Loraine and Rob Deering, both former Royal Air Force personnel, have been living in a caravan for over a year after a building company left their £100,000 home renovation half-finished before going bust. The couple poured 10 years of savings into the project, which was intended to future-proof their Dundee property for their old age.
Renovation Plans and Initial Agreement
The pair, who have resided in their home since 1994, decided to renovate it to make it more suitable as they grow older. Loraine, 66, and Rob, 74, entered into a contract with RPM Group, who pledged to transform their bungalow and install an additional bathroom within just 12 weeks for £126,000. Loraine started drawing up plans in 2024 and took them to an architect, who recommended RPM Group Scotland. They were chosen primarily because they were recommended and were a Trusted Trader.
Work Stalls and Delays
The couple handed over the keys on March 31, 2025. Initially sceptical about the 12-week timeline, they soon found workers not turning up. The deadline was pushed back from June 6, 2025, to mid-September. After Rob's major surgery in September, they were assured they could return home, but work ceased entirely. Loraine said: 'We had to tell them my husband was going in for this major surgery - they promised we'd be back in the house. We ordered our furniture, and we didn't get in. Our furniture is in storage, or sitting here in the damp.'
Financial and Emotional Toll
As winter arrived, the couple spent additional money on Airbnbs, depleting their savings. They tried to file a fraud report with Police Scotland but were told the evidential threshold was too high. DBLaw Chartered Surveyors inspected the property and deemed it uninhabitable, with the kitchen, bathroom, heating, and electrical installations missing. Slightly less than 50% of the agreed works were completed, yet the couple had paid 90% of their invoice to RPM Group.
Loraine said: 'We've been living in Airbnbs and our touring caravan - which is not ideal for our health and mobility, but it was only supposed to be 12 weeks and we felt we could cope with that. Now all our income is going on paying for accommodation and trying to save again. It took us 10 years to save the money to get this done, and there's even more needing done now because of what they've damaged and not done right. We don't know where to go. We don't know what to do anymore. We're just surviving and going from one day to the next. We don't know when we'll ever be back in our home.'
Support and Legal Response
The couple are receiving support from Veterans First in Dundee, who are helping to contact legal organisations. RPM Group, through solicitor Ritchie McNeil, claimed the couple requested numerous alterations during the work, leading to additional costs and cash flow issues that forced the company to cease trading and dissolve. The couple dispute these assertions. McNeil stated: 'There has been no intentional, or reckless, wrongdoing by my client. At the beginning of the job, they went the extra mile to help Mrs Deering and even weeded her garden and plotted plants for her. After the work commenced, Mrs Deering instructed significant additional work and the knock-on effect of that was additional costs being incurred which were not foreseen or accounted for.'
