Dodgy builder - what can we do?

misty-mitts

A few months ago we bought a flat that needed extensive work, including new kitchen, bathroom and flooring, and we got a builder in to do all of the work, which was a nice little earner for him. At first all was well, but towards the end of the work, he seemed to get distracted by other projects and so the work was delayed and the quality seems to have suffered. We noticed several minor problems early on, and had to get him back to fix them.

Then after a few weeks the plumbing of the toilet started leaking, and the water ran into the flat below, ruining their decor. We called the builder in, and he admitted that the leak was due to shoddy workmanship, fixed the leak, and said he'd re-decorate in the flat below. He never came back to do that.

Now there are more leaks, this time from the bath he fitted, and we are having further problems with the toilet. It has damaged our new flooring, and soaked the plasterboard walls and has caused more damage to the flat downstairs.

How can we ensure that he does a proper job on the leaks this time, and also fixes the flat downstairs as he promised to do, but hasn't? Can we threaten him with any sort of legal action, or is there any other pressure we can bring to bear on him?

Thanks for any advice.

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: A last resort but first find out if your bodger/builder belongs to any trade associations and whether they have any dispute mechanisms. How did you find your bodger and decide to engage his services? If he was recommended by one of the ubiquitous 'find a trade' websites report him. Get out your digital camera and take lots of photos. Contact your local Trading Standards. The threat of last resort has worked for us (in this case a rogue customer).


Best of luck.

Canucklehead

misty-mitts

Thanks both of you for your very good advice. We now feel more confident about tackling our builder and getting matters sorted as a result. I think we've also learned some useful lessons for the future.

jblack_2

Don't get your hopes up with a Small Claim action though. They're not worth the paper they're written on. We've just 'won' a court case against a roofer who's efforts were condemned by a surveyor after it started leaking. Although we won we still have to get the money from him ourselves.

The law is there to protect the accused not the aggrieved in cases like these.

J

judygarland

jblack wrote: »

Don't get your hopes up with a Small Claim action though. They're not worth the paper they're written on. We've just 'won' a court case against a roofer who's efforts were condemned by a surveyor after it started leaking. Although we won we still have to get the money from him ourselves.

The law is there to protect the accused not the aggrieved in cases like these.

J

The good thing about a CCJ though is it messes up their credit history file and if they want a clear one, they will have to pay you. We took someone to county court and within a week he paid up good as gold. From memory I think they have 28 days to pay up before it shows as a CCJ on their file. This will then sit there for 6 years.

mackiem_2

As well as photos take a note of all the key dates and when everything occurred, you could send him a letter giving him 7 days in which to remedy the situation or pay towards the costs. If the costs of the damage is over £5,000 then county court will get you a better enforcement.