Citizens Advice Reveal Most Botched Building Jobs

Posted on: 30 Aug 2017

When starting in the building services jobs industry, knowing how to deal with complaints and conflicts between homeowners and construction teams is a must, especially when trying to find a resolution.

This week, Citizens Advice revealed how many homeowners sought their advice in the previous year for ‘botched’ home improvements by professionals, as well as which jobs were the worst offenders.

Out of the 40,000 homeowners that sought their help, Citizens Advice found that problems with roofing and fitted kitchens were the worst – attracting 5,000 complaints each. Examples, reported by the BBC, included a roof which was left unfinished, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to the home, as well as a kitchen contractor leaving a kitchen without any doors.

Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, said that many people looking to improve their homes are ending up with them left in a worse state: “Dealing with botched jobs and unfinished work means many are left out of pocket and face huge disruptions to their lives.”

The charity’s advice to homeowners? First up, they should check if the building company has references from previous customers. They could also check if builders members of a trade body, as well as getting written contracts and quotations.

If something does go wrong, Citizens Advice recommend the homeowners use an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, especially if builder’s become uncooperative.

Fitted windows and doors, plumbing and driveways, patios and decking also featured highly on the list, with over 3,000 complaints each to the Citizens Advice helpline.