Removed text

AskAsk

Removed text

travis-powers

I can’t help much but he cannot remove your roof! 

It is a civil matter but I believe if he remove fitted materials it become criminal damage which is a police matter, his only option is to take you to court for non payment.

Rosa_Damascena

AskAsk said:

I have been unfortunate and ended up with a fraudulent roofer.  He has done a shoddy job, caused damage to my property and demands that I make the full payment of £3,200 for roof work or he will take the roof off and the house will not have a roof at all.  It is a rented property so I can't have a fight with him and call the police as the police says this is a civil matter and until violence breaks out, it remains so.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to deal with this?  I have promised to pay him half when he finish the job and sends me photos of the completed work and pay him the remaining balance when I have gone to inspect the house.  However, it is not going to rain by Monday when he wants the balance of the money.

I have asked for legal advice and the solicitor states that I can pay him then ask him to come back and make any repairs, but as he is fraudulent, I don't believe he will come back.  She says I could let him remove the roof but then I would have to sue him for damages.

He says I can pay the money into his bank account so at least there will be a paper trail but I don't know if the address on his invoice is a real address or a fake one.  I got him through myworkman site.  He has 3 good reviews on there, but I have since found a review on him on google which states he is fraudulent.

Any thoughts?

This is an ultra stressful situation and I feel for you. Hold your nerve and get support from your circle, and by that I don't mean more solicitor's advice.

Firstly pay nothing, unless it's the installation of CCTV. The only thing your roofer deserves is a letter before action. Also the tradesman's site that the recommendation came from need to be aware of the situation and de-list. And make sure the threat is logged with the police. This is how I have played it before, it's amazing how effective it is.

FreeBear

AskAsk said: I called the police and they gave me a crime reference but they said unless violence breaks out, they can't deal with it. 

Erm... Removing roof tiles would be criminal damage, which is something the police most certainly should deal with. If this "roofer" comes back, there is also a risk of "breach of the peace" which is another matter the police can deal with.

Perhaps talk to a real policeman rather than a civilian desk jockey - Ask them for a visit from the local policing team and you can voice your concerns face to face.

Throwing rubbish down your chimney could be classed as fly tipping - Might have a hard time with this one, or it could be considered criminal damage if it leads to damp problems.

Doozergirl

AskAsk said:

FreeBear said:

AskAsk said: I called the police and they gave me a crime reference but they said unless violence breaks out, they can't deal with it. 

Erm... Removing roof tiles would be criminal damage, which is something the police most certainly should deal with. If this "roofer" comes back, there is also a risk of "breach of the peace" which is another matter the police can deal with.

Perhaps talk to a real policeman rather than a civilian desk jockey - Ask them for a visit from the local policing team and you can voice your concerns face to face.

Throwing rubbish down your chimney could be classed as fly tipping - Might have a hard time with this one, or it could be considered criminal damage if it leads to damp problems.

I called 999 and they said I had to call 101, then I go out through to the local area police.  At least, it asked me which London borough I am in.  So I don't know if that is the local police station.  He said they can't do anything as it is a civil matter.  I do think they should do something as if nothing else it is trespass.

I will call again tomorrow and tell them about the rubble as that happened later.

You called 999?   999 is for danger to life!   You don't do that unless he's up there throwing the tiles down.  

What were the terms agreed for payment?  One doesn't get the luxury of altering them to suit.
 

You've not used any punctuation in what you're offering to pay, so it read the first time like you would only pay him half when he produces evidence that it's dry and the rest at your leisure.   I hope you didn't send that same sentence to him, as it doesn't read well at all.  

You haven't actually said what the issue is.  We've got 'coke cans' down the chimney and the full withholding of payment. 

There's story missing here. 

stragglebod

You've already had proper legal advice from an actual lawyer. I don't understand why you're now asking random strangers on the internet.

welshmoneylover

Why don’t you get another builder/roofer to come out and give you a 2nd opinion?

kdotdotdotdot

As an interim measure, ask him for an itemised invoice for the materials he's used on your roof.  You should pay him for those, at least. 

He's not a cowboy for not using scaffolding - it's not always necessary, depending on the job. My roofer was up and my roof like a monkey, no scaffold. The TV aerial bloke attached a new aerial to my chimney, again with just a ladder.  

The rest of what you say makes him sound dodgy, but it's hard to tell exactly what the story is.  

You should get another roofer in to assess the situation and give you a professional opinion as to whether the work, and the style of work, is acceptable or not.  It sounds like you're having a complete nightmare with this roofer and I wish you luck.