Two fraudster builders have received significant sentences after a homeowner was left facing a large financial loss and extensive remedial works following a £128,000 renovation of their home.
An investigation conducted by Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards Service led to the prosecution of Sai Manideep Chadaram, 28, of Talbot Avenue, Slough, and Razvan Andrei Hlihor, 31, of Burton Road, Uxbridge.
The pair appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, October 16 after admitting offences including fraud and unfair commercial practices arising from building works carried out at a property in Potters Bar.
Chadaram was jailed for four years while Hlihor was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, suspended for three years, as well as 280 hours of unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation to the victim and £4,000 towards the prosecution costs.
In 2023 the homeowner agreed a contract with Chadaram to construct a single-storey extension, loft conversion and refurbishment, with works totalling around £128,000.
An investigation was launched by trading standards after they received a complaint from the resident.
Its probe revealed multiple non-compliances with building regulations, a fraudulent Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) being issued by electrician Hlihor and a false business name being used by Chadaram who represented himself as a limited company when he was not.
Independent expert reports commissioned as part of the investigation identified extensive defects throughout the property including unsafe electrics, widespread insulation defects, missing fixings to steelwork and inadequate fire protection measures, with significant remedial works required.
In a Victim Impact Statement, the homeowner said: “The harm the defendants’ work has caused my family has been serious and long-lasting, and three years on, we still cannot escape it.
“I trusted these traders with my life savings, my hard-earned career stability, and my children’s future.
“In return, their negligence has trapped us in a structurally compromised, physically hazardous environment that actively threatens our safety every single day.”
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Bilal Siddique told Chadaram that he had sought to persuade the homeowner by presenting himself as being involved with an impressive, professional building company, but that was “a pack of lies”.
Hlihor was labelled as dishonest and that he “must also have been fully aware of the risk that is created – the risk to life – that is created when an electrician forges documents like this.”
Councillor Ajanta Hilton, Executive Member for Public Health and Community Safety at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Residents should be able to engage builders and tradespeople with confidence.
“This prosecution demonstrates that Hertfordshire Trading Standards will pursue individuals who seek to profit through deception and who fail to meet the standards consumers are entitled to expect.
“We hope this outcome provides a warning to rogue traders and reassurance to residents that action will be taken when offences are identified.”
