Really strange characters, and a very strange story.
Last year, I was renting a property in Bristol which had serious structural problems (bathroom ceiling collapsing, large lumps and bumps appearing in the floor, things falling from the ceiling etc etc etc).
The landlady wanted to sell her house, and so contracted S and P Builders to essentially tart up the property by filling in the ever-widening cracks, painting over the damp and replacing the ceiling. After all, it is easier and cheaper to do this than to investigate why your house is slowly falling down.
Anyway, I had to move out of the house very quickly (despite still paying rent) because the builders had moved in and the place was uninhabitable. While I was removing my things, I had some exchanges with the builders. This was where things got weird. Firstly, they kept insisting there was 'nothing wrong with the house' - despite seeing for themselves the collapsed bathroom ceiling, the slanting floors and growing cracks. They became quite confrontational when I insisted that living there had become extremely difficult and scary, and then, astonishingly, went on to claim that I had caused the damage myself, and that they were considering calling the police with the landlady to report me for criminal damage. They stated that it was 'obvious' I had been gradually flooding the living room of THE HOUSE I HAD BEEN LIVING IN FOR A YEAR thus damaging the foundations of the building.
They also stated that the damage to the ceilings and the cracks in the walls were 'suspicious' and that I was lying about the results of a recent fire safety check I'd requested, because I was afraid of the cracks running behind the gas pipes.
So... this was my strangest ever encounter with a building team.
Funnily, one year later, they are back at the same property (I walk by every morning) and have dug up all the floors of the building. So it seems it wasn't me deliberately flooding my living room after all...
Anyway, highly recommended if you're a landlord or lady who needs somebody to tell porkies about the state of your property to concerned tenants, or to help intimidate people concerned about ceilings falling down on their children in the bath. read more