Builder with history of warnings accused of leaving customers out of pocket

A builder with a history of bankruptcy and warnings from consumer authorities in two Australian states is now facing accusations of leaving customers in northern New South Wales out of pocket. Steve Preston, who has allegedly used multiple aliases, is accused of failing to complete tiny homes and cabins for clients.

Leigh Peters, a motel owner in Grafton, paid $78,000 to Preston for two staff accommodation units. Peters was hoping to address a local housing shortage but was left $30,000 out of pocket when the project stalled. He discovered Preston's past after encountering issues with the construction.

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You don't feel like when you hire a local builder in a country town, you're going to come across [someone] with a very bad history.

Preston has a documented history of unlicensed building work across Australia. In 2007, the Western Australia Supreme Court permanently restrained him from operating as a registered builder after he took substantial deposits from unknowing customers. At the time, the WA building regulator labeled him a "maverick" and a "menace."

Further penalties followed in 2009 when Perth and Midlands Magistrates Courts fined Preston over $60,000 for unregistered work and excessive deposit-taking. He also came to the attention of NSW Fair Trading, leading to the cancellation of a building company license linked to him and nine penalty notices totaling $22,000 for breaches including failing to obtain building insurance.

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This is about as bad as conduct that infringes the Fair Trading Act gets. Mr Preston has had absolutely no regard for the law or the interests of consumers.