Builder set up scaffolding... then never came to do the work!

Girthhitch

It has been over a month, I can't contact him at all, and no idea whose scaffolding it is. Am trying to sell the house and urgently need the wall fixed due to rain.

I think if I pay someone else to do it, they probably won't want to risk touching someone else's scaffolding?? What's the fastest way I can get mt urgent repairs completed???

Thank you.

RHemmings

I read (not direct experience) that scaffolding often gets left at houses for a long time. As it costs money to store it between jobs. But, storage is free if it's at a house where a job will be, or has been, done. 

If I were in your position I would send a letter by recorded delivery saying that unless he removes the scaffolding you will have it done, and charge him for the dismantling and storage. Probably difficult to actually get the money back, but at least say it. 

I'm assuming that you have some sort of address for him. If you only have a telephone number or similar and there's scaffolding at your house, that would be ... an unusual situation. 

Girthhitch

How would I know that their address is real though? Is listed on their website. I suppose I could go a knocking.
But no, I don't generally ask for an address with a builder, perhaps that should be a standard action to obtain it.

Can anyone think of how to prevent something like this from happening again? Sometimes the big companies aren't available. This guy does have some presence, but not as much as I would normally be comfortable with.

Cheers!

user1977

Girthhitch said:

Can anyone think of how to prevent something like this from happening again?

Check you've got real-life contact details for a builder before you employ them?

Why do you now think their address might be fake? What is it? What sort of entity are they? (limited company, sole trader, etc)

Girthhitch

user1977 said:

Girthhitch said:

Can anyone think of how to prevent something like this from happening again?

Check you've got real-life contact details for a builder before you employ them?

Why do you now think their address might be fake? What is it? What sort of entity are they? (limited company, sole trader, etc)

I think it may be fake, because it can be easily faked? unless on companies house?
Ok, they are on companies house so I guess ltd companies cant lie? Still unsure what a Registered office address exactly means though, doesn't mean they live there does it?

user1977

Girthhitch said:

user1977 said:

Girthhitch said:

Can anyone think of how to prevent something like this from happening again?

Check you've got real-life contact details for a builder before you employ them?

Why do you now think their address might be fake? What is it? What sort of entity are they? (limited company, sole trader, etc)

I think it may be fake, because it can be easily faked? unless on companies house?
Ok, they are on companies house so I guess ltd companies cant lie? Still unsure what a Registered office address exactly means though, doesn't mean they live there does it?

You've got the details! Does it look like a residential address? (no reason why it has to be) How long established is the company? What do their accounts like like? What reviews have you seen for them?

Bigphil1474

Ltd companies can be registered at a head office, or at an accountants, or all sorts of places really. I've known little offices have 100's of companies registered there. If you write to the registered office, then the letter should get to the company, or company secretary if they have one. If it is local, I'd be tempted to call round.

Scaffolding is supposed to be checked periodically (pretty sure it's 7 days) to make sure it's still safe to use, so it is unlikely somebody would use someone else's scaffolding to work off, without at least getting it checked first. Best bet is to either track the original builder down, or see if you can get another builder in and see what they say - did you get a few quotes originally?

MeteredOut

Advertise "free scaffolding, must uplift" on FB Marketplace and send the builder the link

Section62

MeteredOut said:

Advertise "free scaffolding, must uplift" on FB Marketplace and send the builder the link

Not sure how serious you are, but for the avoidance of doubt this is probably not a good idea.  Scaffolders tend to be very protective of their scaffolding - they need to be when they leave thousands of pounds worth of equipment laying around for long periods of time. Some might react somewhat ungenerously towards anyone they deem to be playing silly games with their asset.  At the more benign end of the scale they might nip round to remove a few key components and then leave the scaffold with 'unsafe to use' notices.

Assuming the builder has hired the scaffold rather than owning it himself then it is possible the builder has no interest whatsoever in getting the scaffold removed, and may not have paid for it yet.

The OP has an urgent need to get the work on their house done.  They may already have the headache of having to pay the scaffolder directly before it is removed, it would be a bigger headache if the OP got the reputation locally of being someone willing to play games with other people's assets and found nobody was willing to do they work they need done.

A better use of FB would be to ask if anyone knows the company the scaffold belongs to (typically it will have paint markings) in order to be able to go direct to the scaffolder and see whether arrangements can be made for a different builder to use it.

FreeBear

Section62 said: A better use of FB would be to ask if anyone knows the company the scaffold belongs to (typically it will have paint markings) in order to be able to go direct to the scaffolder and see whether arrangements can be made for a different builder to use it.

The scaffolding I've had in the past had the company name stamped in to the metal band on the end of each wooden board. The tubes & clamps had no such markings.

MeteredOut

Section62 said:

MeteredOut said:

Advertise "free scaffolding, must uplift" on FB Marketplace and send the builder the link

Not sure how serious you are, but for the avoidance of doubt this is probably not a good idea.  Scaffolders tend to be very protective of their scaffolding - they need to be when they leave thousands of pounds worth of equipment laying around for long periods of time. Some might react somewhat ungenerously towards anyone they deem to be playing silly games with their asset.  At the more benign end of the scale they might nip round to remove a few key components and then leave the scaffold with 'unsafe to use' notices.

Assuming the builder has hired the scaffold rather than owning it himself then it is possible the builder has no interest whatsoever in getting the scaffold removed, and may not have paid for it yet.

The OP has an urgent need to get the work on their house done.  They may already have the headache of having to pay the scaffolder directly before it is removed, it would be a bigger headache if the OP got the reputation locally of being someone willing to play games with other people's assets and found nobody was willing to do they work they need done.

A better use of FB would be to ask if anyone knows the company the scaffold belongs to (typically it will have paint markings) in order to be able to go direct to the scaffolder and see whether arrangements can be made for a different builder to use it.

Not serious - I should have added more smileys. Yes, definitely not a good idea. Unless you could post it but make it private except for the builder ...

Interesting thought experiment: At what point does it become trespass that the builder (or scaffolding company) is leaving their property on the OPs land?

Taking it to the extreme - what if it is left there for 6 months, 12 months, 2 years. At what point could the OP rightfully have the scaffolding disposed of?