Con man builder! Help!

carlon_moor

Hi ALL,

After recently buying a house we were told in the survey that there was rising damp which was effecting the kitchen, we were then told by an independant surveyor that it would be be cheaper to rip the kitchen out (which were planning on doing anyway just not so soon) and getting all the damp work sorted in one go. We hired a local contractor to do all the work including the damp course. He instructed a damp specialist from Kingfisher to come round and give us an idea of what needed doing. Our builder then recommended we use this companies products to sort the damp and that his company would do the actual work. This was done and the kitchen was fitted, there were only minor things left to sort such as wiring so we paid him in full for the work. He is now not answering his phone at all and has not provided us with the 30 year guarntee he promised! Kingfisher have said only approval contractors are able to issue the certificates but this would mean our builder going on a course he would have to pay for which i very much doubt he would be willing to do!! if the damp course fails we will have to pay for it to be re-done and the kitchen will need to be ripped out then fitted back in again!! any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

burnleymik

Did you manage to get anything signed or in writing between you and your builder before the work started?

keystone

carlon_moor wrote: »

After recently buying a house we were told in the survey

So you completed the sale BEFORE you read the survey report? Was it a proper survey or was it a House Buyers Report.

that there was rising damp which was effecting the kitchen,

Have you any idea how few cases of rising damp there actually are every year. If there is damp at all it was most likely penetrating damp

we were then told by an independant surveyor that it would be be cheaper to rip the kitchen out (which were planning on doing anyway just not so soon) and getting all the damp work sorted in one go.

Was he a proper surveyor or was he a salesman from a dampproofing company who would have a vested interest in maintaining the suggestion of a damp problem.

We hired a local contractor to do all the work including the damp course. He instructed a damp specialist from Kingfisher to come round and give us an idea of what needed doing. Our builder then recommended we use this companies products to sort the damp and that his company would do the actual work.

I don't think this is unusual.

He is now not answering his phone at all and has not provided us with the 30 year guarntee he promised! Kingfisher have said only approval contractors are able to issue the certificates but this would mean our builder going on a course he would have to pay for which i very much doubt he would be willing to do!!

Might he be on holiday? Perhaps he's dropped his phone in the river on a fishing trip? Might he just be a bit slow with his paperwork. As regards a guarantee you may be confusing two issues methinks. Kingfisher will support the installer with a manufacturers guarantee if the installer has been on their course and therefore knows how to apply it properly. The builder can give you his own guarantee to cover the work whether or not he has been on a course but if he hasn't. What are you expecting?

If the damp course fails we will have to pay for it to be re-done

I think you mean proofing rather than course and it seems rather early to be drawing the I'll have to pay for it conclusion right at this minute.

and the kitchen will need to be ripped out then fitted back in again!!

Thats not necessarily so and even if it was then whether there was a guarantee in place or not it would still have to be done.

Frankly there is quite a lot of emotive thinking in your post. Don't ring him. Write him a letter and just say you were expecting to receive your promised guarantee and ask when is that likely to happen. Its if you don't get an answer to that thet you need to consider what to do next not before. PS also remind him about the OS electrical works that he has been paid for.

Cheers