Deposit Paid for Materials Upfront

ooh_aah

Hi, a couple of weeks back we paid £500 deposit for work to be done in our garden (materials). 

Since making the payment to their business account, there was been a wall of silence - no response to emails/sms, when before payment was made the tradesman always replied very quickly.

We have since discovered he took £600 for a driveway but was a no show, and also laid a floor for someone else that was a botched job and has ignored requests to return and make right.

We no longer want him to do the work, but as he has £500 of our money, don't want to risk losing it.

If he asked for £500 for materials, and we ask to cancel, if he can't produce invoices for materials bought to date, is he obliged to pay us the full amount back or at least the difference to what has been purchased?

That is assuming he ever responds to us!