Where do I begin!!

[debbiej142]

Hi All,

I'm new on here and would appreciate some advice. Six weeks ago I employed a plumber to do some work on my mum in laws house. He was to fit a central heating system, fit and tile a bathroom and build a couple of stud walls. The catalogue of errors has been outstanding. An initial price was agreed for the work of which I gave him a deposit of £2270 up front for materials. He fitted the central heating but I have never had this working fully and am now told that the flue may be wrong and the boiler may have to be moved. It was a glow worm boiler fitted and the flue has been fed outside through the wood facia board which he has cut a hole in. To make matters worse I have now found out that he is not gas safe registered and when asked to supply a gas safe number he has provided one with the same initials as his business in the same town but the business in question has never worked on my property. He also claims that he has a gas certificate for this boiler, which I suspect is from this gas safe registered fitter. Also the bathroom he fitted was left with the toilet leaking which we have now fixed, the basin pedestal can be swiveled around and the new thermostatic shower has leaked all over and we have now discovered that it is leaking between the wall so the tiles will have to be removed. He has built a cupboard around the boiler and this is just an eyesore with damaged plasterboard and a shaved door on it that looks like a drunk has fitted. He also fitted some new electrics in the kitchen which I have had looked at by an electrician and they are unsafe and need replacing. The new plasterboard walls have no insulation/sound proofing in them, even though I asked his work partner if they would be putting some in to which he replied YES. Every time I questioned his work I was told to not tell him how to do his job as he new what he was doing. In the end I changed the house locks as I had explained to him that I was unhappy with the work to which he threatened to remove the boiler. Every time I asked them to do something they did the opposite. The upshot is I told the plumber I was with holding the final payment until I had, had the work checked for safety etc. He has now sent me a letter threatening to send a debt recovery agency and has added a further £350 to the outstanding bill for materials. Fortunately in the letter he states the Central heating I fitted and also mentions the electrics he has fitted. What are my rights and what can I do further. I have contacted gas safe register and they are sending and engineer out to inspect.

 

[bengasman]

As he is not registered to work on gas, GSR/HSE with your help can take action to prosecute him as his work was illegal.
Debt collection is a hollow threat from his side.
Contacting trading standards won't hurt either in this case, as they can prosecute on aspects that do not concern HSE.

 

[Paul Barker]

Don't worry about the debt. In law if he makes a claim on you all you do is register a counter claim. You get the info from gassafe as to what needs doing, then you get someone properly registered to quote for puting his work right. Finally you get a registered electrician (member of a certifying body) to give you a price for rectifying his electrical work. Should he or his debt collection hounds actually take you to court you take the quotes for rectifying work the court will award for you against him to the value of those quotes.

However it is not likely he will take you to court especially if you put this to him.

I don't recommend that you go to court but if the trading standards are prepared to take up the case let them run with it.

 

[Paul Barker]

It seams a shame when there are so many good gas safe registered folk in Yorkshire you landed this person. What ius also most pertinent to your case some of us are even full scope electrical registered to boot.

Next time perhaps you will vet peoples' qualifications.

 

[ColJack]

as you paid up front for materials then he has no right to them.. if however you hadn't paid up front then technically the boiler still belongs to him until you paid for it..

are you certain that he did the gas work and that he didn't get the firm in question in to do the work for him?

 

[Paul Barker]

I think you'll find that as the boiler is in her house it belongs to her and he has no right to go and get it.

 

[ColJack]

he might not have any right to go and get it, but it still would belong to him if it's not been paid for...
it's like saying that if I accidentaly left my mobile at your house, it doesn't make it your mobile..

 

[debbiej142]

as you paid up front for materials then he has no right to them.. if however you hadn't paid up front then technically the boiler still belongs to him until you paid for it..

are you certain that he did the gas work and that he didn't get the firm in question in to do the work for him?

I am positive that he did not get the gas firm in question to connect/fit the central heating and have a hand written letter from him stating that he fitted the central heating....he and his contracter plus a young trainee are the only people that have worked in this property. As said this guy has had over £2000 upfront and not one bit of his work is complete/functional.

 

[ColJack]

central heating could mean everything else but the gas connection..

you say "his contractor"? who was his contractor, do they have a gas-safe cetificate ( or whatever it's called ? ) ?

 

[debbiej142]

central heating could mean everything else but the gas connection..

you say "his contractor"? who was his contractor, do they have a gas-safe cetificate ( or whatever it's called ? ) ?

His contractor is neither gas safe registered but someone who he had in to help fit the central heating and tile the bathroom. These are the only three people who have been at the property and at no time did anyone else connect the gas. I am well aware that fraudulent gas fitters are capable of getting around the system by saying that they fitted the central heating but got a qualified gas fitter to connect the gas. Also the flue is causing me some concern and the system is not earth bonded.

 

[Paul Barker]

Obviously you musn't try to use it until somebody suitably qualified has checked it.

 

[debbiej142]

Obviously you musn't try to use it until somebody suitably qualified has checked it.

I've now turned the gas off until the Gas Safe Inspector comes out Monday. I did this after I was notified by the Electrician that the electrical work was unsafe.

 

[Boilerman2]

Did you mention that he also Installed the Electrical systems as well, I'll bet he is not Part P Registered either, so you will probably find that this is also Illegally installed as well.

As for claiming title to the Boiler, you will find that many companies claim title to good untill paid for, in reality once installed this is impossible to enforce

It sound like you have been well and truly stiched up, Consult a Solicitor without delay

 

[debbiej142]

Did you mention that he also Installed the Electrical systems as well, I'll bet he is not Part P Registered either, so you will probably find that this is also Illegally installed as well.

As for claiming title to the Boiler, you will find that many companies claim title to good untill paid for, in reality once installed this is impossible to enforce

It sound like you have been well and truly stiched up, Consult a Solicitor without delay

Yes he did some electrical work in the kitchen and having had this checked by and Electrician have found that it is unsafe. One of the main faults is that he has fitted a new socket downstairs that has been fed from an upstairs socket. I believe that this means when you think you have isolated the upstairs sockets to do some work for example this particular one will still be live....if that makes sense.

 

[ColJack]

there's nothing technically wrong with doing that for the socket..
many houses nowadays are wired front and back or left and right rather than up and down..
I personally wouldn't do it for the reason you've said.. but it's up to the person doing the electrical work to ensure the thing he's working on is dead rather than trusting the last person with a pen who labled the board..