Refusing to pay tradesmen

Sounds like a good idea in theory but could backfire. Something I'd lije to do to thecscammers responsible for fraudulent misrepresentation the incident of slamming.

I do though.

My decorator Ive known for years and have looked at his books for him. He's entirely above board and pays all his tax.

The plumber, again, I know pays his tax. Not for the same reason.

My best friend is a tradie, and he's been fucked over in a similar way to OPs husband, again, he pays all his tax.

But it's ok to screw them over because some dont pay their tax. Punish the majority for the minority.

Yes some don't. My own biological father is one of them, and he's a dick too.

That doesn't mean they all don't.

And definitely don't harass the customer, hang around outside the property, try to undo the work etc. You need to look reasonable for the court case to succeed, and stalking the customer, entering the property or threatening them on the phone will just give them grounds against you.

Sounds like the thief is relying on your husband writing this off. Don't. Keep every shred of evidence. Start with the letter threatening court action, either download one or get a lawyer to prepare one for you.

Take it to court if you need to. It's not difficult, I've done it and won (against a landlord who basically stole 3 months of rent by banking a security cheque). It's worth using a lawyer to write the summary that you submit as they will present the case in the strongest way, but then you can represent yourself in court. You might not get every penny back but you'll get a legally enforceable judgment including a lien on his property if he won't pay up any other way.

You should be on the phone now chasing this debt, sit outsude the property and follow him or his wife to work/school etc if you have to. Check the land registry to see whose name is on the property and if it's joint add the wife's name to any action you're taking. I had carpets fitted recently which a third party had to pay. It was a local firm and they were paid before the caroet was fitted. Don't hesitate to report this to the police as fraudulent misrepresentation. I doubt they'll do anything but might give you advice. I think if you include the partner your dh might get a response. What sort of insurance does your dh have? Can you take put action jointly adding your name to any legal action as it's impacting on your family budget. I've reported someone for slamming if you know what that is. Come on palm a sailor spill the beans! What did you do. Look also at your household insurance to see if you're covered. I'm ill but still fighting!

We had it the other way. Paid a builder. He didn't do the job and disappeared. Went to small
Claims court. Won. He didn't have the money. Went to court again to put a charge on his property. Won. Went to court again and got an order forcing a the sale of said property. We got our money back. If you persevere it can work in your favour.

Who said anything about breaking in? And removing work that hasn’t been paid for isn’t vandalism either. Once he knew he wouldn’t be paid he should have removed his work before he left. Nothing illegal in taking what is rightfully his

So you think an electrician, for e.g. can just walk in and start ripping wires out the walls, a glazer remove your windows or a builder pull your walls down?? Of course they can't, even if there is a dispute over payment.

They need to go through the right channels.

Can he go back and brick up their front door?

Who said anything about breaking in? And removing work that hasn’t been paid for isn’t vandalism either. Once he knew he wouldn’t be paid he should have removed his work before he left. Nothing illegal in taking what is rightfully his

He must take him to court
And be a bit more professional about his business in the future. Even if only 3 days, if it's many thousands then he needs some of it up front.

I hope some of the suggestions here work.

Unfortunately it’s going to take additional time of his and cause stress that he can’t get compensated for.

Sorry to hear this OP. I have experienced this and people take the piss. Like others have said, id turn up and tell them you will be taking the materials back (work thats been done) to recoup the cost because they HAVEN'T paid. Record it all and make sure you tell the cheeky bastard you are doing so.

What’s happened to OPs husband is awful but I agree I often hear it the other way around. My own mum (single mother with immigrant accent) was treated so badly by many growing up. They saw her as an easy target with no man in the house.

It’s absolutely shocking that people would get someone in to do a job with no intention of paying though. How do they even justify it and sleep at night.

I had carpets fitted last year, as soon as the fitters left the apartment I transferred the money for carpet and fitting. The money probably hit the account before they even got in their van.

Shame the fucker on social media.

Payment in cash is untraceable and can be dirty.
You've no idea how much income your decorator declares to HMRC.
You've also no idea how much income your plumber declares to HMRC.
One of my best friends is a plumber, and just like all of his tradesman friends declares about 1/5th of his earnings.

Those who are self employed pay far less National Insurance and income tax than those employed under PAYE, even on the income they do declare, and for those who take cash, it's an absolute free for all. For some reason it's brushed under the table in the UK, but hopefully not for much longer.

It would most definitely be his problem!

You can't break in and vandalize private property, unless you want to end up with a prison sentence.

So quick to be a dick you didn't even read the OPs subsequent post about invoices, estimated etc.

And actually, cash doesn't equal no tax payment. So don't be a dick.

I paid my decorator cash, he definitely pays his tax.

The plumber asked for cash, again, pays his tax..

Don't be a dick.

Many thanks for posting this! We're on the other side, having paid someone in advance for some work. It's now almost 6 months and the litany of excuses for cancelling multiple times without any notice have been worthy of a MN troll medal for Make Believe!

If your OH is pretty sure he won't get paid I'd be looking at another way for the customer to pay. I'd be quite prepared to name and shame....and plaster all over social media. I'd also be looking at what I could 'reasonably' reclaim in terms of materials.
I'd be fking raging!

Would it happen to have been a cash job OP, like the vast majority of "Tradesman" activities in the UK ?

If so, I can understand your frustration and the reluctance to pursue a more official channel. Otherwise you'd have a written quotation and order confirmation to refer to.

What you describe as obvious is of course subjective.

Are you sick of tradespeople being treated like this, or are you angry because your DH hasn't received money he believes he is owed ?

When you post something on a public form, how can you possibly know what others would or wouldn't believe ?

You've written your final paragraph as though it's directed at "the customer".

You're clearly quite angry and unfortunately, this is one of the few pitfalls of being self employed. However, the financial benefits generally far outweigh the negatives.

Well, your dp was targetted by this “customer” because they thought they’d get away with it, ie dp wasn’t the type that would put up much of a fight.

there are plenty on builders you just couldn’t pull that shit with and no one would try, so the “customer” avoided those.

its a pro knocker and he’s been down this road and knows the route and you’ll never get paid with or without court.

write it off.

It maybe varies throughout the UK? I have never paid anything upfront. In fact, one of the tradespeople I use told me never to do so when I mentioned the possibility. But I have paid an installment halfway through the job in some cases.

Sorry this happened to your DH, OP. I hope you find a way to get the money back. At least the customer can't do a runner or dissolve their business!

Absolutely! I’ve seen it so many times on here. ‘They want a deposit? Avoid like the plague, OP’

FWIW DH was a sole trader for almost 20 years. I can count on one hand the amount of jobs that were big enough in terms of cash flow that he had to ask for a deposit for materials. He always traded with you only pay in full when you’re happy with the job. And this is not unusual in our part of the country.

He’s been close to this situation once or twice. And was prepared to go in and remove the work done. Didn’t matter whether it was of any worth once removed, it was the principle.