East Dulwich on Cowboy Builders this Wed (Feb16)

[Lollipop]

Tomorrow's show features a builder that worked a lot in East Dulwich. The couple who feature in it live in Lewisham but made contact with his other victims through the Forum. We all are trying to make sure he is not able to damage other people's lives - so watch the show! His company is Andrea Build and Design. And when they filmed late last year I understand he was still working as a builder though no longer in East Dulwich.

[ianr]

Channel Five 20:00-21:00.

[hat282]

I met Andrea Binda when I was undertaking building work in Underhill Road and needed photos of extensions on the road for the planning officer. He showed me a project further up the road on which he was working. Shockingly, I recognised the house on last nights programme as the home with the live cables left exposed under the terrace. He is artful and charming and I can well see how many people were deceived by him. He also told me he is an architect. I do hope that the programme yesterday will have been sufficiently viewed to expose this man widely enough to prevent any further damage. I am genuinely shocked by what he has done and feel for the homeowners who have been his victims.

[Scribe]

In a perfect world, yes. But the reality is that his face will have been forgotten by me and you in the next few months. Unless, of course, they hand-over the evidence they've compiled on this willfully dishonest criminal - because that's what he is - which leads to a conviction and custodial sentence for putting the lives of his victims in such enormous danger.

Also, was I alone in half-expecting Dominic Littlewood (the bald fella) to produce a pair of handcuffs, wrestle the fat crook to the floor and carry-out some sort of citizen's arrest when he confronted Binda the builder in Gypsy Hill?

[ianr]

And I forgot to set a marker for the programme.

> He also told me he is an architect.

Couldn't find any Binda on the online Architects Registration Board register. Here are some of the people they've prosecuted for calling themselves architect when not duly qualified.

[Mark]

You can watch it here http://www.five.tv/shows/cowboy-builders/episodes/episode-5-243

[Mark]

Just watched a bit if it, Dom searches the internet for the Binda Design about 14:30 minutes in and low and behold the EDF appears.

[duchessofdulwich]

just watched this programme it actually made me feel quite emotional. How can that man sleep at night!!

[DJKillaQueen]

Absolutely shocking and nothing short of criminal given the amount of money involved and the dangerous state that home was left in.

[dubluke]

duchessofdulwich Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> How can that man sleep at

> night!!

Quite comfortably on top of piles and piles of money

[Ratpack]

I've just watched this. It makes you feel sick to think what these people have gone through. It's horrendous.

He should go to prison.

[louisiana]

So they caught up with him in Gipsy Hill.... So he's still doing work in the area? Or lives here? I mean, Gipsy Hill is down the road (or rather, up the hill).

The ARB takes *very* seriously the non-registration thing - even if you are qualified but have let your registration lapse. I've found they respond very quickly to a complaint on that.

And he's clearly doing electrical work, which *is* quite strictly controlled now.

[gerry]

I also watched the show and can't help but think he could be prosecuted for fraud. Am I wrong about this? Also he made contracts with several home owners and received money for services not completed. Again, isn't this breaking the law? What needs to be done to prevent this from happening again?

[peterstorm1985]

Unfortunately a lot of his 'failings' are simply a breach of contract, so it's civil not criminal and the home owners would need to sue him. The remedy there is financial but if he's been spending every penny he's received there may be no point. Certain matters though, e.g. falsification of documents that have safety implications, and if did any of those electrics himself (more difficult if he hired a 'tradesman' - he didn't look like a man to get his hands dirty himself) and, potentially, leaving the house in a dangerous state may be criminal (although if they 'chose' to occupy the house knowing it wasn't finished that may not work). Fortunately, this programme is quite good at bringing cowboy builders to the court room.

It may be worth anyone who can give witness evidence of his work, or claims of professional status, contacting the programme to offer assistance.

[duchessofdulwich]

i thought dominic littlewood was brilliant in this.

[Lollipop]

It was me that first posted the warning on this forum which is how Stuart found out that others had suffered with him. Binda told me that he had trained as an architect in Italy but was quite careful to say that he was not qualified here. I believed he had the skills though... I'll come out of my EDF closet and say that I was on the show - my name is Lauraine.

