Builder is holding keys to ransom and has said that he has planted a device that will shut off the electrics in the building

[Decoupage]

To be clear I have paid the builder against our contract even though he has not delivered the job on time (so far 3 months over a contracted 3 months job).

I managed him more closely to get the job finished and today he just walked off the job and said unless I pay him now for the rest of the job he will not return the keys and he will render the electrics defunct with a remote device he has hidden in the building.

I think this is a civil matter (breach of contract) and a criminal matter (electrical device and property theft of keys).

How would you manage this? I feel threatened and vulnerable.

I think electricians have to be registered, don’t they? If he did the electrics himself, you can try reporting him

if he had an electrician on the job, talk to him. By extension, your builder is putting him in the frame

has builder put any of these threats in writing? Could you finesse something in writing g out of him?

Listen, the guy is an abusive bullshit artist. Forget about anything he has to say and don't have him back to do any more work.

What state/ stage are you at with the works? How close to finishing?

I think it is a weeks worth of work for about 4 people. If they worked solidly. He is passive aggressive, all I'm an honourable man - blah blah blah. But if you say you are not paying me... I said 'who said I am not paying you?!'. My behaviour tells you I have paid you. I could invoke the late delivery but I have not and I said I would not - if he just does the bloody job he's contracted to do. Honestly I have had some fabulous builders but there does seem to be a cohort of them with deep seated anti-social issues.

Its his electrician, but I am wondering about checking his registration because I am pretty sure electricians are not allowed to withhold certifications.

So, you want to continue with this guy? Even thought he's made up a threat to make you pay him more money?

No - that was a response to someone who asked the question of how much work was left.

He made threats against you or is abusive and threatening
He is demanding money with menaces, Blackmail. The same threat whether tru or not.
These are criminal law breaches so call the Old Bill.

Change the locks and Straight to the police.

I do not believe for a second he has actually "planted a device".

Even more reason to contact the police surely?

Please use the quote function, we're not psychic and won't know who you're replying to otherwise. It's a button under the post.

I wouldn't have anything more to do with him. Report him to the police for stealing keys and threatening you. Call a locksmith tomorrow at the latest, to gain entry to the property and change locks. You'll have some proof the property is yours, surely? So it won't be a problem. You can't use the old keys even if you get them back, he could have made copies and you don't want this man having access to your home (which he currently does). TBH if you've got 7k for electrical works, you've got a few hundred for an emergency locksmith tonight which renders this arsehole immediately unable to gain access to your property. I'd be going with that option myself. The device nonsense is probably just that, nonsense. But anyway, you have building insurance for if it burns down and smoke alarms?

Don't pay him anything else. You don't want someone in your home who has threatened you and stolen from you. There's every chance he'll just steal the 7k and not do the work anyway. You'll get no money back from suing him, they just close the business or declare bankruptcy and restart the business with a new "owner/director" or whatever title they're banned from holding by having a defunct business. You just become another creditor who doesn't get paid, only with court costs on top and the builder carries on as before.

You're feeling intimidated because someone has set out to intimidate you. It's natural. But if you think about it logically, there's ways of dealing with it all.

Ah that is the one - rather than the bubble that made me think it was responding to you.

Don't worry, it gets all the newbies, you're not alone!

@Decoupage , if you 'd like to answer an individual, instead of quote you can enter an '@'. That will bring up a list of usernames. Scroll through the list or enter a few letters from the username (e.g. Sam, ann, Ped, ant) to find the user in a long list.

Straight to the police to report this device planted in your property. I doesn’t sound legal at all. Also do seek legal advice.