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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Refusing to pay tradesmen

131 replies

Wifeoftrades · 27/09/2023 19:01

DH is a tradesman and has finished job. The customer is refusing to pay and it's quite obvious now that this was always his intention. He has admitted that there is no problem with the work but he can't afford it and never could but it needed doing. DH is out ££££ on materials and paying his employees.

I'm just so sick of tradespeople being treated like this, you wouldn't believe how common it is. There is basically no chance of him ever seeing that money.

How would you like to go to work for a week and then have your company say that they've decided not to pay you? Please do not hire someone if you can't pay them.

OP posts:
autienotnaughty · 27/09/2023 19:03

Payment in advance? He could go small claims but would be time consuming

Freezingcoldinseptember · 27/09/2023 19:04

Can dh remove his work? As in guttering or whatever the job was?

riverlodge90 · 27/09/2023 19:04

Do they park a car on their drive OP?
Accidentally on purpose blocking their car in with a van may make them more eager to reach an agreement.

This worked in the 90's for my dad

Mumsanetta · 27/09/2023 19:04

This is awful and my sympathies are with your DH. He should take a decent deposit and have a good process in place for chasing bad debtors if he doesn’t already. The threat of a CCJ is usually enough to make people pay up.

SpicyNoodleSoup · 27/09/2023 19:04

What was the work? Can he remove the materials used? Seeing as though the customer hasn't paid then your DH still owns the materials and should take them back.

ToWhitToWhoo · 27/09/2023 19:05

YANBU! That's basically stealing. Could your DH pursue it through the small claims court?

CeaselesslyIntoThePast · 27/09/2023 19:05

SpicyNoodleSoup · 27/09/2023 19:04

What was the work? Can he remove the materials used? Seeing as though the customer hasn't paid then your DH still owns the materials and should take them back.

In reality this is difficult and often not feasible without putting yourself at risk

Original poster
Wifeoftrades · 27/09/2023 19:06

autienotnaughty · 27/09/2023 19:03

Payment in advance? He could go small claims but would be time consuming

Sadly this isn't standard practice in his industry so customers would probably feel uncomfortable being asked to do so. Downpayments are sometimes done and I'm not sure whether one was paid in this case but the final invoice is not getting paid

OP posts:
ladypenelopesfan · 27/09/2023 19:06

Freezingcoldinseptember · 27/09/2023 19:04

Can dh remove his work? As in guttering or whatever the job was?

If the work isn't paid for then it still belongs to the contractor/tradesperson.

I would send a letter saying if he doesn't pay you will remove the materials etc.

TomatoSandwiches · 27/09/2023 19:06

He must have some recourse, it may not be simple or easy but at least small claims, does he have a signed contract?

ladypenelopesfan · 27/09/2023 19:07

CeaselesslyIntoThePast · 27/09/2023 19:05

In reality this is difficult and often not feasible without putting yourself at risk

Show quote history

I'm afraid you need legal advice on this one OP.

Grumpyold · 27/09/2023 19:07

Yes, he should raise a claim in the small claims court.

Original poster
Wifeoftrades · 27/09/2023 19:07

His materials cannot be removed without leaving the property seriously compromised so that's not a possibility. I believe small claims has a max of £5000 and this exceeds that. Also very hard for the trades to win if the customer spins a tale of lies.

OP posts:
SirCharlesRainier · 27/09/2023 19:09

Can he not insist on a %age upfront payment? And then staggered milestone payments? Front load it so that he's never working "out of pocket", and stop work the minute a payment is missed.

It might be that customers would be reluctant, but from what I've observed it's a seller's market - you can barely get tradesmen to turn up. So if he's a decent worker with a good reputation he should surely be able to find customers to agree to that.

Brefugee · 27/09/2023 19:09

Of course it's a possiblity. If the property is compromised, that is not your DHs problem.

ladypenelopesfan · 27/09/2023 19:09

Wifeoftrades · 27/09/2023 19:07

His materials cannot be removed without leaving the property seriously compromised so that's not a possibility. I believe small claims has a max of £5000 and this exceeds that. Also very hard for the trades to win if the customer spins a tale of lies.

If there are pictures of the finished work then surely there is no dispute that the work has been done?

I'd certainly go down the legal route.

VisionsOfSplendour · 27/09/2023 19:09

I'm surprised there's a trade that doesn't ask for a good amount of the money up front and stage layments

If the small claima court is an option get on with filing in the forms

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/09/2023 19:11

He's right not to expect full payment upfront, but are they the sort of jobs where he could ask for staged payments as he goes along?

At least that way, if there was going to be a loss, it wouldn't be such a big one - and the risk of being left in a mess woith a job half done just might get people to pay

Mumsanetta · 27/09/2023 19:11

I do think your DH seriously needs to reconsider his payment structures as it sounds like this happens a lot. He should not be doing over £5k of work in a week without a significant deposit or staggered payments.

Lorelaigilmore88 · 27/09/2023 19:12

Shocking behaviour. So sorry for you and DH. I need some work doing in my kitchen which is am not doing until the new year because I cant afford it until then! Some people have such a bloody nerve.

TomatoSandwiches · 27/09/2023 19:12

I'm trying to think of when I renovated our home and I'm sure that most of the trades we got in there was a deposit amount paid up front and then payments set at certain stages with about 30% left at the end.
What trade does your DH work in where he has to cover all materials and labour first?

Thebigblueballoon · 27/09/2023 19:13

Even if the work exceeds £5000, surely you can go after that? What scummy customers.

emark · 27/09/2023 19:13

Wifeoftrades · 27/09/2023 19:07

His materials cannot be removed without leaving the property seriously compromised so that's not a possibility. I believe small claims has a max of £5000 and this exceeds that. Also very hard for the trades to win if the customer spins a tale of lies.

MCOL is £10,000
Evidence is key

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/09/2023 19:14

He should not be doing over £5k of work in a week without a significant deposit or staggered payments

Absolutely this

Nothing excuses the customer refusing to pay if the job's been done as agreed, but he really has left himself wide open to this

Oysterbabe · 27/09/2023 19:15

Work over 5k and no payment upfront? That sounds unusual. Surely a payment for materials or half the job would be expected.
Of course you can sue him for the cost, it's very straightforward.