Almost 80% of builders are calling for more regulation in the construction industry to end the tyranny of cowboy builders, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The FMB is calling on the Government to introduce a licensing scheme in construction as part of its new Agenda Raising the bar: A post-Grenfell agenda for quality and professionalism in construction.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Until we introduce a licensing scheme in construction, cowboy builders will continue to run rampant in our industry.

Licensing would ensure a minimum level of competence and professionalism and give consumers greater assurance when hiring a builder.

Unlike in the US and Germany, anyone can be a builder in the UK. What this means is that we have allowed a significant minority of cowboy builders to give the whole construction industry a bad name.

General Builder Qualification

Our latest research shows that almost 80 per cent of our members are so fed up with rogue builders tarnishing their reputation, they are in favour of introducing a licencing scheme.

Our research among consumers also shows that one-third of homeowners in the UK are so anxious about hiring a dodgy builder that they don’t commission any building work whatsoever.

What’s more, the average homeowner would spend around £40,000 on major home improvement projects over the next five years if they could be guaranteed a positive experience with their builder.

It’s time to release this pent up demand for building work through a licensing scheme consumers can trust.”

Berry concluded: “Even more important than the economic benefits that would come from increasing quality and professionalism in the industry are the safety benefits.

The Grenfell Tower tragedy reminded us of the price paid when things go wrong in the construction industry. Grenfell raised serious questions about standards, regulation and compliance within the construction sector and although we await the results of the Hackitt Review, we want to start a wider conversation about how we can drive up quality and professionalism in construction.

The FMB would also like to work with industry to develop a ‘general builder’ qualification which would seek to recognise the highest standards of professionalism in the industry

“As well as calling on the Government to introduce a licensing scheme for builders, the FMB’s new Agenda calls for mandatory warranties for building projects that require building control sign-off to protect consumers further.

The FMB would also like to work with industry to develop a ‘general builder’ qualification which would seek to recognise the highest standards of professionalism in the industry.”

Jason Ryan, a homeowner living in West London, was a victim of a rogue building firm earlier this year.

Ryan commented on the introduction of a licencing scheme in construction: “At the start of this year, builders were carrying out essential improvements to my home in West London.

The whole process turned out to be an absolute nightmare. Our builder would often turn up late, or not at all, and communication was always poor. We would try to call him and often not hear back.

The work they eventually carried out was sub-standard – for example, the grooves in the door frames were hacked into and were left uneven and messy.

I think all builders should be required to have a licence to protect people like me from having these nightmarish experiences.

It was very stressful and has put me off hiring a builder in the future unless I absolutely have to.”

A home improvements company has been fined after a worker was significantly injured falling from a garage roof and the company failed to report the incident for nine months.

Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 11 May 2015, an employee of Rock Home Improvements Limited was working on a garage roof when he fell 3.4 metres onto the driveway of an adjacent property. The employee suffered a fractured cheekbone, eye socket, ribs, left arm and a collapsed lung as a result.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company did not report the incident within the required timeframe, as it is legally obliged to do, and instead waited nine months which prevented a proper investigation.

Rock Home Improvements Limited of Longsight Road, Bury, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) a of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) and has been fined £2,700 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Seve Gomez-Aspron said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided had the company simply carried out correct control measures and safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take out appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.

More than half of small building firms say that rising material prices are squeezing their margins and the same percentage have had to pass these price increases onto consumers, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Small and medium-sized (SME) building firms were asked which materials are in shortest supply and have the longest wait times. The average results were as follows (in order of longest to shortest wait times):

• Bricks were in shortest supply with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
• Roof tiles were second with the longest reported wait time being up to six months;
• Insulation was third with the longest reported wait time being up to four months;
• Slate was fourth with the longest reported wait time being up to six months;
• Windows were fifth with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
• Blocks were sixth with the longest reported wait time being up to four months;
• Porcelain products were seventh with the longest reported wait time being more than one year;
• Plasterboard was eighth with the longest reported wait time being up to two months;
• Timber was ninth with the longest reported wait time being up to two months;
• Boilers were tenth, with the longest reported wait time being more than one year.

SME building firms were also asked by what percentage different materials have increased over the past 12 months. On average, the following rises were reported:

• Insulation increased by 16%;
• Bricks increased by 9%;
• Timber increased by 8%;
• Roof tiles increased by 8%;
• Slate increased by 8%;
• Windows increased by 7%;
• Blocks increased by 7%;
• Plasterboard increased by 7%;
• Boilers increased by 7%;
• Porcelain products increased by 6%.

The impact of these material price increases includes:

• More than half of construction SMEs (56%) have had their margins squeezed, this has gone up from one third (32%) reporting this in July 2017;
• Half of firms (49%) have been forced to pass material price increases onto their clients, making building projects more expensive for consumers, this has gone up from less than one quarter (22%) reporting this in July 2017;
• A third of firms (30%) have recommended that clients use alternative materials or products to those originally specified, this has gone up from one in ten reporting this in July 2017;
• Nearly one fifth (17%) of builders report making losses on their building projects due to material price increases, this has gone up from one in ten reporting this in July 2017.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Material prices have rocketed over the past year. The reason for this could include the impact of the depreciation of sterling following the EU referendum still feeding through. High demand due to buoyant international markets could also be contributing to price increases. What’s particularly worrying is that when prices have increased mid-project, almost one fifth of builders have absorbed the increase and therefore made a loss. Also, if material price increases weren’t enough of a headache for building firms, they are also experiencing material shortages with wait times ticking up across a range of materials and products. Worst case scenarios include firms waiting for more than one year for a new order of bricks.”

