A ‘wounded’ mother called for reform to the system, after her family have been forced to move 14 times after their builder went bust leaving their home renovation unfinished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nygaard family feel that they have been \u2018let down\u2019 by the system, following a five month ordeal, costing them over \u00a325,000, and leaving them unable to return to their family home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naomi Nygaard, a mother of two, says that the experience has been \u2018extremely stressful\u2019, and that she has seen \u2018clear signs of emotional disturbance\u2019 in her two children, aged two and four. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family found a builder to work on a \u00a340,000 development on their Fulwood home, including the building of a conservatory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project was supposed to be completed within a month, however five months later the house remains completely unsafe due to structural damage caused by the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January, the builder declared insolvency, and either resigned or was removed by TrustMark, a government endorsed quality scheme for trade work in and around the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mrs Nygaard also discovered that the builder\u2019s insurance was \u2018backdated\u2019 to early September, after he stopped paying his public liability policy in November, \u2018voiding\u2019 his coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nygaard family cannot re-enter their home, and are still living in \u2018garden shed\u2019 temporary accommodation near Derby, where they do not have a washing machine, and have to commute over an hour to work in Sheffield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nygaard family have very few legal options, and are now calling for more support from the government endorsed Trustmark scheme while they try to ‘rebuild their lives’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mrs Nygaard said: \u201cOur builder was Trustmark registered, but then he resigned, and it folded. What kind of assurance is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny builder can say \u2018I\u2019m just not going to do it\u2019 and then the homeowner has no security at all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mrs Nygaard is now pushing for change so that other families cannot end up in a similar position to her. She said: \u201cWhen there is homelessness, and children being affected, there needs to be a system that can step in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere should even be a system where, if someone goes insolvent or bust like our builder said he did, even offer temporary housing or some kind of financial help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mrs Nygaard said that her family \u2018just really want to go home\u2019, and are crowdfunding to be able to afford short-term measures to facilitate this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n