I paid a roofer in cash to fix my roof but he never came back to finish the work!

user1977

Jon2022 said:

diystarter7 said:

Flight3287462 said:

OP call him up from another phone, tell him you have recorded his call and if you don't get your money back you will be reporting him to HMRC.

What you do after that is up to you.

Hi
Report him for what, asking for payment in cash? That is not against the law and OP has no recorded evidence.
You can pay anyone in cash if they accept that and it's only when they don't declare income if they are supposed to is against the rules.

I don't see this ending well for the OP, but I hope I'm wrong.

I understand it is not illegal to accept payment in cash but accepting payment in cash for the sole reason of tax avoidance is illegal. 

I'm not sure that it is - it only becomes unlawful once he actually submits false tax returns etc. And even if it was a crime in its own right, I can't see that you could prove it, or that anybody would bother pursuing it. At the end of the day, HMRC normally just want their money, there aren't millions of prosecutions for tax evasion on top of that.

macman

His tax status is not relevant to small claims. Stick to the facts and say what resolution you want, and in what timescale. 
And then follow through. If you give him 14 days, and no settlement, then on day 15 you must submit your claim. 

Jon2022

macman said:

His tax status is not relevant to small claims. Stick to the facts and say what resolution you want, and in what timescale. 
And then follow through. If you give him 14 days, and no settlement, then on day 15 you must submit your claim. 

Thank you. Any suggestions on how I should structure the letter. Is there a particular template to use?

macman

No. Basis of your complaint, dates, your losses, resolution required and the timescale. Actions to follow if not complied with.
Head it 'Letter Before Action' and ensure it's addressed to the ltd company, not the individual.

sheramber

the roofer may or may not be registered for VAT depending on what his turnover is. 

It may have been an empty threat knowing people are happy to get a cheaper deal. - a the OP was.

It is more like  a cash payment is for avoiding income tax by not declaring his full  income. 

TripleH

A tip to spot these potential fly by night chancers is if you get a limited company name, check the Directors and the number of associated companies.

It will list all companies they have been a Director of (even those that have closed down), a long list should be an indication that something might be suspicious especially if the companies don't last long.

To add, there are many legitimate reasons why someone could be a Director / ex-director of multiple companies especially ones that have been struck off (accountants for example).