Problems with a Building Contractor

[xenicus]

Hi all,

I need some help.

We discovered asbestos in our home during a renovation last year, this resulted in a near complete tear down inside the house. We had to move out into temporary accommodation.

At the advice of our decorator, who we trust and has done excellent work, we decided it was worth rewiring (1970s ex council house) once the asbestos was dealt with.

The only communication between us and the various parties was over WhatsApp. Which complicates things.

The decorator referred us to an electrician he had worked with in the past who inspected the house gave an initial quote that included tax. Upon being asked about credentials our decorator forwarded a message (we believe this was from the electrician but WhatsApp doesn't confirm that, it only says "forwarded") stating "our electrician is qualified with part P registered with NICEIC".

We were in a difficult situation so having reviewed it accepted the quote (which assumed 60 points for the rewire) and work began.

The work so far as we can tell is good, the electrician appeared to be really more of a building contractor who deployed various workers as needed.

Throughout we paid cash as and when asked to do so, no receipt was provided however it was asked for on the day through WhatsApp and I got confirmations again through WhatsApp it has been received. I asked for a payment schedule constantly and was told one would be provided soon, again through WhatsApp.

Though the work was good, the electrician/contractor was very poor at giving cost estimates for additional work that was identified throughout that did need doing. He did seek our approval but was very persuasive in doing so playing down the costs of these additional works.

Again, I asked constantly for a payment schedule of some sort, none was ever provided.

We moved back in after four months when the work was 90% completed. At this point we had paid around £20k cash with only the informal confirmations through WhatsApp as evidence of that. We understood they would come back and complete the remaining optional works at a later date and issue a certificate at some point later.

I asked to be informed of any outstanding payments owed, particularly "anything large" and again was promised a breakdown in the next few days. None arrived. I thought we were done and certification would take place in due course.

4 months later, this week, I received a breakdown stating we still owed £8k. Which has prompted me to make this post. I'm not here to dispute the amount but my concern is around the process. We can find the money though its far from ideal.

The truth is we do not know who this person this, the breakdown has no details around their business, no company name, contact details or VAT number. We only have a WhatsApp discussion to serve as proof of agreed works and that payment was made. I have exported and backed up all these discussions but are they actually of any value?

What can I do to properly conclude this arrangement and ensure we are protected from further payment requests in future and have a redress for any problems that may arise. Can I do anything at this point?

Thank you for taking the time to read. This is generating enormous stress. I am grateful for any guidance.

[Pezza54]

Hi
If the electrician didn't provide you with a certificate for his work you should ask him for one. If he is registered with a government approved scheme he will be able to self-certify his work. If not you need to contact Building Control. All major electrical installation work requires certification. Without this you may have a problem when selling the house in the future.
Paying a tradesman in cash is not illegal. The tradesman does not have to register with HMRC for VAT if his turnover is less than £85K p.a.
If you had any electrical appliances or equipment installed you need the receipt for any guarantee and user instructions for safety and maintenance.
You definitely need the electrician's name and contact details in case you experience problems with his work
If you consider his claim of £8k is excessive you should message him and ask for a more detailed breakdown. Is he expecting the £8k to be paid in cash?

[xenicus]

I appreciate the reply.

I decided to contact him and have a conversation and explain my concerns. He's since shared further name and further details and we've agreed to get the testing and certification done in the next week or so. So long as that is provided and all in order I think were in a good place.

Though a shock, it isn't excessive as the work definitely expanded in scope significantly and this was verbally agreed even if the full cost wasn't made perfectly clear a "nod" was definitely given. My problem is being informed of the additional payment 4 months later having asked repeatedly for the details and a payment schedule throughout. I recognise though perhaps I am being naive as to the running of a business and maybe this is normal... if frustrating. Yes cash is preferred, which in 2023 is difficult as our nearest bank where we could make such a withdraw is miles away...

[Pezza54]

You are taking a big risk when you agreed to pay for such a large job by cash.
If an electrical inspector condemned the work and the electrician refused to make good, you would struggle to make a court claim. Far safer to have quotations for the work and a paper trail of the amounts paid.

[xenicus]

Again thanks for the reply. You are of course correct and under normal circumstances I probably wouldn't have but it was a very stressful time. It wasn't planned but a consequence of the Asbestos discovery that meant we had to leave the family home.

We did have a quotation albeit via WhatsApp and acknowledgements of payments made (WhatsApp again). I have no clue how useful they'd be in a court scenario however.