Issues with builder

bananana1

Hello everyone,

We could really use some advice regarding issues we are having with our builder.

We bough a victorian house last November, my husband who is a diy person has been working on it since as it neede a lot of updating.

We started our single story exension about a month ago. We accepted the estimate our builder gave us back in June this year, the estimate stated a deposit of 20% with stage payments thereafter. However, we have never seen or agreed on any schedule of payments attached to any work progression. Since the work started, we paid 40% of the origianl estimate (20% was paid just last week) and our builder issued us with another 20% invoice just 2 days ago. We have previously asked our builder, verbally and in writing, to provide us with a schedule of payments so we’ll know when to pay and how the work is progressing, making sure that we won’t over pay him before the work is complete but he kept saying he asks for money as and when he requires it and that he doesn’t want to be pressurised with time frames- eventhough stage payments- to our understanding, are tied with stages of the work, rather than time frame? We also want a confirmation that last payment will be made only after the work and finishes have completed. Don’t think this is unreasonable?

Most of the time we feel we are with our back against the wall, having to agree to his terms and prices because we have already started the work with him. I can imagine this is expected with every building work.

We contacted consumer advice who advised us to put everything in writing and make sure he is aware of our issues.

Since we have not agreed to pay the last invoice of 20%, bearing in mind he estimated around 6 weeks for the work to complete, and this payment would have meant 60% have been paid, he told us yesterday that he won’t be sending anyone to the property on Monday until we make the payment. We have emailed him last night to clarify what we need from him and offered a compromise of 10%, with him finishing putting steels in before a further 10% is paid. He has not replied yet.

Any suggestion on what can we do?

Thanks

Doozergirl

Pay to have it valued by a surveyor and the invoices approved by them each time. I have no idea what the builder's opinion will be of that, but it's better than paying ahead constantly.

These things need to be agreed in advance and you set yourself on the back foot when you pay for 20% of the work up front and expect to then be able to work to a point where you're only paying for work done.

You know what we would have said had you told us before you paid a 20% deposit. This builder may well be genuine, but its quite possible that you are a line of credit; your deposit finished someone else's work and his next customer's deposit finishes yours.

Lots of jobbing builders simply aren't administrators and they run their jobs based on gut. If you can't get it in writing beforehand that you're going to be given a schedule of what you're being invoiced for, then it's frankly unlikely that they're capable of producing it.