A FAMILY-of-five are sleeping in one bedroom after a cowboy builder “destroyed” their house when they paid £46,000 for an extension he never finished.
The distraught family have since learned that Ben Woodman, 32, owes more than £180,000 to at least 24 other victims for unfinished work.
This includes 16 county court judgements against him for a total of £43,121 over the past two years, according to court records.
The builder admitted to The Sun he had “messed up” but denied he was a “conman”.
Uni student Thenucha Sivakumar, 19, posted a shocking video on YouTube of the three bedroom terrace home in Lewisham, south east London, where she lives with her mum and three siblings.
Woodman was employed to build a single storey extension on the back of their house and put a new floor in their open plan lounge and dining room in September.
They paid £46,000 up front for the work which he said would take eight weeks.
The family claim he ripped up the floor in the lounge and dining room, built the walls of the extension and put up the timber joists for the roof but hasn’t done anything else.
They also say they haven’t seen him since October and can’t get hold of him.
The family now all sleeping in one room – on a double bed and a single mattress – as one of the other bedrooms can’t be used as the builder allegedly ripped out the chimney breast leaving gaping holes in the floor and ceiling and exposed brickwork.
The third tiny bedroom is used as a homework room by the four siblings aged 15 to 19 who are all students.
Woodman also disconnected the pipes in the kitchen so their kitchen sink can’t be used and they have to feed the pipe from the washing machine into the back garden.
A huge pile of rubble, bricks and broken wooden pallets has been left on their front drive.
Thenucha said: “He has destroyed our lives.
“Since we posted the YouTube video we have been contacted by eight other victims who all have the same issues with him.
How to complain if you've been the victim of a cowboy builder
Under the Consumer Rights Act, customers who enter into a contract for goods and services can expect these to be supplied with reasonable care and skill.
This applies to all traders, including builders, plumbers, decorators and electricians.
The rules mean all contracts for services must do the following:
- The trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill.
- Information that is spoken or written is binding where the consumer relies on it.
- Where the price is not agreed beforehand, the service must be provided for a reasonable price.
- Unless a particular timescale for performing the service is set out or agreed, the service must be carried out in a reasonable time.
If the work doesn’t match the standards promised, you are entitled to do the following under the Consumer Rights Act:
- The trader should either redo the element of the service that’s inadequate, or perform the whole service again at no extra cost to you, within a reasonable time and without causing you significant inconvenience.
- If this is impossible, or can’t be done within a reasonable time or without causing significant inconvenience, you can claim a price reduction.
If this fails, contact your local Citizens Advice centre, or will get in touch with your local Trading Standards service.
And if you feel you have no other option, you can claim up to £10,000 compensation in a small claims court without the need for a lawyer but this can be costly and is often risky.
“We called the police but they said it was a civil matter.
“He’s done this to loads of people.
“He’s closed his facebook account because people kept going on there and complaining about him.
“He’s conned so many people.
“He hasn’t even paid his own workers as they keep knocking on our door looking for him and asking for their wages.”
Screengrabs from his now closed Facebook page include a post from Lloyd Tiernan saying: “Be aware this man is a con man and robs family’s hard earned money for a living!!”
John Smith added: “I also have been burned by this scumbag. A genuinely horrible human being.”
Thenucha said she wanted to warn others about him.
Under her YouTube video she wrote: “Please do not hire him! He is only there for the money and to damage the property.
“He is a thief, fraud and a scammer.
“He should be locked up behind the bars.”
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Builder Ben Woodman admitted that he had “messed up” and that his firm had gone into insolvency but denied being a conman.
He said: “I’m not a conman. I messed up somewhere along the line.”
Asked about the Sivakumars home, he said: “I inherited other people’s work on that job.
“That took about £12,000 from my budget on that job.
“Things do go pear-shaped. I’m not a massive firm. It’s been in insolvency.”
Linkhttps://textbacklinkexchanges.com/family-of-five-forced-to-sleep-in-one-bedroom-after-cowboy-builder-ruined-their-home-and-then-vanished/
News Pictures Family of five forced to sleep in ONE bedroom after ‘cowboy builder ruined their home and then vanished’
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NINTCHDBPICT000456677923.jpg?strip=all&w=960
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