A Dallas man has been convicted and fined $60,000 after posing as a qualified roof plumber and leaving a single mother thousands of dollars out of pocket due to defective building work.
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) successfully prosecuted Mohammad Ali Eshlan, 32, and his company Mojo Roofing Pty Ltd for carrying out unlicensed plumbing work in Whittlesea between May and July 2022. Eshlan, who failed to appear at Heidelberg Magistrates' Court, was found guilty of six offences under the Building Act.
Despite claiming to be registered and licensed with years of experience, Eshlan was not qualified to carry out the roofing work and was not covered by the mandatory insurance required for such jobs. The court heard that the victim, a single mother of two, hired Eshlan after he promised to issue a compliance certificate and quoted $27,000 to replace her tiled roof with a metal one. She paid a deposit of $18,500.
Shortly after the work began, the homeowner noticed major issues with the construction. An independent inspection later confirmed the roof had serious defects. Eshlan refused to return to the site or rectify the problems, leaving the woman to pay an additional $30,000 to have the work properly repaired by a qualified plumber.
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman described the emotional toll the ordeal took on her and her children. She said she feared for her safety after Eshlan became verbally aggressive when she refused to pay the remainder of the invoice. As a result, she was forced to install CCTV cameras around her home.
We have reiterated its warning to consumers about the risks of hiring unregistered or unlicensed practitioners. A recent statewide blitz uncovered 34 unregistered workers across 1,292 building sites throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
More than 200 reports have been made through our online tip-off form , with over half leading to further investigations.
Victorians are urged to always verify a practitioner's registration status before engaging their services.
