Enfield Trading Standards prevent an Enfield resident from signing their home over to a rogue trader.
Trading Standards were notified of rogue traders operating in Southgate. They befriended the elderly resident and extorted £25,000 for half a terraced roof, seeking a further £41,000 for the rest of the roof. With other works identified or proposed, including an unnecessary house extension, leading to a suggestion the resident sign over their property worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The resident had been a previous victim of Rogue Traders, extorting £80,000 in the past.
Enfield Trading Standards are warning residents to be vigilant. If you have a trader on your roof who was just hired to replace a few tiles or clean the guttering and they take the tiles off your roof, report the trader to the police for TRESPASS TO PROPERTY and CRIMINAL DAMAGE.
An average roof should cost no more than £8000.
If you are dealing with such traders, collect as much evidence as possible:
- Any letters/emails sent to the traders/companies house/banks/website platforms/police etc. about this matter;
- Copies of flyers, invoices/estimate/quotations/cancellation notice;
- Photos/video footage of traders/vehicles/paperwork;
- Bank details of account name, account number and sort code with regards to who payment was made to;
- Descriptions and names of each person you dealt with, vehicles you saw;
- Any telephone numbers, vehicle registration numbers, id copies, bank card/account numbers taken (even if payment was not made to those accounts);
- Anything else which you have relating to this incident.
Enfield Trading Standards is noticing a practice of rogue trading criminal activity shifting to a legitimised’ version of building work through approval platforms. That said many roofers also leaflet/flyer drop.
It is necessary to exercise caution and if there are local firms and businesses you can use, as you have seen their premises or they have been personally recommended, this route is most advisable.
Please be vigilant to cold callers:
- Stop, lock and chain.
- Are you expecting someone? If not consider not answering the door. Considering installing a camera type doorbell. (are there any image captures of the traders? – At your home or your neighbours?)
- If someone says there is a problem with your roof, drive, garden etc. Say No. (If you feel you can’t simply say no, you could say you are renting and it is not your responsibility or that you have a builder/roofer/gardener who will take care of it and say no and shut the door.)
- Never contract on the doorstep.
- Never pay cash.
This is generally criminal activity - the people perpetrating this type of fraud should not be called and invited back to your property.
To find traders you can use Which Trust Traders.
Trading Standards recommend you get at least three quotes and see how you find the builders/roofers before you decide who to go with, if you have neighbours who are builders/roofers, it may worth asking them for a quote also. You could ask all of them for 3-4 references and speak to their customers about how they found their work.
More advice and information can be found here: Trading Standards page on the Enfield Council website.
You can find out about the quality of works already completed by contacting a RICS Surveyor and/or contacting Enfield Council Building Control team. Roof replacements require Building Control Consent.
You may need a quantity surveyor, so when contacting firms ask them if they have a quantity surveyor who can price the job, how many tiles are on the roof and how much % wise they replaced in tiles and how much they would have expected those tiles to cost:
- Royal Iinstitute of Chartered Surveyors: Find an expert witness
- Chartered Association of Building Engineeers: Find a building engineeer
- Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
Consider getting a surveyor before engaging the services of a tradesperson, so you know how much you should pay and what really needs doing and to what spec. And also three quotes from local roofers will give you an idea of how much your job should cost.
The Which? website has a Cost guide: Roofers - article with links to vetted roofers.
Please contact the police if you feel threatened explaining it is a matter of criminal damage/trespass to property/threatening behaviour or harassment.
Enfield Trading Standards can consider criminal enforcement action only if there is sufficient evidence of criminal breaches and this would require witnesses to be willing to provide a witness statement and give evidence in person, in court if necessary. It can be difficult to trace and bring to justice these type of ‘rogue traders’.
In addition, if residents, in certain circumstances, were not provided with a notice of their cancellation rights, they can cancel the contract and ask for their money back or not be liable to pay anything.
We would also encourage residents to sign up to OWL - Online Watch Link at www.OWL.co.uk or download the app on their smart device to receive regular ward updates about what is happening in their area and the Police i.e. crime prevention messages.