WWYD - painter and decorator payment

[UncertaintyStrikes]

I hired a painter and decorator to strip wallpaper and paint my bedroom and hallway in readiness for a new tenancy.

i made the moving-in date explicitly clear to the painter who said it would only take about a week or 10 days max. I handed him the keys on 1st august and expected the work to be completed by 11th latest.

Paartway through, another contractor was at the property and contacted me to warn me the decorating hasn’t been completed. i called the painter who said they’d get it down in the next few days.

They didn’t.

I called again and explained I can’t let these tenants down, I have to check them in on the agreed date and I’m getting worried. They kept giving me assurances they didn’t keep.

This resulted in:

1. last minute coat of paint at 6am the morning new tenants move in
2. inability to take inventory photographs in time for the tenants to be booked in on time
3. A lot of back and forth mileage of landlord visiting the property coercing it to be finished, only to find that yet again it is not.

i am wondering if the painter should be paid the full amount or whether a reasonable amount should be deducted for stress and inconvenience, what should have taken a week has lasted three. The reason for the lateness has changed every time we talked, which makes me think they’re lying and can’t remember their last story.

Would you pay the full amount?

He sounds like an absolute knob jockey, so
he got the job done but there was a knock on affect? Yes I’d ask for a 25%~50% reduction and explain why

Thanks for your response.

it’s so awkward when the job has been done. I’m not sure it’s still up to standard to be fair, but I know he will want to keep returning multiple times to get it right. Eventually.

I don’t know how it would be viewed by law if I didn’t give him reasonable chances to put it right though.

He knew the job had to be completed by a deadline. That was part of your contract, even if it wasn't written down. He failed to meet the deadline, and you say the job is not up to standard. He is therefore in breach of contract. Under the Consumer Rights Act, I think you have a good case that repeat performance (i.e. getting him to fix the problems) is impossible because the deadline has passed, and allowing him to fix the problems would cause significant inconvenience because the tenants have moved in. You are therefore entitled to a price reduction.

I'd agree with the above, it's a breach of contract. Do you have emails or texts where he confirmed how long it would take? If he tries to take you to small claims court it would help your case. I am not sure about the legality of what amount you should pay him though, hopefully someone who works in that area of law will advise.

Thank you for this.

how does a person work out a fair deduction? I have no idea where to even start.

At a minimum, a fair reduction would cover the cost of any remedial work needed. You could also think about compensation for the lack of inventory photos and for the costs you have incurred in getting the decorator to actually do the work.