's just a quick money making and no worries about the person they have ripped off? Why are some people so nasty and horrible towards others. I cannot afford to put it right. Cannot use the legal route since folded and reopened in a different name - shouldn't be able to do this either!

Anyone else had a bad experience with a builder?

I’m a construction lawyer and even I’ve had issues with builders, as have family members.

Unfortunately it’s just the risk of using a sole trader rather than an established company.

We also had an awful experience with someone. We had contacted them through checkatrade, and to be fair, checkatrade were really good. They send someone round pretty quickly to inspect the work (they were appalled), gave us £1,000 back as they say they’ll do if work isn’t up to scratch, and blocked the guy from checktrade.

£1,000 wasn’t as much as we’d spent, but at least we got a bit back. Thankfully it wasn’t a job that was thousands and thousands. There was no way we were getting any money back from the guy himself.

I always end up paying a bit more to go through a larger company (unless I can get a personal recommendation). I think B&Q guaranteed the work for a couple of years when we used them for our bathroom. I don’t know how easy they are to deal with about stuff like that though!

Strangely enough I was thinking about it recently, unfortunately though the person checking would be the building inspector for the local council. In my area the bloke is obsessed with smoke alarms but in the last 20 years, so it might not be him personally, there have been social housing built as a requirement for a large development. Built without underpinning that the private houses had...they have to be demolished. A large retirement complex built without the legally required fire breaks in the loft. Terrace houses built without the walls separating the lofts. A house built behind another house illegally, but the structure they applied for should d have been inspected.

So unfortunately I don't think it will work.

I also don't think it will work due to my own experience. I can name the company as they no longer exist. Royal and SunAlliance had at least 4 attempts to set up a recommended builder scheme, like for car insurance.,. when you had a claim RSA would appoint a builder to do the repair...it's was a nightmare and I have lots of tails of woe. Just one to illustrate, the builder sent a plumber to repair a garden wall, instead of interlinking the bricks, he just built towers of bricks next to each other! And they knew our inspector would be coming around!!

Wasn't a sole trader though it was a private limited company him and his wife. He employs 4 builders but accounts show only employs himself and wife. Offered cash in hand work. We paid the vast amount by bank transfer but some add ons that were discussed at the end he insisted cash would be better. That was several thousand, he said he would pay the builders merchant in cash because quicker. I'm a mug, the red flags were there.

That's awful.

Unfortunately, the misery it causes people. Building anything is not cheap but you expect to have it done correctly, not botched.

Unfortunately, his online reviews are good, so he can obviously do better when he wants to.

There are federations and many regulations they already have to follow. Unfortunately every property and project is unique so we can all have different experiences. I found Checkatrade people to be good as they want good reviews.

100%

I'm not convinced established companies are necessarily better.

We also had an awful experience. We did know we choose cheap but several neighbours recommended him too. He didn't have the skill for all the work and towards the end when we were getting fed dup with the work dragging because he was off doing other jobs as finishing our snags wasn't worth the money for him he got aggressive.