€23,000 paid: Palma builder arrested over unstarted works
A woman in Palma on Mallorca paid more than €23,000 towards home renovations and a swimming pool, but the work never started, police say. She had agreed a fixed price of more than €46,000 with the owner of a building company. National Police arrested the man on Wednesday on suspicion of fraud.
Payments made, work never starts
The woman contacted the Palma company at the end of February and agreed the project after several meetings. Once the contract was signed, she paid more than €4,600, followed by a further payment of more than €18,400 after the builder said work could begin.
When the agreed start dates passed, the woman said the man first blamed missing planning permission. He later said he needed an operation and gave her another date for the work.
No planning application found
The woman then checked with Palma's planning department. Police said she was told that no application for works had been filed either in her name or in the building company's name.
She reported the matter after the builder allegedly stopped answering her calls and messages. Investigators identified and found him before his arrest, and he was referred to the relevant judicial authority as the suspected perpetrator of fraud.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com