Homeowners on the Isle of Wight have lost almost £29million to rogue builders over the past 5 years, according to new research that has prompted fresh calls for mandatory licensing across the construction industry.
The research, commissioned by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), estimates that homeowners in Isle of Wight East have lost £14.35 million, while those in Isle of Wight West have lost £14.62 million – a combined total of almost £29 million.
It also found that 35% of Islanders have hired a builder who later turned out to be unqualified or unlicensed.
Among those who said they had been left out of pocket, around 13% of respondents said their average financial loss was £1,884.
The findings suggest the issue is also affecting home improvement projects, with 16% of Islanders saying they had delayed or abandoned building work because they could not find a builder they trusted.
Meanwhile, almost 7 in 10 respondents (69%) said they would feel more confident choosing a builder if mandatory licensing was introduced.
The Federation of Master Builders is campaigning for the introduction of a mandatory ‘Licence to Build’, arguing that anyone can currently describe themselves as a builder in the UK without qualifications, inspections or independent vetting.
Wootton-based Southside Maintenance Limited, an FMB member, is backing the campaign.
Richard Hopcroft, Director of Southside Maintenance Limited, has said:
“The trust I have with my clients on the Island exists because we’ve been vetted and inspected. Right now, anyone can set themselves up as a builder tomorrow morning with no qualifications and no checks whatsoever.
“It’s Island homeowners and reputable builders who pay the price when it all goes wrong.”
Iain Kirtley, Director of FMB South and the Isle of Wight, has said:
“A Licence to Build would benefit reputable builders but, most importantly, homeowners across the Isle of Wight.
“Our members are vetted and inspected, and we know Islanders value that reassurance. Licensing would give them greater confidence when choosing a builder and help stop people being ripped off.”
Richard Quigley, MP for Isle of Wight West, also backed the proposal.
Richard has said:
“Almost £15 million lost by families in my constituency alone is a staggering figure. Behind every pound of that is an Islander who trusted the wrong person with their home.
“There is no good reason why anyone should be able to call themselves a builder without a single check on their competence. It is honest, hard-working Island tradespeople who are undercut by those who cut corners.”
The figures form part of the Federation of Master Builders’ campaign for a mandatory licensing scheme, which it says would improve standards across the industry while giving homeowners greater confidence when hiring a builder.
Try looking at the backstreet car mechanics/sales as well, some of the wrecks they work on, do up and sell are deathtraps.
Like most businesses on the island, rogues.
I cannot believe checks are not carried out by the
so called authorities
DVLA system is crap it allows vehicles to drive for
months with NO MOT
Such places should be visited by inspectors.
Food ratings on the island for many eateries are poor
HOW MANY PLACES ARE STILL WAITING TO BE INSPECTED
The island is lawless in most ways, must be the sea air.
Go by use the recommendation strategy sound them out etc etc and don’t pay deposit up front .
Also a lot of the structural jobs need building permission and planning once planning and building inspector involved you should be ok as plans should have been submitted etc .
anyone who has a unmarked van and wants cash is never a good adver
Too many cowboys are going around with unmarked vans
how many island estate agents are employing such
persons to carry out works for them!!
It is too easy for a numpty to buy a van
print off some tosh from the internet and
hey presto they are a qualified numpty.
I would only ever use a registered company and
preferably a mainland company not a local numpty
full of tatts and a Vape or Fag hanging out of their
mouth.
Beware who you use, so many charmers out there who
swindle the elderly folk, they need locking up.
I’m pretty sure a builder that smokes or has tattoos doesn’t mean he’s a cowboy builder
What I cannot understand is how there are
no building inspectors visiting building sites
or building projects.
Like most things on the island no one cares
We are ot talking £30,000.00 but £30,000,000.00
disgraceful.
These dodgy builders need to be banned for life
from doing works.
It makes one wonder how many of these cowboys
carry out works with no planning permission.
I bet hundreds of jobs, what planners don’t see
they don’t know.
To have let this happen is scandalous.
Does building control etc and building Inspectors
not exist on the Isle of Wight!
Big problem dodgy builders check out Marc Leander Reeves. Qualified in nothing but will remove your money and replace it with empty promises. Brittany, isle of wight , mainland. Horrible pleb, up for another scam in front of the judge next year. Prison time served for the same MO. Still not stopped.
A good reputable builder wouldn’t ask for money up front. Don’t go for unknown or unheard of ones because there’s usually a reason why!
Advert for FMB, the figures are made up. Not one example. This is indicative of poor reporting. And the council are involved in several stages of building don’t think for 1 minute that they are not.
Would have been Interesting to know the demographic of people who have been affected, i imagine it’s mainly older people, our neighbour had his garden done, by a builder not landscaper, bad job, charged through the roof, complained like crazy to us about him and the work, guess who he called the next time he needed something done, the same dodgy builder he’s been moaning about. It’s not hard to check the reputation of someone or their business ona tiny island!
Rogue builders cause misery for too many people across the Island and the UK and we will keep campaigning to licence builders as we believe it will provide safeguards for homeowners.
The vast majority of builders are excellent and they too are affected by rogues due to the damage they do in terms of trust and reputation of the industry and would also benefit from a licencing scheme.
You can find full details of our Licence to Build campaign, along with details on the supporting research, here: Licence to Build | FMB, Federation of Master Builders
If you’ve been a victim of a rogue builder, we’d like to hear from you, please do get in touch via [email protected]
I bet 90% of the dodgy builders are from the mainland. I also bet 90% of the cases surveyed are mainlanders retiring here. I have seen numerous examples of mainlanders settling here, not willing to trust their neighbours recommendations. Instead they turn to Facebook, and WOW are they getting caught. Hook, Line & Sinker. Most mainlanders incredibly want mainlanders to work for them. What they haven’t realised is, they have employed a bunch of Diddicoys only interested in the homeowners wallet. Once they have emptied it, they move on. If word gets about on this small Island, they leave & the next lot rock up. My advise is, listen to people, go on recommendations of builders who have roots here. They want a good word of mouth for their work. As for building inspectors. If a job needed planning, then yes a building inspector with carry visit site throughout the works & on completion. They are inspecting the works meet regulations. They can only advise & refuse to sign off the works if regulations are not met. But it still falls to the homeowner to get their dodgy Facebook advertising builder to do it correctly, before he scarpers with their cash.