Grandparents claim builder damaged their property's foundation

Grandparents claim they were left £44,000 out of pocket after builder damaged their house’s foundation, botched garden renovations and stopped turning up to work

• Sandra, 63, and Stephen West, 62, paid for a new patio area at their home in Kent
• They said their house has been left in worse state than it was when work started
• Read more: Apprentice contestant loses neighbour row over ‘dangerous’ trench

Two grandparents have claimed they were left £44k out of pocket after a builder damaged their house’s foundations, botched renovations in their garden and failed to show up to work.

Sandra, 63, and Stephen West, 62, asked a builder to turn their old decking into a new patio area at their home in Benenden, Kent.

But after paying the huge sum of money, they said their house has been left in a worse state than it was when the work started.

The unfinished work caused so much stress that the couple have claimed their mental health has been affected – with Sandra being prescribed antidepressants by her doctor.

They added that a surveyor told them the situation could get worse with harsh weather. 

Grandparents Sandra, 63, and Stephen West, 62, claimed they were left £44k out of pocket after a builder damaged their house’s foundations (pictured)

After paying the huge sum of money, they said their house has been left in a worse state than it was when the work started. Pictured: Collapsed wall

The couple asked a builder to turn their old decking (pictured) into a new patio area at their home in Benenden, Kent

The builder, who the couple found through the neighbourhood app Nextdoor, has refuted the claims and said the issues were outside of his control and were a result of the ground moving. 

Sandra said: ‘Once a week he would ask me for £2k for this, £5k for that, with more amounts and reasons all the time – it wasn’t until I added it up that I was absolutely appalled.

‘I couldn’t sleep, I’ve been to the doctors and he put me on antidepressants, and I’m still on them now.

‘We paid a lot of money and it’s been left in a worse state than before it started.’

Sandra and Stephen, from Benenden, near Tunbridge Wells, bought the house in January 2021.

They decided they wanted a patio months later and found a builder based off of a recommendation online.

In June 2021, the builder began the works but the couple alleged they immediately noticed issues with the wall he had constructed and that due to drainage issues just a couple of months later it had collapsed.

The couple claimed he stopped turning up to the property on days he had promised to work, and in December 2021, they saw him for the last time.

They also claim they paid for materials which were never supplied, and that they are still waiting for them to be delivered.

In February 2022, they hired a loss adjustor, who informed them the builder had tried to claim on his insurance, and a structural engineer to assess the damage.

The builder has refuted the claims and said the issues were outside of his control and were a result of the ground moving. Pictured: Hole left in the garden

Sandra and Stephen (pictured), from Benenden, near Tunbridge Wells, bought the house in January 2021

In June 2021, the builder began the works but the couple alleged they immediately noticed issues with the wall he had constructed and that due to drainage issues just a couple of months later it had collapsed (pictured)

READ MORE HERE: Former Apprentice contestant loses neighbour row over ‘dangerous’ trench

‘The structural engineer said we have fissures in the land where it’s all moving,’ said Sandra.

‘The house is 20 years old and there have never been signs of issues before, he’s damaged the foundation. 

‘They said it’s safe for now, but harsh weather could make it worse.

‘Rain, snow and bad weather has washed away the ground even more and caused landslide.

‘It’s left us feeling shattered, last year we couldn’t even get our heads around what we do now, we can’t believe anyone would do this to us.

‘We tried everything – we contacted Trading Standards but they said they don’t prosecute individuals.

‘We went to the police who were initially interested as it was such a large amount of money, but after a couple of weeks we got an email saying it was a civil matter, not criminal.

‘A solicitor said that as he is a limited company and hasn’t shown any assets, and if we took it further he would just close the company and we wouldn’t get anything.

‘They advised us not to throw any more money at it.’ she added. 

Pictured: The builder’s items left behind in the garden at Sandra and Stephen’s Kent home

The couple’s house (pictured) is 20 years old and they said there have never been signs of issues before

‘Before you hire a builder, research them. If they’re a limited company then check Companies House to see what they’re worth as this builder hadn’t submitted anything to Companies House.

‘Make sure you get guarantees, there’s no comeback whatsoever with WhatsApp texts for money.’

The builder said he tried to claim on his public liability insurance, but it was denied, and he is now waiting for a decision from the insurance ombudsman.

He said the materials were never delivered to the property as there was no space for them on site.

Source: Read Full Article