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Builders - legal advice

3 replies

Stickystickystick · 02/04/2023 13:38

We are in the process of having a kitchen extension and some remodelling of the downstairs of our house. The project started in July 2022 and was supposed the be finished in early December but we are now in April 2023 and we have had one day of work since December. I have been cooking on a camping stove since November with 3 Children. There is stuff everywhere and I am losing the will to live. We have paid the builders in instalments holding the last instalment as the work had stopped progressing. The quality of the work has been good but we are being lied to continuously about when things will be done and nothing ever happens. The builder is still in contact and recently in an honest conversation told us the money we paid to him which was supposed to be used to finish our project has been paid to settle an outstanding bill on a trade account at a hardware store before court action was taken against them, so they have no more money currently to finish our project. We have been awaiting bifold doors for 6 months and have no security in our house and this has been the case since December.
I just wonder where we stand legally. The remaining money we still have is disproportionate to the money still required to finish the job. We can't complete the job with the funds we have but I don't think they have the funds to pay us any money even if we went down the legal route.

OP posts:
C4tastrophe · 02/04/2023 13:53

You are probably not the only customer who’s having issues, and the legal route could, could, trigger the builder’s company to fold.
Contact your home insurance? Do you have legal insurance?
Sounds like you need those doors as a first step. Were they even ordered?

In general, staged payments are usual for building projects, but people need to withhold 40% for final payment, not 20%, which is essentially just VAT.

LadyLapsang · 02/04/2023 13:58

Did you enter into a contract?

Stickystickystick · 02/04/2023 15:02

Thanks for the replies. Wishing we had withheld fourth percent. So annoyed we didn't. Originally he said the doors were ordered but transpires they weren't. Yes we have a contract.

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