Help Rebuild My Great Grandma’s House After Scam

Hi, my name is Kahlia, and I am fundraising money to help rebuild my 91 year old great grandmother's house in Birmingham after being scammed by a local builder.

On the 25th of March 2022, we brought my Great Grandmother, locally known as Mum-Mum, to London so that her house could be renovated. She is highly independent and has enjoyed almost 60 years living on her road with her friends and looking after her own home. We tried many times to get her to move in with us, but she is happy where she lives, so we decided to help her at least make her own space safe and accessible so that she could live more comfortably on one level without using her stairs. She took out an equity release lifetime mortgage to be able to pay for the work to be done and we set out to search for someone who could.

We chose a locally sourced builder in Birmingham who was supposed to do the following:

As my family and I live in London we had to commute approximately once a month to check on the work progress. (For those who do not know, Birmingham is a two hour drive north from London)

It seemed to have started out very well, and the builders started by gutting the rooms and then fitting some wires and pipes. Then they asked for money to buy the kitchen from Howdens. They showed us the plans and the quote so we paid them and waited. A week later the builder then went on holiday. We waited for his return but heard nothing for 2 months. He then came back and told us he needed more money to buy the bathroom and fit the kitchen. We gave him money to buy the shower and sink and again he disappeared for a further 2 months. During this time he sent us fake pictures and EHIC certificates convincing us that the work was progressing. However after a two month interval we were shocked to hear that not only had the builder prevented the council from coming in to provide extra accessible support, but he also hadn't done ANY of the work he had told us he had done. Frustrated, my Mum and grandad drove up to house unannounced. This is what they found. The builder also dumped a huge amount of rubbish outside the front and back of the house. After continuously trying to contact the builder he has now RUN OFF with all my Great Grandmas MONEY leaving her house completley unhabitable.

My mum initially videoed the house so I’ve done a before and after and included many other photos of the state the house is in now.

Here are more photos

In total Mum-Mum has paid the builder £9000 to get the work done and unfortunately nothing has been done so far which means she won't be in her home for Christmas as planned. We have reported this builder to the police so hopefully this does NOT happen to anyone else, let alone another 91 year old woman.

[ PLEASE READ EDIT BELOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE]

So I have started this GoFundMe because my Great Grandma deserves a beautiful newly decorated space and with some support we may get there! She is aware of what has happened and although she cried for a couple of days, she remains positive that her home will be sorted soon.

First things first, I need to get the electrics to a safe standard and install a downstairs shower and toilet. The rest of the money will allow us to get what we can, of a kitchen and hopefully fit a safe shower to use. I have also decided to decorate the house myself to save some money so anything left over will go towards some supplies and furniture.

Lastly thankyou for all the wonderful messages and love everyone has sent Mum-Mum during this difficult time. I have been making little TikTok's of her and the response has been absolutely overwhelming. She has found it immensely difficult to be away from home for so long, (although she's enjoyed spending time with us) and has really looked forward to finally having a brand new kitchen and shower with new appliances. So if you can donate anything we would greatly appreciate it and show you updates of the progress to #GetMum-MumsHouseDone!

If you can't donate but would love to help out with any tips, ideas, business recommendations or services please get in touch, any thoughts or creativity around the revamp of her home would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: After an expert builders review of the damage done to the house we have been advised that it will need refurbishment before works can commence for this reason alone we have decided to change the goal on the GoFundMe in case the cost becomes higher than we expected.