A builder from Halifax was fined £25,000 and received two suspended prison sentences after leaving part of a roof missing during a loft conversion.
Ahsan Ul Haq left two homes in Ashton in Manchester in a poor state, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
The case highlights the dangers presented by cowboy builders to homebuilders and renovators.
What work was the builder meant to do?
Ul Haq, trading as Your Home Our Pride Building Services, was contracted to carry out the loft conversion and a basement conversion at another property.
After taking builder quotes, he failed to finish the work he was paid for and left both Ashton homes in a poor state – one of the properties was left so uninhabitable that the homeowner and her family were forced to move out and stay with relatives.
The court heard the actions of Mr Ul Haq have had a huge emotional and financial impact on both families, who are related to each other.
One of the families could only return to their home after 16 months due to delays in getting another builder to make it habitable and complete the work, and the owners of the other property have so far been unable to have work on their basement conversion completed.
Builder left roof unfinished and left the country
Ul Haq then failed to respond to requests from the victims to rectify and complete the work and left the country, in doing so breaking all contact with the victims.
Following complaints by the victims to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline in July 2021, an investigation was carried out by Tameside Council’s Trading Standards officers, supported by Tameside Council’s Building Control team.
Builder fined £25k and given two suspended sentences
Mr Ul Haq was sentenced to two consecutive suspended prison sentences of eight months each and was ordered to pay £7000 in compensation to the victims within 28 days and a further £750 each month for the next two years, totalling £25,000.
Out of this amount, £13,510 and £9250 will go to the victims respectively and the remaining £2,240 towards prosecution costs.
The Judge said there was no doubt that the defendant’s actions had met the threshold for a custodial sentence, due to the financial and emotional harm suffered by the victims and their families.
However, she said she made the decision to suspend the sentences on the basis that the defendant had shown remorse for his actions and a desire the compensate the victims as much as he can. She also took into consideration the impact that his immediate imprisonment would have on his mother and wife – the defence provided evidence that he acts as a carer for both due to illness.
Tameside Council Assistant Executive Member Cllr Vincent Ricci said: “Our trading standards team aim to protect consumers and support legitimate businesses by ensuring businesses trade fairly, safely and legally."
