Bad Building Work,Witholding Final Payment

Al_Ross

What are the rules regarding building work with staged payments?

The total job cost was £47000, with the final payment being £15000,due on completion of all work.

Can I withhold the final payment till the final works are completed to a satisfactory standard?

Alderbank

Al_Ross said:

What are the rules regarding building work with staged payments?

The total job cost was £47000, with the final payment being £15000,due on completion of all work.

Can I withhold the final payment till the final works are completed to a satisfactory standard?

Yes, that's the point of withholding it.
I assume it is stated among the contract terms and conditions?

Of course your idea, and the builder's idea, of 'completed to a satisfactory standard' might differ.

Al_Ross

No contract as such.I agreed the price and later he Whatsapped the payment method.He using Whatsapp for all comunications.

He has provided an updated invoice showing the new balance after each payment made.

Who decides if the work is satisfactory ?

If neither of us agree how is this resolved,him suing me for the final payment?

HillStreetBlues

Al_Ross said:

how is this resolved,him suing me for the final payment?

If that what he decides to do, then yes it will be.
If you don't think the job is worth you have paid so far, you could counter sue.

Aylesbury_Duck

Al_Ross said:

No contract as such.I agreed the price and later he Whatsapped the payment method.He using Whatsapp for all comunications.

He has provided an updated invoice showing the new balance after each payment made.

Who decides if the work is satisfactory ?

If neither of us agree how is this resolved,him suing me for the final payment?

I'm somewhat stunned that on a £47,000 job, none of this was set out properly beforehand and that all communications have been on WhatsApp!

To answer your final question, yes.

Al_Ross

I struggled to get any builder and my 3 year planning time was about to expire so I posted the job on my builder and he was the only one interested.Unfortunately they have not been great.