Construction debts

Before I go on, when I say “construction,” I mean house builders, carpenters, electricians, decorators, landscape gardeners, plumbers, etc. You get the idea.

Just writing this sends chills down my spine. Everybody seems to be trying to screw each other over! So, if the job went well for you, you’re one of the lucky ones. Every case I see involves either a cowboy builder or a customer who often tries to take advantage of a legitimate builder.

Bad Builders

We’ve all seen the TV shows about cowboy builders. Some take the money and run, while others just do a terrible job because they’re not qualified.

Money thieves: Firstly, they need a deposit to “buy materials,” and then the excuses start:

They can’t finish the job on time because they have to take their child to the hospital (which usually means they haven’t completed another job), or—worse still—they have no intention of doing the job at all.

They might say the weather isn’t right to start, or they’ve sprained their ankle playing football… and so on.

Then there are the ones who aren’t qualified or experienced enough to do the job they quoted for. When you bring this up, they’ll just walk off the site because you haven’t paid them more (which they keep asking for).

It’s always such a mess. I firmly believe the construction industry needs heavy regulation. Always check the reviews, and look for warning signs—my pre-debtor page should help.

Bad Customers

I see many cases where the job is done, except for a small snagging list, and the customer refuses to pay until those issues are resolved. Often, the list is very minor, and the constructor won’t go back because they don’t believe they’ll be paid.

Another problem is when the constructor and customer become friendly, and the customer asks for extra little jobs along the way. Then, when billed, the customer conveniently “forgets” and often refuses to pay anything until they get the “correct invoice.” Stalemate ensues.

How Do You Tackle It?

The simplest way to put it is that I try to bang heads together. It’s always a time-consuming process, and I have to befriend both sides.

But if it’s a builder who has simply taken the money and run, it’s a standard debt recovery process. Usually, when I check them out, they have a list of CCJs longer than your arm.

I repeat: whether you are the builder or the customer, it’s best to do as much due diligence as possible. For customers, check the company out using the pre-debtor page. If you are a legitimate constructor, do the same, but the main thing to look for is CCJs, which I’ve dealt with here.

By all means, get in touch with me, and I’ll see if I can point you in the right direction.