When I was about to move house I paid a builder a deposit of £2,000 for materials, but a short time later I discovered he had declared himself bankrupt. I know his wife has just come into a large inheritance: they have a number of horses, more than one car and a mobile home, but the builders trustee in bankruptcy doesnt seem to have uncovered any of this.
If you paid your deposit to the builder as opposed to a builders merchants you may have lost your money. If the man was working as a sole trader, even if his wife was answering the phone, she may not share responsibility for his debts. If the couple’s assets were always in her name his trustee won’t be able to touch them, but you can check who owns their house, for example, at the Land Registry.