Builders run off with money

nala67

Not sure if this is the best place but looking for advice.

my parents have spent their life savings redoing their house. It was much needed and my dad is disabled so it is to help with disabled friendly access. They had an extension, every room redone, underfloor heating etc. It was not liveable so they lived with me for 6 months. The build has already gone over by 2 months and is still not finished. The builders kept asking for more money.

They recently asked for £2.5k to finish everything off but since being paid have ignored my parents messages. The remaining things to be done are:
- plumbing - there is no shower/bath and no hot water
- 2 windows to be installed
- painting of all the rooms
- underfloor heating isn’t working
- downstairs toilet not plumbed
and finally, they broke the new door which was thousands and agreed they’d replace this, they haven’t.

it’s been 3 weeks since contact and all messages have been ignored. What are next steps? Do you wait and hope they come back or is it court time?

thanks 

Aylesbury_Duck

I'd suggest somewhere in between.  Waiting is too passive and it's a bit early to go to court.  How are you parents contacting them?  I assume (hope) they have a business address?  If so, your parents should send them a letter setting out what needs doing before they pay any more money.  Do they owe any money to the builder?  What does the payment and work schedule look like and where are they on it?

nala67

Aylesbury_Duck said:

I'd suggest somewhere in between.  Waiting is too passive and it's a bit early to go to court.  How are you parents contacting them?  I assume (hope) they have a business address?  If so, your parents should send them a letter setting out what needs doing before they pay any more money.  Do they owe any money to the builder?  What does the payment and work schedule look like and where are they on it?

They have paid more than agreed.
All calls/emails/texts are ignored.
He's also run off with neighbours money.

tacpot12

Aylesbury_Duck is correct. It is a bit to early for court, but you shouldn't wait for them to come back to your parents. 

You need to start investigating the builder. Find out where they live, what cars and vans they drive, and where else they are working. You also need to find out if they are a partnership, sole trader or Limited company. 

There may be a range of reasons why the builder isn't communicating, but if you can contact them and discuss what is stopping them returning to complete the  job, you might be able to understand the reasons and do something about them. If the builder won't communicate with you, your parents (not you) will need to send the builder a Letter before Action. Your parents should get a quote from another firm to finish the work off, and a report from the firm assessing the quality of the work done to date. If it is sub-standard, it will cost more to remediate.

macman

Why are they paying upfront to a conman who has already done the same to their neighbours?
As above, LBA first, but don't get your hopes up.