Couple pays builder $60k for house renovation – he runs off with the money while the husband and wife end up getting arrested

A couple from a town in the U.K. were swindled out of £44k (roughly $60k) after paying a builder to work on their dream home extension only for him to refuse to disappear after taking the money. Rob and Lucy Davies lost it all in the dodgy deal with builder Steve Figg, but the worst part was they actually ended up being arrested after Figg called the cops on them.

Figg was paid £44k by Rob and Lucy for a home extension back in 2023. The job was only meant to take 12 weeks but a year later, in October 2024, their home was left looking like a “bomb site.” The builder had done a shoddy job to say the least, “There was a huge, gaping hole in the garden where the kitchen was supposed to go and the back of the house was at risk of collapse.” Rob Davies told the BBC.

The condition of the home left Rob and Lucy in a troubling spot. It was nearly impossible to keep heated and rats began nesting after finding ways in through the large gaps left by Figg.

But here’s the real kicker, when the couple rightfully tried chasing the rogue builder to actually do the job he was paid to do he actually called the police on the couple for harassment. 

Steve Figg had Rob and Lucy arrested

The couple were arrested at their workplace and held in a cell for 22 hours after Figg reported them to police for harassment, even telling officers he was so fed up that he wanted to kill them. And yet, Figg was not reprimanded for his threat against their lives. The couple were unjustly detained but thankfully things were eventually straightened out and Rob and Lucy were let go with an apology from the officers.

The local council’s building control team began collecting evidence against Figg and it turned out he has a history of not finishing jobs and even threatening his clients. Figg was sentenced for what he did to the Davies family but he is currently being investigated for more crimes against other potential victims.

In one instance he showed up to the house of a woman, who had just given birth, with a chainsaw and destroyed her garden over a payment dispute. He had already received almost £100,000 but the final payment had been withheld over his poor quality work.

Speaking about Figg, Davies called him “the lowest of the low.” He added, “I genuinely can’t think of another sort of person who would do this.” Figg was ordered to pay the Davies £85,000, (roughly $115,000) in compensation.