A distressed nurse has been left with a £13,000 bill to repair her roof after a rogue builder demolished it and fled, leaving her significantly out of pocket. Sakhile Zimbwa, 59, agreed to pay £4,000 upfront to a builder to install a new roof and guttering on her three-bedroom semi-detached home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and the adjoining garage.
However, after completing only half of the roof, the builder demanded she pay the remaining £6,000 of the quote or he would 'pull it down', according to Sakhile. When she refused, the terrified mother-of-three claimed the builder and several of his workers removed the tiles, smashing a number of them, took away materials, and caused damage to her roof before abandoning the property.
Builder's threats and demolition
The builder claimed he dismantled the roof because he believed Sakhile was "scamming" him by declining to pay. Sakhile, who has since had her roof replaced, said the ordeal has left her feeling "unsafe" in her own home.
She said: "I do not understand why someone would act like this. I have never been so stressed in my life, I just felt helpless. They were supposed to be relieving stress not adding to it. He left my house badly damaged, if it had rained, it would have damaged my ceilings and they could have fallen in, thank God it didn't. It also made us susceptible to burglars and they could have just jumped into the house through the garage roof. That night my son and I didn't sleep at all."
Background and initial agreement
Sakhile decided to have her roof replaced after snow that had settled on her home during the previous winter began seeping into her son's bedroom. The nurse had been putting money aside for four years to fund the replacement, having noticed the roof was looking 'tired' back in 2022.
In mid-February, the mother-of-three posted a request on the reputable builder directory website Checkatrade and was contacted by a builder. The builder visited her home on Monday, 23rd February, inspected the roof, and informed her he could begin work that Friday (27th Feb), with the job completed by the following Monday (2nd March).
Sakhile described the builder as 'very friendly' upon their first meeting, noting that he even knocked £1,000 off his initial quote and agreed to replace her gutters as part of the deal. They settled on an arrangement whereby Sakhile would pay £4,000 upfront for materials, with the remaining £6,000 due upon completion.
Work begins but turns sour
Sakhile confirmed that work got under way as soon as the materials arrived on the Friday, at which point she transferred the initial £4,000 into his account. When she enquired about receiving a contract, a receipt for her payment, or a detailed quotation for the materials, he promised to send everything via email — yet according to Sakhile, nothing ever arrived.
She said: "At first the work was going well, he was working with a number of his men putting it up. It was great as finally a big stress in my life was being lifted."
However, by Monday he had only finished half of the work and allegedly became verbally abusive via text, demanding she transfer the remaining £6,000 so he could complete the job, according to Sakhile. He contested the mother's account, claiming the job was 95% complete and would have been finished on the day had she paid up.
Inspector dispute escalates
The nurse, however, insisted she would only hand over payment once the work was fully completed. She then enquired whether he had arranged for a building inspector to assess the work upon completion, to which he replied he had never used one — threatening to 'pull it down' at 12pm if she failed to pay. He subsequently claimed he had a private inspector available, but that it would cost £2,000.
Sakhile said she was able to arrange one through the local authority for just £280 once the work was finished. The builder maintained he had completed "600 roofs" and "never once" had a building inspector assess a roof beforehand.
Sakhile said: "I had a hospital appointment at the time in the morning. While I was sitting in the waiting room and he texted me demanding money to finish the work. It got worse after I asked about the building inspector, he told me he had never used one in his 15-year career. I reassured him that as soon as he finished, I would pay him and get an inspector in afterwards. He continued to be aggressive and it stressed me out, saying he would pull down the roof. The council told me it was a legal requirement for them to assess the roof."
Demolition and aftermath
Sakhile returned home at 11am and claimed the builder arrived at her property at around midday, proceeding to demolish parts of it — including tiles and wooden support beams — while causing further damage in the process. Disturbing images reveal gaping holes which she alleges the builder was responsible for. He then loaded the materials into his van and departed at around 4pm, and has not been seen since, according to the mother.
The builder denied the allegations, stating "he did not damage" any part of the roof. He claimed he dismantled the roof after becoming concerned that Sakhile was planning to 'scam' him by withholding the full payment. She stated that the builder still holds her £4,000. The builder has since declared that he has no intention of returning the money to Sakhile.
Police and Checkatrade involvement
She has since contacted South Yorkshire Police, who have confirmed they are looking into the matter. A spokesperson said: "At 10.52am on Monday (2 March) we received a report of threatening behaviour in the Bradway area of Sheffield. It is reported a woman, in her 50s, received multiple threatening calls and text messages. Enquiries are ongoing."
The mother also filed a complaint against the builder with Checkatrade. In the wake of the incident, Sakhile's son — who wishes to remain anonymous — came across another builder named Graham Nash. Graham — who operates his own company, Pinnacle Builders — regularly calls out cowboys on his social media pages and assists homeowners who have been left out of pocket.
Expert assessment and repair
Following Sakhile's contact with Graham, roofer David Monaghan, 40, was arranged to assess the property and has since made the roof watertight. David said: "I could tell the customer was in the right from what he had left behind. He was laying tiles over the old felt instead of pulling it down and putting new felt on. I knew this was the case because the old expanding insulation foam was still there. A building inspector would never have accepted it."
The original builder said: "She was trying to bump me out of my last payment. I have had customers like her before. I wasn't going to wait and potentially never be paid. I told her I wouldn't be leaving until I was paid. I told her if we had organised it (a building inspector) beforehand it wouldn't have been a problem. I tried to get one on the day she asked but they were charging £2000. Labour and materials cost me £7000 and I am now £3000 out of pocket."
Final cost and recovery
Sakhile ultimately paid £13,000 to roofer David Monaghan of Baileys & Co Roofing & Building Contractors to rectify the damage, with the quote covering both her damaged roof and garage roof, guttering, and replacing faucets and facets. She said: "I was desperate to have my roof fixed as the whole situation was a nightmare. I'm now out of pocket but at least I have my house back."
A spokesperson for Checkatrade said: "Checkatrade's vetting goes above and beyond other trader recommendation platforms. Every tradesperson must pass up to 12 individual checks, agree to uphold our Checkatrade Standard and maintain positive reviews. We decline over 1,400 tradespeople each year from joining Checkatrade, and continue to monitor those who do make the cut. In this case, the tradesperson sought to circumvent our vetting process by unlawfully using his partner's identity. Our ongoing monitoring quickly identified the issue, and the tradesperson was removed from our platform. Ms Zimbwa has been encouraged to complete her application for our Checkatrade Guarantee, which could give up to £1,000 towards remedying workmanship."
