A number of families across Merseyside claim they have been left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket following a dispute with a tradesman they hired to do work on their homes.
Three families have come forward to the ECHO to share their experiences after hiring APL Property Services and M&A Property Specialists, which are led by the same tradesman.
Jon and Cath Maher, who are both 53 and from Formby, hired APL Property Services in March 2021 to construct a wraparound extension with a downstairs room and a shower for their disabled son. The couple interviewed six firms before proceeding with the project. Jon told the ECHO the builder from APL "talked a good game" but there were soon "alarm bells".
READ MORE: Thomas Cashman trial updates as jury told of moment mum realised Olivia Pratt-Korbel had been shot
He added: "He would turn up then disappear. Then we wouldn't see him for two days and he'd have all kinds of excuses."
APL Property Services is no longer in operation. However, on Companies House, the same builder is named as a director of dissolved business Liverpool Kitchen Suppliers Ltd, and the sole director of M&A Property Specialists, which was incorporated in January 2022 and is still listed as 'active'.
Jon and Cath said they handed over a £12,000 deposit to APL Property Services. Jon added: "I wouldn't normally give out deposits. I was gutted, I thought I was savvier than that. It's made me ill because I can't do anything.
"I kept asking for invoices of what he's spent. I had an inkling about him so I was keeping track of what he spent, even down to the rate the labourers were on. It was about £4,000 so I told him to call it quits and give us the rest of the money back."
Jon told the ECHO they have not been reimbursed and the money spent was part of Cath's inheritance from her late mother. He added: "She's had a bit of a breakdown over it, she was so close to her mum and all she wanted was for us to have a nice house."
Jon and Cath were awarded a County Court Judgement (CCJ) against APL Property Services in December 2021 for £12,740.70. The judgement was made by default as the builder did not turn up in court and no payment has yet been made. The work for the Mahers' son has since been completed by another firm.
After leaving the builder a negative review online, two other families made contact with Jon claiming to be going through the same thing with the same tradesman. He said he is also "aware of five other people" who claim to be having a similar experience.
The ECHO has approached the tradesman behind APL Property Services and M&A Property Specialists for comment. He did not send a statement, but the ECHO understands he disputes the families claims.
One person, who did not wish to be named, told the ECHO they were left out of pocket "upwards of £20,000" after paying a deposit to APL Property Services in June 2021. They were also asked for further cash for items that they allege were never ordered.
Their family, including three young children, moved into rented accommodation for what they thought would be six months, but say they ended up having to stay there for almost two years due to "minimal progress" on the project.
They told the ECHO the builder gave "excuse after excuse for not turning up to do the work".
They added: "He took the back of our house off and then work stopped. We had been aware that there were major issues and that there was minimal progress being made on the project but it all came to light when we went to our house and found that somebody had entered it and ripped out the recently re-wired electrics. We subsequently were told that he had not been paying people he was sub-contracting."
The family have pursued APL Property Services via a solicitor but have received no response. The matter was also reported to Merseyside Police via action fraud and say it was reviewed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), but was not taken any further as the organisation could not "identify a line of enquiry which a law enforcement organisation in the United Kingdom could pursue".
A third family, who also wished to remain anonymous, started engaging with APL Property Services as early as March 2021 to carry out work on their north Liverpool home.
The family claims that after they had sent a deposit of about £14,000, the builder failed to show up to start the job the next morning. He attended the house almost a week later, after failing to answer phone calls and messages, carrying out minimal work before leaving again.
The customer made the "quick decision" to terminate the works within a 14-day cancellation period after having "lost all trust in the builder", but lost their deposit.
As of today (Wednesday, March 8 2023) M&A Property Specialists is still listed as 'active' on Companies House.
Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up to our what's on newsletter
READ NEXT:
Schoolchildren arrested after horrific cat attack video emerges
Woman 'gave Thomas Cashman new clothes' after Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot
Eurovision Song Contest tickets being resold for £11,000
When and where snow will fall as Met Office issues four day weather warning
