Renovation nightmare - what legal grounds do we have??

Can you help?


We hired an expat contractor to do a full renovation of our apartment. Seven months on, the place is far from finished and what is 'finished' is done so incredibly poorly it's not funny. Nothing lines up, bench tops aren't flush, air conditioning unit still leaks after he's fixed it 3-4 times, plugs don't work, the floor is cracking and mould is now growing on the so called plastered and primed walls.

We have paid about 65% of his fee and will not be handing over a cent more. However, we have had a second and third opinion on the work done and they both recommend starting from scratch as the work is so poor.

Our current contractor is well aware of the problems we have with his work - he keeps offering to fix the problem but in doing so has just created further problems.

We now want him out for good and with this in mind, I am wondering what legal grounds we have to claim some, if not all, of the money we have paid? Honestly, the place is a complete shocker - I have 113 photos of all the work that needs changing.

If anyone has been through a similar experience or knows who to contact we would appreciate the advice!


Thanks!

either that one mentioned by Pippa or a french guy? unfortunately i know only two guys that do such crap again and again


re the initial question, you could probably try to make a claim but it will be hard to get anything out of him. i would say kick him out, refuse to pay anything more and move on