Warnings to check tradie credentials after Queensland couple left out of pocket

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Most people now find a builder or tradesperson, online but as a Brisbane couple has learned, trusting the wrong person can leave you high and dry no matter how professional they seem. They're now out-of-pocket thousands of dollars with their renovations unfinished and their builder in jail.

Transcript

00:00Skirting boards left unfinished, drill holes in the stairs and their brickwork a mess.

00:07It wasn't exactly what Leanne and Trent expected after paying thousands of dollars.

00:12You feel so hopeless. You know, we spent nearly eight grand. It was simple tasks.

00:18Late last year with a newborn baby at home and a few small jobs which needed doing,

00:23the couple hired carpenter Ryan David Walker online.

00:26Everything about his manner, it makes you think that he is a professional.

00:31Yeah, he told us he was QBCC licensed, had everything that he needed and completely on us, I didn't think to check.

00:40Months later the work is not finished and the unlicensed builder hasn't been heard from since he took their deposit.

00:47It's been incredibly frustrating with small children to have a house that's half pulled apart.

00:51We keep finding nails everywhere.

00:53Then they got a bigger shock, discovering their builder is now in jail.

00:58Last month Walker pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to similar but unrelated fraud charges,

01:04admitting he created a fraudulent contract using a subcontractor's details.

01:09In that instance, he received more than $100,000 in progress payments for work he wasn't completing.

01:16While would-be renovators can check the credentials of their builder, the onus is on them to do so.

01:22If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.

01:25But consumers need to make sure that they shop around.

01:30I do think there should be some more education on this.

01:33As Queensland Police investigate, Leanne and Trent are still trying to get their money back,

01:38although they acknowledge that's unlikely.

01:40They've been told they aren't eligible for a home warranty insurance scheme run by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission

01:46and are exploring legal avenues instead.

01:49The QBCC wouldn't comment on this case but says homeowners need a contract

01:54and should check the credentials of tradespeople before engaging their services.

01:58That's little relief for Leanne and Trent, stuck in a renovation they just can't close the door on.

02:04I just put all the time on.

02:05I would say a couple of dollars for a home a day.

02:07The new won't be completed.

02:08That's the ability to investigate.

02:09I think the old one is up to the club.

02:10How are you?

02:12the new won't be completed.

02:13That's a good idea.

02:14I think the new won't be completed to the co-founder's of the Elk.

02:16This program is not allocated.

02:17What is your own use?

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