builder not delivering - how to proceed?

pinkshoes

eskbanker said:

aoleks said:

I'll see what the invoice says. can I insist on a properly detailed invoice? (man hours, materials etc.)

If you originally agreed a fixed price contract without a detailed cost breakdown then I wouldn't have thought that you have the right to insist on a detailed invoice now, unless there's any mileage in the small print of VAT regulations perhaps?

The lack of any such cost breakdown in the contract would hinder your chances of recovering costs via a court unless the refund offered is manifestly unreasonable, i.e. the onus would be on you to quantify your claim, so if at all possible it would make sense to ask the builder for the basis on which he calculated his refund offer and negotiate from there.

On the other hand, as the builder has cancelled the contract mid way through, I think it is fair that an itemised list is supplied justifying the partial amount they are asking for.

I would also get a couple of builders in to quote an amount for finishing the job and compare this to what is being refunded. 

What was the quote of the builder you used compared with the other quotes you got initially before instructing him?