Workmen alone in your home

[Dumdidums]

Im having a new bathroom put in but the company says i dont need to be here whilst they do it. Its a bit inconvenient for me to take time off work but at the same time im a bit concerned about leaving a stranger alone in my home all day. What do you think

You don't trust the quote, or the man who's coming to do the work.
Sounds like you just need to find a tradesperson you trust OP.

We are having bathroom redone at the moment and have given builders their own key. We are here but would prefer not to be as there's no upstairs bathroom. Having said that its useful to see work as it develops but we only really look at end of day. There have been several changes of plan so useful to be here rather than on holiday but working away would have been fine. They don't go snooping around house but have opened other rooms, we don't have anything secret here anyway.

My husband and I went on holiday when we had our kitchen done , the company were great and even looked after the cats ( although our neighbors were on call for evenings and weekends. ) obviously I checked references for the company beforehand. This meant the kitchen was actually done quicker as they were able to leave things overnight and not keep having to adapt things so we could use the water supply in the kitchen etc. I checked with our neighbours when we returned and they said the company had been great and didn’t cause them any problems.

My project over run by 1 week due to deliveries etc... but the guy charges the same no matter how long it takes as its the same amount of work.

What i found is they're much happier without the homeowner being there, they can relax a bit and get on with the job without having to worry about someone trying to work and being quiet. They also could put the radio on and chat, who really wants to paint or fit a bathroom in silence.

I left mine to it after the first week. Told them where the cats were and went and worked elsewhere.

Always left workmen in my home. Set up cameras if any concerns but let them know of course or take time off, ask someone you trust to stay in the house for you. Good luck.

This.

Same as cleaners etc. There to clean not to snoop

Absolutely not.
You don’t know these people.
They may be hard working paragons of virtue or they may be awful grubby thieving chancers.

I have experienced both.

Four months into a large extension, I'd be in a mess of I had to take it all as annual leave, we took a holiday away for three weeks of it. I would much rather be out of the house!

So if you're having a months-long house renovation done, you just quit your job, do you? Or hire a little watchman to sit in the corner, supervising?

Having been burgled multiple times when I’ve had workmen in my house I don’t allow anyone in there without me and certainly don’t given them a key!

Would it not be easier and cheaper to take the time off work and do it yourself? Especially as you don’t like strangers in the house and have experience in planning and executing the work.

I hate strangers of any variety in my home and have never left a tradesperson here alone. I just let them get on with whatever they came to do. Not that I suspect them of snooping but if Im here they are more likely to finish the job and get gone. I would just continue to work on the computer, watch TV or whatever I happen to be doing.

Get some nanny cams for rooms you don't want them in and a ring doorbell if you're concerned about how much work is taking place.

It will almost certainly be fine because the vast majority of trades people are trustworthy, but it will reassure you and also protect them from unfounded accusations.

Which is fine, obviously, if you are able to arrange for work from home for the necessary number of days, but otherwise, it must severely limit what work you are able to do to your house if you have never left a tradesperson there alone.

If you are able to work from home, I would do that.

I once left workmen in my home to fit shutters. Came back after they’d gone to find a couple of them had been fitted wonky, and had no closing mechanism as they’d run out. Still waiting for them to fix it 3 years later, and they are also waiting for the last £400 of the quite, so on a way it works out for both of us.

On a job like the bathroom there may decisions that you need to make along the way, so it’s helpful for you to be around just in case.

I’ve had loads of tradesmen and I’ve be er had an issue. They certainly don’t have time to go snooping around! But yes it’s an element if trust, which is why word of mouth recommended people are best.

You really need to learn how to vet people then because thats really not normal and conmen have clearly see you coming then.

Do you struggle to pick up on social clues? (like struggle to understand a persons intentions)

Did you not check their work and references?

Do you not hire people known too and recommended by friends/family?

But if they're "awful grubby thieving chancers" then you have bigger issues than being there or not while they work - being there is no guarantee they won't rob you and you're not likely to get a good job done because no decent, professional tradesman would dream of behaving like that.

No, you don't know these people beforehand but before hiring anyone to do any work you should do your due diligence. This isn't just so you can trust them in your house but also to make sure you get a good result from the work. Look for word of mouth - not from the local drunk who sits in the corner of your pub but from trusted friends or family. Look for reviews online and ask around locally. Ask to see other work they've done.

If you can't trust them not to rob you then you can't trust the quality of their work and vice versa so you shouldn't be hiring them full stop.

I was actually thinking of doing this but the cams take a few days to deliver and they want to start soon

It’s taken 3 weeks so far for our bathroom and it’s still going on. How long have they quoted you? I wouldn’t have had enough leave to have taken it all off but luckily WFH so I’m around.

They really won’t care enough to snoop, they’re typically young to middle age men who want to make money.

All I will say, is they’re likely to need supervision. We’ve had leaks, trim displacement, questions about positioning etc and I dread to think what we’d be left with if I hadn’t been around to check on how it’s going.

Can you adjust your hours so you’re off for the first 2 hours everyday to see what they’re up to that day and keep it on track?

The quoted 3 weeks, I can wfh 3 days a week

So are you just concerned with the 2 days you’re not WFH? Personally I think it’s a non-issue but we all have our own boundaries. If you’re not comfortable with them alone, what are your options?

It doesn't bother me at all. Around here you know who everybody is and a tradesman wouldn't last 5 minutes if they were up to anything.

We never leave workmen alone in the house. We always arrange it so that one of us remains in. It's not just the (unlikely) risk of them snooping around, it's to watch that they're not causing any damage (and limiting mess) and doing what we've asked them to do. They're notorious for not admitting when they've damaged something or doing something wrong. By being in, we can also monitor their working hours and check that they've billed for the right number of hours (if time based). Obviously, it's only a minority who can't be fully trusted, but you don't know which will be that minority so best to take precautions.