Adelaide builder Andrew Tony Pappas fined for working outside his licence, failing to start work

The state government has lashed out at a “dodgy” builder fined in court for taking huge down payments on jobs outside his licence and never showing up.

Unsafe scaffolding used by builder Andrew Tony Pappas during a renovation. Supplied

A dodgy builder has been ordered to repay $50,000 and fined more than $8000 after working unlicensed and not starting jobs – forcing clients to remortgage to finish a reno.

Elizabeth Magistrates Court last week, Andrew Tony Pappas, 42, was sentenced after admitting to breaching the Building Work Contractors Act, after enforcement action was taken by SA’s consumer watchdog, Consumer and Business Services.

The court heard a couple hired the Surrey Downs man to renovate their home, unaware the work was outside the scope of his builder’s licence.

After investigation, they cancelled their dealings with him.

The clients were forced to remortgage their home to pay for the renovation and had to remortgage again to pay for the work to be completed by another builder.

The court heard Pappas had so far repaid around $35,000 of the $50,000 he had agreed to repay.

Materials purchased by Andrew Tony Pappas and left at a client's home, who had to take it to the dump. Supplied

In a second case, Pappas was hired for building work on a Surrey Downs home, including the construction of a new granny flat – seeking a cash deposit of $35,000 before he would begin work.

No work was ever undertaken, the court said.

Magistrate David White fined Pappas $8400, ordering him to repay a total of nearly $50,000 to the two consumers and convicted him.

Pappas pleaded guilty to carrying on business as building work contractor without a licence, failing to comply with domestic building work contract, and demanding or requiring payment under a domestic building work contract other than a genuine progress payment.

Consumer and Business Affairs Andrea Michaels said it was appalling the “dodgy” builder had taken on work he wasn’t licensed to do and left consumers in the lurch.

“The court recognised the seriousness of this offending and ordered consumers to be compensated following CBS’s investigation and subsequent prosecution,” Ms Michaels said.

“This case highlights why it’s so important to do your homework before hiring a builder. While Pappas did hold a licence, the jobs he was accepting money for were well outside the scope of his licence.

“When you’re hiring a builder, head to the CBS website to ensure someone is licensed for the work and always get multiple quotes – because a bit of research at the start, can save you considerable pain further down the track.”