Amanda Martin

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier) for securing this important debate on protecting consumers from rogue builders—an issue that affects thousands of families, honest tradespeople and small businesses across the country. In my constituency I have spoken to homeowners left heartbroken and out of pocket after rogue traders walked away leaving unfinished work, and skilled local tradespeople who tell me they are being undercut by those who cut corners, dodge taxes and disappear when something goes wrong. Every year, hard-working homeowners lose an estimated £1.4 billion through rogue traders, not to mention suffering emotional stress, anxiety and shattered trust. At the same time, those rogue operators undermine our legitimate, qualified tradespeople who play by the rules, pay their taxes, insure their work, and uphold professional standards and training. They damage the reputation of the entire construction and home improvement sector, making it harder for honest builders to win work and for consumers to know who to trust. As in many parts of the country, residents in Portsmouth have been affected by rogue builders who exploit trust and cause real distress. The crimes often target vulnerable people, such as the elderly, or families just trying to improve their homes. In one case in my city, an elderly couple paid thousands of pounds from their pension savings for essential roof and patio repairs, only to be left with unsafe and unfinished work. They were forced to pay even more just to make their home liveable again. In another example, a family hired a builder to renovate their garage; instead of safely removing the asbestos roof, the contractor left open bags of hazardous material in a shared alleyway, putting neighbours and children at risk. The family had to pay for specialist clean-up and repairs, adding more financial strain to their emotional stress and worry. In Copner, an area of my city, a local family’s home extension turned into a nightmare when the builder abandoned the project halfway through. He was meant to put a new kitchen in, but it became an unsafe shell that failed building inspection after building inspection, leaving the family out of pocket and living with disruption for years. Other residents across the city have been scammed by traders using multiple companies to take deposits for work that they have never finished—or, indeed, never started. Those cases remind us that rogue builders not only cause financial loss, but damage confidence, safety and peace of mind. They also highlight the importance of checking credentials, avoiding doorstep deals, reporting suspicious activity and gaining our tradies from social media. Concerns have been raised about trade websites, but I commend Checkatrade and other industry bodies that are working to raise standards. Checkatrade, for example, has blocked 850 rogue traders from joining its platform in this year alone. It has also formed a primary authority partnership with trading standards, helping to strengthen consumer advice and set new benchmarks for best practice.