To be completely shocked and very worried?

[usernamerequiredsand]

Having major renovations done to my house. My plumber/electrician has been doing work the last 2 weeks, he'd fitted new boiler and central heating and had started ripping out the bathroom. He runs his own business and doesn't have any staff.

However, I am completely shocked as I have just seen on Facebook that he died suddenly Friday night. I'm am so saddened for his partner. It's very very sad he was only 48.

I'm now left wondering where I go from here? I had not paid money to him, was going to get an invoice at the end. How do I go about paying the work that was done? I haven't been contacted by anyone and as far as I am aware he had a girlfriend but she didn't take to do with the business.

Also, will I need to get a new quote from a different plumber now and will they start a job half way through?

Just to make it clear, my house is not important, I'm totally aware of that, the man has lost his life. I'm just wondering where to go from here. He was expected here at 8.30 am tomorrow morning

Should i expect to be contacted by someone about this?

@VeganVeal

Not really the type of thread for a joke

My DH is a retired plumber and this has happened a couple of times to people he knows. Do you know where he purchased his materials from. You could contact them and ask them for recommendations of plumbers who could finish the job. With regards to payment, I would hold on for a while or has already been mentioned write to the family and explain the situation. I expect any money owed would be appreciated to go towards the cost of funeral. Whatever you do, get it in writing.

My OH is self employed - stand alone, no employees. I wouldn’t know exactly what jobs he was on, he sometimes does 2 or 3 at a time. He keeps most things on his phone in the calendar - but random notes that wouldn’t make sense to me

Which is no way to run a business.

Thank you, very good advice on this thread. I am going to do as suggested, take pictures(make sure date stamped), make a list of the exact work that he carried out and set the money aside. If i don't hear anything in a month to 6 weeks I will do as suggested and write a letter outlining that he did some work and I am able to settle the bill whenever best suits them. I will get on to plumber tomorrow and see if anyone is available to finish it off. Awk just can't believe it, healthy 48 year old guy, obviously active due to his job. So sad.

I just think if I didn't have Facebook would he have just not turned up and I'd of never known what happened? So weird.

If you haven't already been given the boiler manufacturer's operating instructions and the maintenance manual, and received the registration documents and guarantee, I would contact the manufacturers for advice.

We had a new boiler installed in 2019 and the heating engineer completed and returned the installation details on completion of the job; we received the boiler registration and guarantee documents a couple of weeks later, directly from Worcester Bosch.

@VeganVeal Hardly a situation to joke about.

Oh also, yes he provided me with all necessary paperwork/certificates for the boiler etc before moving on to the bathroom thankfully. He was very organised and thorough.

@MintyMabel

My OH is self employed - stand alone, no employees. I wouldn’t know exactly what jobs he was on, he sometimes does 2 or 3 at a time. He keeps most things on his phone in the calendar - but random notes that wouldn’t make sense to me

Which is no way to run a business.

Lots of self-employed people work like that, especially sole business owners.

That's so sad

But well done you for having a humane response and caring about the family more than your half finished house.

I hope you can get both sorted fairly easily.

@itsgettingwierd it definitely puts things in to perspective and I realise I can live with an unfinished bathroom for a few weeks or more if I have to, his poor family will be going through hell. My bathroom is the least important thing in this whole situation. I just wanted to get some advice on payment etc as didn't want to do anything wrong but the advice here has been very helpful.

Get a quote for the job to be finished. Deduct this amount from the quote given to you by the original builder and then once the work is completed pay the builder you hired to finish the job and then the remainder of the original quote to the estate of the deceased builder. Do not pay in cash. Wait for an invoice and get a receipt. All above board.
The job may cost more for someone to pick up midway through and finish so you need to consider this.

In all likelihood someone has his phone and is checking messages. I'd text his phone with something along the lines of "I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Bob. He was working on our bathroom and was so friendly/helpful/professional. Please pass my thoughts on to all his family and friends. In due course please could you let me have the invoice for the work he had undertaken. If you need to contact me about this please don't hesitate".