Dodgy Tradesmen

redlady_1

Hi there,

I am curious about something. If you have a verbal agreement with a builder/tradesman to do a job and the job is either unfinished or of a poor standard of work, where do you stand legally? It seems the builders are very quick to threaten small claims court if you dont pay. I have never been in this situation, however, I am coming across it more and more and am about to have some major work done on my house so would appreciate any advice.

Thanks very much

pelirocco

Firstly dont have verbal agreements , get them to do a quote in writing , and pay where possible in stages .

redlady_1

Thats fine if you have massive jobs that require stage payments. But what about the smaller stuff for say £1k?

jdturk

redlady_1 wrote: »

Thats fine if you have massive jobs that require stage payments. But what about the smaller stuff for say £1k?

If 1k is a small amount of money for you then go ahead with verbals, however MOST people would still get jobs for that amount in writing

neilmcl

redlady_1 wrote: »

Thats fine if you have massive jobs that require stage payments. But what about the smaller stuff for say £1k?

Always get a written quote, regardless of job size. Most reputable builders will be happy to, those that don't aren't the ones you want to be dealing with.