Builder DEMOLISHES £475,000 property while owners are on holiday
Builder DEMOLISHES £475,000 property while its owners are on holiday after the family refused to pay him £3,500 for work to make their home ‘more environmentally friendly’
- The £475,000 house in in Stoneygate, Leicester, was left without a roof and scattered with rubble
- Owner Jay Kurji, 40, who bought it last year, said that he and the builder fell out over a £3,500 bill
- He said he had contacted the police, who said it was not a criminal case, and emailed Trading Standards
A builder has demolished a £475,000 detached property while its owners were on holiday after a dispute over money.
The house on Guilford Road in Stoneygate, Leicester, has been left without a roof and scattered with rubble after the tradesman decided to undo the work he had already carried out.
Owner Jay Kurji, 40, said that he and the builder fell out over a £3,500 bill.
He said: ‘I bought the house last year. The builder started in February and we wanted lots of work done so it could become our family home for six of us.
‘We wanted a two-storey extension, a new roof, new wiring and for it to be more environmentally-friendly. It’s a nightmare, Unfortunately I picked the worst builder.’
The house in Stoneygate, Leicester, has been left without a roof and scattered with rubble after the tradesman decided to undo the work he had already carried out. Pictured: Before (left) and after (right)
Mr Kurji, a Solutions Architect for an IT firm, said that after refusing to pay the builder an additional £3,500 he then took revenge.
Neighbours living in the street said they ‘watched in disbelief’ as much of the house was the builders demolished much of the house with a digger.
One said: ‘There was scaffolding on the house and when it was taken down I did think the work might be done already and the owners might be moving in.
‘I was stunned when I walked past the house last week and saw that the roof had been ripped off and the new extension was just a hole in the front of the house.
‘I feel badly for the owners, they must be absolutely gutted.’
A neighbour has since said that the building work had left the residential street (pictured) in a mess and that it had also ruined the pavement
Mr Kurji said: ‘I had gone on holiday and was 200 miles when it all happened on Tuesday.
‘I’ve contacted the police, who said it was a dispute and not a criminal case, and I’ve emailed Trading Standards.
‘I’m still on holiday so it’s difficult to sort out from here.’
A neighbour told LeicestershireLive the building work had left the street a mess. They said: ‘The work had been going on and there was scaffolding up and it all had planning permission.
‘Then people noticed the builders starting to remove things and demolish the work that had been done.
‘The neighbours are really upset with how it looks and the fact it has also ruined the pavement.’
Mr Kurji said he would contact Leicester City Council about the pavement when he returned from holiday.
