Boyfriend who did up his girlfriend’s £315,000 flat sues her for £60,000 he says he is owed for the work after they split up
Self-employed builder Gareth Powell and advertising executive Chloe Thomas planned to do up a flat in London and sell it for profit
A MAN who renovated his ex-girlfriend’s pad sued her for £60,000 after they split up – claiming she owed him for the work.
Self-employed builder Gareth Powell and advertising executive Chloe Thomas planned to do up a flat in London and sell it for profit.
Chloe, 28, had the funds to buy the £315,000 property off Wandsworth Common in 2012.
Gareth, 31, who had little cash, was to do the work to make the “uninhabitable” flat ready to sell.
But Gareth was left without a penny for his efforts when the couple split in 2014 - because the apartment was in Chloe's sole name.
Now he is suing his former girlfriend-of-eight-years for the £60,000 he claims he is now owed.
Gareth claims Chloe betrayed him by going back on an agreement that he would be entitled to a third of the profit if they split.
At Central London County Court, he said: “The discussions we had were that we would embark on this venture together.
“We were going to do up this property and sell it to acquire another one.'
They agreed that - because Gareth was unable to contribute to the purchase price - he would use his skills to renovate the flat.
The “uninhabitable” flat had poor water pressure and no heating when the couple moved in, the court heard.
Using cash loaned by his parents, he spent over £14,000 on materials, which he then used to bring the flat up to scratch, including installing a new kitchen and bathroom.
Gareth said he had been approached by Chloe's mum, Heather, in February 2013 and asked to sign a contract to protect both of their interests.
He discussed the contract with Chloe and they decided it would be in their interests to sign.
But Chloe denied this, saying that she was opposed to it and was enraged when she found out Gareth had signed.
She told the judge: “I was angry that he would get any share, because it was entirely my property.”
Gareth's barrister, Robert Deacon, accused Chloe of lying in the witness box.
Chloe's mum Heather said she had arranged for the contract because she wanted to protect her daughter, but Chloe never signed.
When it caused friction in the family, she tore up the copy Gareth had signed.
Mr Deacon suggested that she had only torn up the document because she did not want the contract coming to light after the couple's breakup.
But she responded: “I tore it up about a year before because I was trying to get the relationship back on track.”
Judge Baucher will give her ruling on the case at a later date.