Tradesperson inviting people into my home

[IvyPlant]

Currently got a tradesperson in to do a job. They quoted me a day rate of 8 days work (which I think will take less time than that, but they're the expert...)

Anyway, that's not my AIBU. I checked my security footage this week and noticed a woman popped round to my house when I was out and tradesperson was working alone in my house. I can only see her walk past my front door to the back garden gate, she knocks and then the feed ends. She's seen leaving 4 hours later. The next day, same thing, except 3 hours.

At present the tradesperson gets here for about 8am and has already stopped working by 3pm. So that's 7 hours of work, fair enough, but 4 (and 3) of them an unknown woman here is (it's not his wife, I did a little social media digging and it's not her).

AIBU if I question him about it next week? He still has 4 days left to finish the job next week and I don't l like the fact there's an unknown and univited person in my house when I'm not there, plus, how much work can he really be doing if his "mate" is there for 4 hours.

So you are both happy to pay a tradesperson to not do the work? That is ops concern. Paying for them to entertain another person instead of doing the work.

If you have that kind of money to spare please send it my way.

Personally I would love to be a fly on the wall when he presents you the bill and you go in with 'let's discuss how much we are removing from this bill for time spent entertaining your lady friend'

I understand needing to get the work done before anything is said, tradesmen are thin on the ground at the moment.

@Wibbli it's OP's son's birthday today and she's already said she won't be posting updates today, so please don't push her for comments. I'm sure OP will be back tomorrow.

Just heard this thread discussed on the radio in Brisbane 😆

Sorry if missed but does the Op have a partner?

OP, you are absolutely doing the right thing.
But be careful when you confront him - make sure he has returned keys and has no need to return to your property to collect tools etc. He might turn nasty in shame, so watch out for your safety.

Absolutely not

but can you not see the OP’s approach wasn’t the only way?

Amazing 😂

Curious as to why that matters. Does it stop others from scamming you?

Try reading ops posts. There's a link at the bottom of her posts saying see next or see all 😉

as this thread continues this way the tradesman and the woman will hear about themselves soon, too.

as this thread continues this way the tradesman and the woman will hear about themselves soon, too

I really hope they do.

Exactly! She could've sent him a text on Thursday evening to call his bluff, saying they don't want him inviting guests onto her property when he's meant to be working – for all he knew, her neighbour whose gate is close to theirs could've tipped them off. No way would he have admitted it, so chances are he'd have just cracked on with the job knowing he couldn't risk OW popping in again. Drama over. Instead, OP's now got to have a horrible and awkward confrontation over the money where he might get angry at her filming him and could sabotage her electrics while he's still on site packing up! He's a scumbag and 100% in the wrong, but OP filming him is ewww too. Of the two ways of handling it, surely the first would've been less risky?

Because I would be curious to know what their thoughts and approach would be. The Op sounds as though she is only referring to mumsnet on this. No friend, family or partner referred to

And all this “the way women deal with” tradesmen… on the basis of this thread, by starting a thread, being guided by a group of drama-seeking anonymous posters, avoiding confrontation, spending money on cameras and promising updates to strangers.

Embarrassing tbh

Oh OP. Please consult your partner pronto. It seems your womanly hormones are taking over right now. You seem hysterical and overly anxious. Get your manly man to speak to this trades man on a man to man basis, maybe even over a manly beer.

Ffs 🙄

Happy birthday to your little one!!!
i agree and would be wanting your job finished too. It’s so creepy to think of people in your house who are not honest .
my popcorn is at the ready for further updates tomorrow 🍿

.

.

Shagging seems a likely possibility. It is gross to think they might be doing that on a "surface" in your out building (the woman he is shagging must be desperate by the way to agree to do that!)
Personally I would be more annoyed by the fact that if she is staying for 3 or 4 hours during the day, either they are doing it for hours and hours or (just as annoying) they are having sex and then she is just plain distracting him from his work with idle chit chat which I would be infuriated about as you have said you are paying him for an agreed number of days work. Either way unless she really is a labourer / works for him, her hanging around for 3 or 4 hours is hardly likely to make his work efficient and good value for money in terms of the amount of time you have been quoted.

On balance, I have to agree OP, that your timing of the confrontation (after the work is finished) is probably the best.
I would still just have a tiny niggle in my mind though, that your delay in asking him if he had invited a friend onto your property could be argued as you condoning his behaviour in that you knowingly let it happen again on days 5, 6 and probably 8 too. After all, how can you be totally sure he doesn’t know that you know.

I'd probably make sure that I am home while he finishes the electrical job. And then I'd have the conversation about the bill....

If you don’t actually have any proof of what the woman is doing there, you can’t ask for a reduction. He could say she’s been helping out by holding his wires or helping him thread them through holes. (Not a euphemism).

You are assuming her partner is male

"I have no shame when it comes to having uncomfortable or awkward conversations."

If after you have proof and confront him with it, he gets arsy with you then say nothing but post the footage on whatever tradesman website he is on (trustatrader etc hahahaha if he is on that one - or maybe he is on "my builder" !!)
with your review of his work.

I was assuming you could read. Even if it was only op's posts. My bad.