Homeowners in Harrogate and Knaresborough have lost more than £21 million to rogue builders, according to research by the FMB (Federation of Master Builders). Local MP Tom Gordon warns there is a “clear systematic failure of the system” to protect people from cowboy builders.
The figures put losses in Harrogate and Knaresborough at £21,461,115, with those affected losing an average of £1,944 each. Across Yorkshire and the Humber, the total is more than £1.1 billion.
More than 42% of people in the region say they have hired a builder who turned out to be unqualified or unlicensed. One in five decided not to carry out building work because they couldn’t find a builder they trusted. Two thirds say mandatory licensing of builders would increase their confidence.
MP highlights growing constituent concerns
Mr Gordon set out the scale of the problem in his own casework on the latest episode of the FMB’s Build Up from the Basement podcast.
Mr Gordon MP said, “Originally you get one email in and you think, oh, it’s probably a one-off. Then you get the second one and the third and the fourth. Before you know it there’s a clear systematic failure of the system here to actually protect people.
“What we’re seeing with some of the people in the industry is that they are completely exploiting people. That’s what it comes down to.
“Parliament hasn’t really got a grip of this. The local authorities and the councils who should be regulating and looking at planning and enforcement aren’t doing their jobs. There’s a massive gap that people are falling through.”
The human cost of rogue builders
The MP described how one constituent in Knaresborough is now effectively living in her garage because mould and damp have made her house uninhabitable.
“People who cannot escape this are thinking about it 24/7. It can be absolutely catastrophic for people’s mental health. You can physically see that they’re tense, that they’re stressed, that they’re not sleeping.”
He went on to criticise the current regulatory protection landscape for consumers, describing it as “quite toothless” with “ineffective organisations”.
On licensing small building companies, Mr Gordon said, “I’m really flexible about who takes up that responsibility. I think there’s definitely a space there where it could be the likes of the FMB. But it needs to be easily accessible to the consumer. If you invest upfront in enforcement, what you get back down the line in savings makes a better system for everyone.
“My frustration is that quite often when it comes to legislation, we like to reinvent the wheel. There are great examples already from other countries around the world, where we can take inspiration from what they do.”
FMB says trusted builders are losing out
Carolyn Frank, Director of FMB North, added, “£21 million lost in one constituency, and £1.1 billion across Yorkshire, is the price homeowners are paying for an industry that anyone can walk into with no checks whatsoever.
“What worries me just as much is the one in five people here who’ve been put off having work done altogether because they can’t find a builder they trust. That’s money not being spent with the good local firms in Harrogate and Knaresborough who do the job properly, employ local people and stand behind their work.
“Our members are vetted and inspected before they join. A Licence to Build would extend that basic protection to every homeowner in Yorkshire. It’s encouraging to hear an MP dealing with this casework every week reach the same conclusion.”
FMB CEO Brian Berry concluded, “It’s a national scandal that anyone can call themselves a builder and start work on someone’s home with no qualifications, no checks and no accountability. £21 million lost in Harrogate and Knaresborough alone is what that failure costs. There is also the emotional and mental stress that each victim goes through too after being affected by a rogue builder.
“A Licence to Build would help protect both homeowners and reputable builders. We are delighted to have Tom Gordon MP’s support on this. Hearing how his casework every week has reached the same conclusion, with no resolution for victims, proves that the Government needs to act.”
