To employ an established painter / decorator to paint my new house without being called a racist?

[Hiptrip]

I’ve just moved into a new house and mentioned to a neighbour that I am having some cosmetic decorating work inside.

The next day there was a knock at the door, and I found a man there wanting to give me a quote for the job. I’ve already promised the work to someone so I refused him. He got quite aggressive but left when I threatened to call the police.

I’ve been to the neighbour and asked her politely not to send her friends and family over to pitch for work, unless they have references and declare their earnings. She’s not British born nor was the person who she sent. They’ve not been living in the UK long, and she called me a racist.

I want to employ local tradesmen and women with a good reputation, and am happy to pay them properly to work for me. I’m not interested in anyone who wants to undercut them and take cash only, no matter how good they claim to be.

The fact that he got aggressive shoes you that you did the right thing.

Fair enough to ask and quote. Not ok to not take the answer that you've already employed someone.

of course yanbu

I don't answer the door to strangers and teach DC same. I'd have been furious that someone I didn't know sent round someone I didn't know!!

Just tell her you will call the police if she sends aggressive callers round...should shut her up

I'd have probably left out the references and declaring earnings bit tbh, the last bit sort of sounds like you're calling her friend/relative a tax dodging criminal so I can see why that got her back up a bit. YWNBU to tell her not to send random people to your door though, especially if they then behave like knobheads.

You're not unreasonable to refuse work to somebody who randomly turns up at your door and is abusive.

You would be unreasonable if you limited your potential tradesmen to "local" people, if your definition of local means born in the UK.

My brother is British born, has references and pays tax etc (he’s a plaster) but I don’t send him round to peoples houses when they mention they need plastering doing.... it’s just weird.
However I wouldn’t have said the bit about references and earnings.

Unless something's missing from your post however, how did you know the person at the door didn't have references and declare their earnings? Did you assume because they're not British? Plenty of British don't declare. Also ones who are large and fine recimmended (experience as tax lawyer previously). Also if someone is self employed it's not your absolute duty to ensure they pay all their taxes (although if explicitly state they don't or indicate the same then I would decline to offer work).

*come recommended

I wouldn't have gone into it (can sound sanctimonious) but she sounds like she is just using the race bully card. Maybe if she's not been here long she has the preconception of everyone being racist. Did you tell her that he was threatening ?

How opportunistic of your neighbour, and how rude of the workman. I think I’d have been a lot ruder to her about what she did and the nastiness on my own doorstep.

I'm not sure how the "not British born" relates to declaring their earnings. Do you believe that you don't get "British born" people working cash in hand? It's fair enough not to want to employ people who work cash in hand, but it's pretty unreasonable, and yes, also pretty xenophobic to make assumptions based on someone's place of birth. Did they actually say they wanted to work cash in hand, or is that just your prejudice?

The aggressiveness is a different kettle of fish, of course.

I always say no to randomers knocking on the door and offering to do work/sell me stuff. Politely, but no. That’s not how I do business.

YANBU to refuse an unsolicited quote.

YABU and racist to assume that just because someone isn’t ‘British Born’ they aren’t paying taxes and undercutting local workers. That’s a straight out of the Daily Heil attitude.

I assume most would have a 'cash price'

Most as is - well, most (Brits or not).

No my definition of “local” does not mean people born in the UK - I meant people who live in my area.

He mentioned working for cash only, saying it would be cheaper for me, so I think I can assume he wants to dodge paying tax.

YANBU to turn down the unsolicited tradesman.

YABU to say this to your neighbour: "not to send her friends and family over to pitch for work, unless they have references and declare their earnings."

That's quite a large assumption to make and I think she was probably correct to identify it as racism on your part.
It was obviously going to get her back up. You could gave handled the situation better OP

I guess even if the neighbour was the queen herself, an aggressive tradesman talking about 'cheaper for cash' would solicit the same response.

YANBU not to employ someone who turned up randomly at your door. Doubly YANBU for not wanting to employ someone who was then aggressive when rejected! I wouldn't either.

And your neighbour is completely out of order for sending him round without asking you, and for calling you racist because you didn't employ him.

YADNBU nor are a 'racist'. Racist has just become another boring word, bandied around by people who truly don't know the actual meaning of it. It is a word with no real meaning anymore.

Personally I would have called the Police. These people may be going round other people's houses, touting for business. There are a lot of vulnerable people out there that may feel very threatened by it.

Call the Police and report them.

Agree with calling the police if they are threatening. We never employ randoms who turn up, we usually employ on the recommendation of others. You do not have to justify yourself to your unpleasant neighbour

Oh bugger off C8h10N4O2. If you can be arsed to read what the OP said, you will understand that she wants legitimate businesses that pay tax and come with references. NOT thugs who parade as painter decorators.

She conflated tax dodging and lack of references with "neighbour's relatives" when she had no reason to do either according to her post.

If this actually happened the only point she has raised legitimately is if a tradesperson was aggressive when told they were not needed.

Everything else is just conjecture which conveniently fits into the dirty foreign taxdodger trope.

The man was in the wrong to be pushy and aggressive. But you were also wrong to state they haven't been in the UK long and imply they didn't declare their earnings. That's discrimination IMHO.