Roofing scammers con homeowners out of thousands of pounds

Scammers pretending to be legitimate workmen are charging homeowners thousands of pounds for roofing work that is not completed, done badly or not necessary, according to Citizens Advice.

The consumer advice charity says one in 10 of all the scams it recorded over the past year were related to roofing, making it the most common type of scam brought to them.

It can leave victims like Crystal, from the Midlands, thousands of pounds out of pocket.

The 68-year-old was frightened and found it hard to sleep after a rogue builder left her roof with dislodged bricks and blocked gutters.

She said she felt pressured into agreeing to having her roof re-done and paid a total of £5,500, only for the original contractor to send his son instead, who left work in the eaves incomplete.

"We had heavy rain a couple of weeks after he did the job, and it ended up like a waterfall coming down the wall," she said.

Her neighbour's house was also damaged.

"They took the lead off my neighbour's side of the chimney, which caused bricks to fall into his attic and the rain to go into his house," she told the BBC.

The experience still haunts her: "I can't sleep. I don't eat properly".

In the year to August the Citizens Advice Consumer Service received 9,000 complaints about roofing work, including problems with construction, repairs and weatherproofing.

Of those 2,205, or about one in four complaints, were suspected scams, up from 2,098 the year before.

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, urged consumers to carry out thorough checks on traders before agreeing to hire them.

"Scammers exploit the fact that roofs are out of sight and reach, knowing most people can't easily inspect the work themselves," she said.

Victims also reported aggressive and intimidating behaviour, with three quarters of fraudsters using "doorstep" sales tactics.

Citizens Advice cited the case of Charlotte, 65, who lives alone in north eastern England.

Tradesmen she found online initially offered to fix her leaking gutter for £250. The two men then said there was further work that needed to be done, that would cost £2,500.

"An hour later they said it was sorted, but they'd found another problem," she said.

It was dark and Charlotte felt afraid. "They knew I was alone, I didn't feel like I could deal with anything that might happen after, so I paid £3,500," she said.

But the next day she could see no sign of any work having been done, she said.

To avoid falling victim to roofing scams, Citizens Advice suggests:

• Be alert: Always ask for references and for everything to be in writing. Be wary of unsolicited doorknockers and callers

• Gather evidence: If a trader causes problems, be sure to take photos and gather the necessary paperwork and receipts

• Know your rights: Traders must give you the information about your right to cancel in writing. If the job is not done with "reasonable care and skill," the Consumer Rights Act 2015 also entitles you to ask for the problem to be fixed or a refund

Lord Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said rogue traders were "criminals deliberately preying on people in their own homes".

He described roofing fraud as "particularly cruel", and said Trading Standards would pursue fraudsters through legal routes.

"Victims can lose life savings in a matter of hours and be left with damaged homes, financial hardship and a profound sense of vulnerability long after the criminals have gone," he said.