I have sued Binda - and won- but not got a penny. I even tried sending bailiffs in but he never answered his door so nothing happened. hence my pleasure in taking part in the show.

I too was shocked he was working so near by - quite horrified because many of us believed he would not dare to be caught in this area. However one thing that Dom did say to me is that they always pass on all the evidence they have gathered ( and they were very thorough in researching for the show). He told me that three builders were being prosecuted from the earlier series, so I wait in hope to hear that Mr Binda gets his just desserts.

It is quite shocking to realise that you are powerless to stop someone like that...

[hat282]

Does he own the property the Bailiffs attended at? If so you could apply for a charging order.

[Thomas Micklewright]

thanks for this!

[Bony Fido]

Scribe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >

> In a perfect world, yes. But the reality is that

> his face will have been forgotten by me and you in

> the next few months. Unless, of course, they

> hand-over the evidence they've compiled on this

> willfully dishonest criminal - because that's what

> he is - which leads to a conviction and custodial

> sentence for putting the lives of his victims in

> such enormous danger.

>

> Also, was I alone in half-expecting Dominic

> Littlewood (the bald fella) to produce a pair of

> handcuffs, wrestle the fat crook to the floor and

> carry-out some sort of citizen's arrest when he

> confronted Binda the builder in Gypsy Hill?

Pedantic I may be but I recognized the confrontation location as Radstock Street just off Battersea Bridge road.

[dollydaydream]

I watched the program and was appalled at the workmanship of Binda but what I can't understand is why the owners of the house paid Binda over ?100k which was nearly the full price of ?110k quoted, seeing that their house was no where near finished, every level left in a ruin and nothing near completion, the quote should or would have been broken down so when one section was finished pay him and carry on to the next section I do know sections of work overlap and other sections have to be started but to hand over so much money, you can see with the money that was outstanding it was not enough to finish the work!!

I can't believe that people part with their money so easily!

Why didn't they check with National Federation of Builders for a reputable builder.

[duchessofdulwich]

I agree with "dollydaydream". yes that poor family have been utterly ripped off and the quality of work was totally unexcusable, but why pay all that money upfront? if I had a builder in who wanted that sort of money so quickly alarm bells would certainly start ringing!?

[lpool]

Some people seem happy to just hand over the money in the belief it will all be OK. When I was questioning work on an extension and refusing to pay any more money until problems sorted I was told that they were used to clients handing over the money up front, go away and don't get involved until finished. Not the way I do business though and potentially very costly.

[Penguin68]

In my experience if a builder says that he needs money up front to buy stuff then he is trading on dangerously thin ice, a reputable and solvent builder should be able to fund most builds as far as materials are concerned, particularly as he should be buying on credit and paying later - if he is having to pay up front for stuff himself it's normally because he has a poor credit rating, which should be warning enough. [That may not be true of a local handyman, operating as a one-man band, but then materals costs are normally small for the sort of job he does].

An agreed quotation, with an agreed payment schedule is normal practice - perhaps 10% up front but then in stages following completion of building stages - with a 5% retention at the end for snagging and problems.

But Binda appears to have been very plausible, which is why people were prepared to pay him for far more than he had done - if someone appears to be nice, nice people think they are nice.

[ClareC]

I watched this on OD, it did cross my mind why on earth they had given him so much of the agreed remuneration before the job was even close to being finished. I do think it is fairly standard for builders to have some money up front, and sensible too, their own livelihood is at risk if they were to simply rely on credit! I personally was surprised when Binda was cornered at the end, I don't think I would have employed him, didn't seem unpleasant but also I dont think he could have said the right things in terms of talking about the job to be done- he was after all clueless about basic building practice! Could be the benefit of hindsite or could be that I've had a fair amount of building work done over the last 10 years, fortunately, have only had good experiences with the builders used and have always agreed staged payments.

Hindsite is wonderful... I feel so sorry for the people he ripped off! Horrid situation :-(

[soso]

do u know how many builders are riped of each year by useing there own money and that it is almost inposable for a builder to claim it back in court ?