Berry continued: “The rise in material prices is not just a problem for the country’s construction firms – it is also a problem for home owners. Half of firms have been forced to pass these price increases onto their clients, meaning building projects are becoming more and more expensive. This problem has worsened recently with more than twice as many firms passing material prices on to their clients now compared with nine months ago. What’s more, home owners should be prepared to have to use alternative materials or products to their first choice. One third of firms have recommended that their clients should use alternative materials or products to those originally specified. Now more than ever, it’s important that builders and their clients keep the lines of communication open in order to stay within time and within budget. Specified products or materials may need to be swapped for alternatives or clients will need to accept the additional cost.”

Berry concluded: “We are calling on builders merchants to give their customers as much advance warning of forthcoming material prices increases or wait times as possible so that firms can warn their customers and plan ahead. We are also advising builders to price jobs and draft contracts with these material price rises in mind. The FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey shows that almost ninety per cent of building firms are expecting further rises over the next sixth months. This makes quoting for jobs difficult but if builders flag the issue to their client from the outset, and include a note in the contract that prices may be subject to increases, they shouldn’t be left short. What we don’t want is for the number of building firms making losses on projects to increase as this could result in firms going to the wall. A large number of collapsing construction companies will have a terrible knock-on effect in the wider economy.”

A Romanian man who enslaved up to 15 men, offering demolition work and then using violence to trap them, has been jailed for seven years.

David Lupu, 29, promised the men £50 per day as well as accommodation, but instead paid them just a fraction of the wage, housed them in cramped conditions and confiscated their ID papers.

Metropolitan Police detectives began an investigation – supported by CITB’s Fraud Team – in September last year, after two Romanian men reported to Forest Gate police that they had been treated like slaves after coming to work in the UK.

On 23 March at Inner London Crown Court, David Lupu was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after being convicted of multiple offences of holding a person in slavery or servitude.

During the trial, seven Romanian men said they had been offered jobs in July last year, but after travelling to the UK, were expected to live in a small one bedroom flat in Leyton, east London. Up to 15 men slept wherever they could in the kitchen, bedroom, hallway and storage cupboard, on mattresses found in the street.

Victims said they were only allowed out of the house two at a time, and warned that they would be arrested if discovered.

They were told that they owed Lupu hundreds of pounds and were forced to work long hours in the demolition sector in order to repay the costs. Meanwhile, Lupu was paid a significant wage by the building site’s employers for the men’s labour.

When the men discovered their wages from the building site had not been passed on by Lupu, they confronted him, only to be beaten and threatened to be killed if they insisted on being paid before they had paid their ‘debts’.

Ian Sidney, CITB’s Fraud Investigator who assisted the Met Police investigation, says: “Modern slavery is a horrific injustice that unfortunately is becoming more commonplace in the UK’s construction industry. Forcing people to work illegally not only deprives people of their human rights, it also harms the reputation of the industry, puts employers at risk, drives down wages and denies employment opportunities to many others.

“CITB has been working with industry, implementing measures to ensure that modern slavery is eradicated from the UK construction industry. We will also continue working with law enforcement agencies to bring offenders to justice.”

Some of the UK’s biggest building companies have signed up to take part in the country’s largest construction health & safety stand down.

Wates, McLaren and Seddon are among new faces that will take part in Stop. Make a Change in 2018.

The initiative was launched in 2017 to bring the industry together to improve health and safety performance. In its first year more than 60,000 people took part in stand down events.

Last year Stop. Make a Change focussed solely on the infrastructure sector. However, for 2018 this has expanded out to cover the wider construction sector.

Across two weeks from 16 April, there will be stand downs on sites and in offices across the UK, targeting two priority areas: mental health and plant safety.

As well as big builders, two of the industry’s leading charities are also backing to Stop. Make a Change, and will be supporting companies in relation to the mental health priority.

The Lighthouse Club oversees the Construction Industry Helpline and has worked with the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, which manages Stop. Make a Change, to provide thousands of cards and posters that will be distributed to workers. The cards provide details of the helpline, which provides support on mental health & wellbeing, as well as advice on financial, legal, tax and debt management.

Meanwhile construction mental health charity Mates in Mind will provide free ‘Manage the Conversation’ training courses for managers. The courses will run on 24 April in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle.

Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said: “CECA are encouraging everyone that participates in Stop. Make a Change to make sure they have one of our helpline packs. The packs include posters for sites and offices and helpline cards that can be distributed to their workforce so that workers know where to turn to if they need support. Our helpline provides a free of charge, confidential 24/7 helpline safety net for all construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland”.

Steve Hails, chair of Mates in Mind said: “In workplaces across the UK, managers and supervisors are increasingly being approached by workers who are suffering with poor mental health. For many managers, this is a challenging prospect and they may be nervous about how to handle such a conversation. We are proud to support Stop. Make a Change, and to work with CECA to offer training for managers to be more confident in these situations”

www.stopmakeachange.co.uk