Hi

In brief i had contractor to fit patio doors and a complete roof on our new extension 4 months ago,

only now has he come back to finish the roof after many cancelled visits by him,

The work is so bad that building control officer wont sign the roof off.

i have contacted the roofer on many occasions and he keeps telling me its my fault because i always moan about his work and that he isn't a roofer (he has his own building business) .

unfortunately i paid in full as he was a friend of a friend,

I have a rubber roof which is peeling up because he used silicone to stick it down on the edges and i can see daylight from the inside through gaps plus the internal ceiling isnt level

Where do i go from here as any advise would be rattly appreciated

Thanks

Ian

Is he part of a limited liability company or is he self-employed/partnership?

Does he have any assets? Do you know where he lives and if he owns his home? These are all going to be extremely important questions because if you have to take action against him, you will easily get a judgement – but you may not be able to enforce it in which case the whole exercise is useless.

I hope lots of people who read this thread will realise the dangers of paying builders in advance. I hope they will also appreciate the dangers of employing "a friend of a friend" because that is absolutely no guarantee, it actually produces a moral pressure – for instance, to pay in advance – and of course it can destroy friendships.

You need to find out all about him and what assets he's got. As a part of an established business? In other words, is he worth suing?

Apart from that you need to prepare a good file. You need to start going back in your mind and logging all of the history of the work – including the cancelled visits.

You need to take lots of photographs and you will probably have to get a good quality independent roofer to come along and to assess the work and the cost of repairs.

I suppose there is one thing that will help you and that is that I expect you have probably paid in cash in hand. Frankly I would have no hesitation in letting him know thatyou will be reporting him to the tax authorities who will make a complete investigation of him including the other work he has done for other people "off the books".

However, find out all about him first. Prepare your file. Then start getting ready to issue threats but don't move until you are fully prepared.

Thanks for the quick reply

He is a limited company with 1 other employee, i have his home / business address , he has his own home and has a van kitted with tools and equipment, he is Fensa Registered on his web site with a 10 year guarantee on all work, i paid by bank transfer and no cash, i have a lot of text messages back and forth and i have a lot of photots

Thanks

Ian

Was the payment made to a company account or to his own personal account? Have you got receipts?

If it is a limited company and you have been dealing with them, then afraid that his own personal assets are probably out of reach of any court action that you might bring. Have you investigated the guarantee? Who is it provided by? I would be making very gentle enquiries all around to understand what the enforcement possibilities might be before making any direct approach.

However, you might be in a position where you will need to take legal action. I would set about immediately getting a quote for making good the work to the proper standard.

Payment was to his personal account i only got bank statements

the guarantee is a company guarantee , i have tried to get another roofer to quote but all are very reluctant to take over another persons work

How much did you pay him?

£3500 for the doors and £3000 for the roof

Thanks