The couple were left with a roof that needed major repairs costing more than the original work
A “complete bodge job” by Checkatrade-vetted “cowboy” builders has left a couple £26,000 worse off and considering selling their “dream home” after their roof was left leaking and riddled with holes. Joe and Michelle Pentony, 44 and 43, from Darwen, Lancashire, paid £9,000 for a roof repair on their new home in February 2024, after spotting damp which had gone unnoticed in the initial survey.
But less than six months after the repair job, carried out by a company which claimed to be registered in Ellesmere Port and had been vetted by Checkatrade, tiles began falling off the roof, Joe said. A new inspection discovered the slates had not been secured to their roof, and water was pouring into their walls, Joe said, resulting in mould in the bedrooms of their two 16-year-old children Josh and Katie-Ann and water damage throughout their home.
Having already spent a £10,000 inheritance from Joe’s late father on the repairs, the couple soon faced a new £18,000 bill to fix the work of the “cowboys”. The family received £1,000 in compensation from Checkatrade for “substandard work” and the roofer has been removed from the platform, but they have launched a GoFundMe in an effort to pay off their debt.
“It was just a complete bodge job,” Joe told PA Real Life. “I’ve always considered myself to be sensible and at least intelligent enough not to be scammed… but it can happen to anybody. They were so convincing, they came in with all paperwork, they looked the part. (Checkatrade) obviously don’t do their homework.”
Joe and Michelle bought their Darwen house in July 2023, initially feeling they had “walked into a dream home”. When autumn and stormy weather came however, Joe started spotting damp patches and mould hidden behind cupboards – and soon discovered there were holes in the roof which needed immediate repairs. According to Joe, they sourced quotes from multiple local roofers but were stunned by one of £25,000, having just started paying their new mortgage.
“We kept shopping around, as you do, and then it was suggested to me to use Checkatrade, because they’ve got reputable roofers,” said Joe. They found a roofer willing to do the work at the much lower cost of £4,500 by simply patching the damage, rather than rebuilding the roof.
Joe said the roofer then doubled this initial quote to £9,000, saying the job was bigger than initially thought. For Joe, the news the repairs could be completed for less than £10,000 was “music to my ears”, because his late dad, who passed away in February 2023, had left behind just enough money to cover the work.
The job was completed in just five days without scaffolding being erected. “I questioned it lots, but they were showing me more and more paperwork, guarantees etc,” Joe said. “He said my lads have been doing this job for years – they’ll be up and down in no time.”
Despite looking “perfect” at first, within six months “slates started sliding off the roof”.
When the couple called a handyman out to have a look, he delivered the grim verdict. To keep costs down and to speed the job up, the roofer had only secured every third tile, relying on pressure to keep the others in place – and had not secured the ridge tiles at all.
On top of this, Joe said “all the good slates” were replaced with ones “you could snap in your hands”. They were told not to park their cars outside the house because the roof “could slide off” from a “gust of wind”.
“Then, all the ridge tiles fell off, everything started slipping,” Joe said. “We were getting leaks in every ceiling, mould was returning, and all the walls were wet through. The roofer was uncontactable – I couldn’t get in touch with him.”
An independent surveyor sent by Checkatrade confirmed the handyman’s assessment. “He couldn’t believe that this roofing company had come out and done it,” Joe said. “But all they can offer as policy is up to £1,000 in compensation, which we did receive.”
With mould spreading in their two kids’ bedrooms, and water pouring into the wall cavities, the couple “were in dire straits”. Prized possessions, including keepsakes from their children’s christenings, had to be thrown away because of water damage.
Water had also leaked into plug sockets, wreaking havoc on the house’s electrical systems. “It’s drying now, but it could have caused a fire,” Joe said. The couple made the difficult decision to take out an £18,000 loan to cover the cost of a new roof, which was completed in mid-February 2025.
Joe said the new roofer described the previous contractors as “cowboys”. The family now have a watertight roof over their heads, but the damage to their home and bank accounts mean the whole episode will cast a long shadow.
“We’re going to have to cancel everything, and any plans we have for the next few years are going to be on hold,” Joe said. “We shouldn’t have had to do this because we moved into a home that was supposed to be a beautiful forever home.
“I’m on 30p custard creams for biscuits now – just beans and sausages.” Between the £9,000 lost on the initial work, the £18,000 spent on the new roof and Checkatrade’s £1,000 refund, the couple are now £26,000 worse off and have launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe hoping to recover some of their losses.
“(The roofers) should be ashamed… they don’t know the repercussions it can have on families,” he said. “We did even have the conversation of selling the house – that’s the conversation we have most nights.”
Joe said he felt Checkatrade “don’t do enough checks”. “Before going ahead with anything from Checkatrade or any other company, get a second opinion from a reputable local builder,” he said. “If it’s too cheap, that’s definitely going to be something dodgy.”
The roofer was not available for comment, so cannot be named for legal reasons, but Checkatrade confirmed the company has been removed from their platform. A Checkatrade spokesperson said: “At Checkatrade, our priority is ensuring consumers have access to reputable and reliable tradespeople.
“This member joined our platform in February 2024. Like all our members, they were subject to our rigorous vetting process, which includes up to 12 checks to maintain our high standards. The consumer requested a quote from this member in March 2024. As we actively monitor our members on an ongoing basis, this trader was removed from Checkatrade as part of our Deactivation Policy in June 2024.
“When the consumer contacted us in November 2024, we were happy to honour the Guarantee Claim for substandard work.”
The family’s fundraiser can be found at: gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-fix-our-roof-after-being-scammed
