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Left without a home
Returning residents say contractor fleeced them of US$500,000
BY ALESIA EDWARDS Observer staff reporter
alesiae@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, April 19, 2010
TOWER ISLE, St Mary — About two-and-a-half-years ago, Michael Young decided that after living in the USA for 34 years he wanted to return to Jamaica. In preparation for the move, Young bought property in the upscale Spring Valley community in this parish and employed a contractor to build a four-bedroom house.
However, two weeks ago Young flew to Jamaica only to find that his dream house has not been constructed, even though he has already forked out US$156,000 to the contractor whom he is now unable to locate.
Michael Young shows the area where his house was supposed to be constructed. viewed slide and recall within same
According to Young, he got his first taste of disappointment from the contractor a year ago when he visited and found out that the contractor had only started to lay the foundation for the retaining wall. This, Young said, was despite the contractor sending him pictures showing work that had supposedly been done.
"He told me that he was experiencing water problems, so we went to the water commission and got water, but when I returned again I realised that nothing more was done," Young explained.
"He kept calling me for money, telling me what needs to be done and I trusted him and kept sending my money, only to return again to find that I have been robbed," added Young. "I did my homework, we checked him out and everything seemed okay. He started off good."
Now, Young said, calls to the contractor's telephones are not answered and there has been no response to e-mails sent to him daily. He said a visit to the contractor's house was futile since he no longer lives there and the contractor's pastor, who was one of his references, has not been much help.
"He has not started to construct the house and the wall has reached no further from where it was a year ago," said Young. "The money I paid him did not include excavation, it was payment towards the house, which hasn't started."
Young's predicament has annoyed Percival Latouche of the Association for Resettlement of Returning Residents.
According to Latouche, Young is one of about 14 other returning residents robbed of millions by building contractors in recent years. He said the association is pursuing a number of other cases, although most of the contractors are itinerant.
"These people had reputable people, including pastors, as their references and all they do is to start the work, carry it to a level and then stop and then they request more money and then they disappear," Latouche said.
"It's about time something be done, too many people are targeting returning residents, it's like a disease and it is spreading."
Another resident at Rio Nuevo Battle Site, also in St Mary, who asked not to be identified, said she too was robbed by the same contractor as Young and her house left partly done.
She explained that after paying US$345,000 as agreed for the construction of her house, it was left unfinished after she realised that she was being overcharged and refused to pay an additional US$72,000.
"After I paid him what we agreed to, he kept calling for more money and then said if he was to complete the house I would have to pay him US$72,000 more," she said. "My house is not finished although I've finished paying him. I was robbed.
"This is downright robbery, they are robbing us and that's why a lot of people are not coming back to Jamaica because everybody is extorting money from us," she added.
"There are many people that I know who get these people to build their houses and when they pack up their things and are ready to come home they realise that they have been robbed as there are no houses or nothing for them to come home to," she said.
Pointing to both cases, Latouche urged the Government to implement measures to protect returning residents who, he insisted, were being targeted by some building contractors.
"There is no justice, and we want the Government to put measures in place to protect these people," Latouche told the Observer.
"They can't go to the police, because the police are telling you that it's a civil matter, and when you do go to the courts it is dragged out for years until they get frustrated and people just lose their hard-earned money to these criminals," he said.
Returning residents say contractor fleeced them of US$500,000
BY ALESIA EDWARDS Observer staff reporter
alesiae@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, April 19, 2010
TOWER ISLE, St Mary — About two-and-a-half-years ago, Michael Young decided that after living in the USA for 34 years he wanted to return to Jamaica. In preparation for the move, Young bought property in the upscale Spring Valley community in this parish and employed a contractor to build a four-bedroom house.
However, two weeks ago Young flew to Jamaica only to find that his dream house has not been constructed, even though he has already forked out US$156,000 to the contractor whom he is now unable to locate.
Michael Young shows the area where his house was supposed to be constructed. viewed slide and recall within same
According to Young, he got his first taste of disappointment from the contractor a year ago when he visited and found out that the contractor had only started to lay the foundation for the retaining wall. This, Young said, was despite the contractor sending him pictures showing work that had supposedly been done.
"He told me that he was experiencing water problems, so we went to the water commission and got water, but when I returned again I realised that nothing more was done," Young explained.
"He kept calling me for money, telling me what needs to be done and I trusted him and kept sending my money, only to return again to find that I have been robbed," added Young. "I did my homework, we checked him out and everything seemed okay. He started off good."
Now, Young said, calls to the contractor's telephones are not answered and there has been no response to e-mails sent to him daily. He said a visit to the contractor's house was futile since he no longer lives there and the contractor's pastor, who was one of his references, has not been much help.
"He has not started to construct the house and the wall has reached no further from where it was a year ago," said Young. "The money I paid him did not include excavation, it was payment towards the house, which hasn't started."
Young's predicament has annoyed Percival Latouche of the Association for Resettlement of Returning Residents.
According to Latouche, Young is one of about 14 other returning residents robbed of millions by building contractors in recent years. He said the association is pursuing a number of other cases, although most of the contractors are itinerant.
"These people had reputable people, including pastors, as their references and all they do is to start the work, carry it to a level and then stop and then they request more money and then they disappear," Latouche said.
"It's about time something be done, too many people are targeting returning residents, it's like a disease and it is spreading."
Another resident at Rio Nuevo Battle Site, also in St Mary, who asked not to be identified, said she too was robbed by the same contractor as Young and her house left partly done.
She explained that after paying US$345,000 as agreed for the construction of her house, it was left unfinished after she realised that she was being overcharged and refused to pay an additional US$72,000.
"After I paid him what we agreed to, he kept calling for more money and then said if he was to complete the house I would have to pay him US$72,000 more," she said. "My house is not finished although I've finished paying him. I was robbed.
"This is downright robbery, they are robbing us and that's why a lot of people are not coming back to Jamaica because everybody is extorting money from us," she added.
"There are many people that I know who get these people to build their houses and when they pack up their things and are ready to come home they realise that they have been robbed as there are no houses or nothing for them to come home to," she said.
Pointing to both cases, Latouche urged the Government to implement measures to protect returning residents who, he insisted, were being targeted by some building contractors.
"There is no justice, and we want the Government to put measures in place to protect these people," Latouche told the Observer.
"They can't go to the police, because the police are telling you that it's a civil matter, and when you do go to the courts it is dragged out for years until they get frustrated and people just lose their hard-earned money to these criminals," he said.
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