Tradesmen able to work during lockdown

hart89

My bathroom started work on one of two bathrooms on monday 16th March, he's completed less than half the bathroom before the country went in to lockdown. He is doing 2 bathrooms for £4000 (£k each) and he wanted £2k paid at the beginning of the job and rest after completion.

He now says he can't work. I have looked on gov.uk website and it says that tradesmen are allowed to work in people's houses as long as nobody has symptoms and other people maintain safe distance (2m) etc. 

I want the job finished as the bathroom is stripped and plastered and I have already paid him for 1 complete bathroom. I sent him a message yday saying he is able to continue working and can he come to finish this week, he said he needs a few days to 'look in to things' and is concerned bcos of his kids and caring for his mother. I feel he is making excuses.

What I want to know is, is he able to continue working? If he decides not to am I entitled to ask for part payment back so I can find someone else or my partner would finish it now he is off work and has lots of spare time.
Advice please? 

Hermann

Do you consider having both of you bathrooms pristine is more important than protecting the NHS from being overwhelmed?

If yes, finish it yourselves and right off payments made so far.

If not cooperate with tradesman and get it done when you can.

adonis

There may be issues with parts he needs as well, his supplier may not be open if he needs any thing.

Talking to a tradesman the other day and his trade mag said plumbers shouldn't go out unless you have a leak and electricians should only go out if there is no power.

mattyprice4004

I think his point is fair - he doesn't know that no one in your house is a carrier; remember this can live on various surfaces for quite a long time.

Ultimately it's down to each individual as to how they want to protect themselves - I'd say his mother's health comes above finishing a bathroom. 
Do you still have a working bathroom you can use? 

powerful_Rogue

hart89 said:

My bathroom started work on one of two bathrooms on monday 16th March, he's completed less than half the bathroom before the country went in to lockdown. He is doing 2 bathrooms for £4000 (£k each) and he wanted £2k paid at the beginning of the job and rest after completion.

He now says he can't work. I have looked on gov.uk website and it says that tradesmen are allowed to work in people's houses as long as nobody has symptoms and other people maintain safe distance (2m) etc. 

I want the job finished as the bathroom is stripped and plastered and I have already paid him for 1 complete bathroom. I sent him a message yday saying he is able to continue working and can he come to finish this week, he said he needs a few days to 'look in to things' and is concerned bcos of his kids and caring for his mother. I feel he is making excuses.

What I want to know is, is he able to continue working? If he decides not to am I entitled to ask for part payment back so I can find someone else or my partner would finish it now he is off work and has lots of spare time.
Advice please? 

I hope you told him that rather then coming on here ripping into him.

You are being completly unreasonable. That's the nicest I could word it without the possibilty of being banned from the forum

Andy_L

Allowed to doesn't mean have to

hart89

I'm not saying it is more important. I am fully aware of the pressures on NHS. I am not asking him to do anything that isn't allowed - The government have stated that tradesmen can continue to work in other people's houses as long as they abide by social distancing and since I've already paid him for it I am asking him to finish the job I have paid him for. There won't be anyone in the property while he works. 

Why would I right off payment when he hasn't finished a job that I have paid him for?

mattyprice4004

My point is that he doesn't have to open himself up to that risk if he doesn't want to - while still able to physically do it, he might not want to due to the family risk factors. 

There's a big difference between what he's allowed to do, and what he's comfortable doing - do you not still have access to a bathroom, as I asked above? 

powerful_Rogue

hart89 said:

I'm not saying it is more important. I am fully aware of the pressures on NHS. I am not asking him to do anything that isn't allowed - The government have stated that tradesmen can continue to work in other people's houses as long as they abide by social distancing and since I've already paid him for it I am asking him to finish the job I have paid him for. There won't be anyone in the property while he works. 

Why would I right off payment when he hasn't finished a job that I have paid him for?

He's already said, because of his children and his mother. Just because you are not in the house, does not mean you couldn't be infected and touched places where he needs to work.

Have you asked him just to pay for the work he has already done? What was his response?

Hermann

hart89 said:

I'm not saying it is more important. I am fully aware of the pressures on NHS. I am not asking him to do anything that isn't allowed - The government have stated that tradesmen can continue to work in other people's houses as long as they abide by social distancing and since I've already paid him for it I am asking him to finish the job I have paid him for. There won't be anyone in the property while he works. 

Why would I right off payment when he hasn't finished a job that I have paid him for?

Because having a pristine bathroom is more important to you. Your choice.

hart89

What i havnt mentioned is that he had a full week before the lockdown, he said the bathroom would be finished in 5/6 days. He didn't turn up for 2 of those days, he lost our flat key, and also tiled one wall so absolutely terribly I was unhappy with it so he had to start again. If he had turned up when he was supposed to the bathroom would have been finished before the restrictions. 
I understand his worries about the virus, just frustrating as he hasn't delivered a bathroom in the time frame he said he would, and now have to wait potentially months to get it finished.
We do have an en suite but the shower is faulty and water is luke warm at best.