In July, a fraudulent roofing contractor received a prison term for misleading their customers, after an inquiry led by Essex Trading Standards.

Nathan Lee of ‘Best Rated Roofers,’ of Braintree, accepted responsibility for conducting roof refurbishments that weren’t needed, leaving their victim falling short of thousands.

Lee had already served time in prison, misleading customers throughout Sussex as well.

The inquiry was initiated, following an issue raised about some roof refurbishments ‘In Essex.’ Lee attended the customer’s property, suggesting that their roof was in desperate need of some work. The customer authorised for the refurbishments to go ahead and was left with no choice but to pay a large sum of money.

Additional repairs were also conducted. The customer paid a total of £17,800. A surveyor revealed that the works should have come to under £7,000.

A report revealed that much of the labour wasn’t needed in the first place, and that the customer was severely overcharged. It was later revealed that comments about the customer’s home were amplified, meaning the homeowner was pressured into paying more money.

Additionally, it was discovered that Lee persistently turned up to the customer’s property, bringing upset and stress. Lee misled the homeowner, suggesting to re-roof their property for a total of £20,000, with a surveyor stating that this was unnecessary.

The homeowner was pressured into paying an additional £17,798, to have the unsatisfactory labour attended to.

Lee accepted responsibility for misleading their victim, in line with ‘The Fraud Act 2006,’ and was detained for a nearly 2 years.

An ‘Antisocial Behaviour Order (ASBO),’ was also put into place, which meant that Lee was unable to attend properties for roof refurbishments. 

Essex Trading Standards stated the following: “This case highlights the serious harm caused by rogue traders who exploit homeowners by carrying out unnecessary or poor-quality work at vastly inflated prices.”

“Residents should be cautious of unsolicited approaches and always seek multiple quotes from reputable traders before agreeing to work.”

The Confederation of Roofing Contractors (CORC) have an array of members throughout the UK, especially those based in Essex.

Therefore, if you’re in need of a roofer, feel free to visit our company website on www.corc.co.uk

Alternatively, if you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to call us on 01206 306 600 or send us an email to info@corc.co.uk