Builders and Home Improvements

Subcontractors

The wooden doors of a conservatory I have had built at the rear of my house do not fit or lock properly. The builder used subcontractors to do different parts of the job and is saying the carpenter is responsible for the doors and not him. Is this right?

Your contract was with the builder and he is responsible for any work carried out by subcontractors used by him. The builder is therefore responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the job were carried out on time, in accordance with any technical specifications and descriptions agreed and that all work was carried out with reasonable skill and care'. You have these rights under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982.

Although the carpenter has not carried out the work with reasonable care and skill it is the builder who is responsible to you, in law, to get the faults put right. After giving him the opportunity, he is unwilling or unable to do so, you are entitled to get the work remedied by another builder and deduct the cost from the original builder's invoice.

Many builders belong to trade associations which offer complaints handling services, conciliation and arbitration schemes to resolve disputes with their members and increasingly offer financial protection schemes to protect customers should firms go out of business.

See also: Buying services - your rights

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The Frequently Asked Questions were developed by the Crossing the Boundaries partnership (CtB) of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.