Phil1927
02-01-15, 10:59
Wondering if anyone can help me before I potentially get into murky waters.
In July last year our garden wall needed replacing, so I got a date off a builder to come in and build a new wall and I arranged for a friend and I to knock down the old one the weekend before so all would be ready for him. All ok so far and the builder (who came locally recommended) turned up the morning we were demolishing the old wall with his temp builder's fence to plug up the gap for the week (it's not his fence, it's his mate's, so he tells me).
The following week he didn't turn up because the weather was bad. Fair enough I though, I wouldn't want to build a wall in the pouring rain either.
7 weeks (and the entire summer holidays later, so my kids couldn't play in the paddling pool with any privacy) he still didn't turn up to build the wall despite much chasing, so I lost patience and got someone else in to do it instead (who did it less than a week after me contacting him). I haven't paid this original builder a penny, so there is no issue there.
I then phoned him to tell him it was now sorted he was ok about that, he always comes across as a reasonable man and I asked him to come and pick up his fence, which by now is propped up in my garden, again preventing the kids and my dogs doing much out the back.
It is now January and despite phoning ant texting him, he has never made arrangements to get it, so yesterday I texted him to say if he doesn't come and get it by Jan 20th (no significance of this date, I just added 20 days to my text to give him enough notice) I will "make arrangements" for it.
My question is, am I in my rights to effectively keep it or dispose of it after the 20th, or can he claim the cash for it if he or his mate turns up after the 20th to get it back? No cash has been lost or paid between us and what little contact we have had has been very amicable so far, but it's now half a year with this damn thing in my garden and I don't feel I can dispose of it, but I don't want it here any longer either (as it happens, if he doesn't claim it I can put it to good use and a "wall" between us and our neighbour, but I have put off doing that until now).
In July last year our garden wall needed replacing, so I got a date off a builder to come in and build a new wall and I arranged for a friend and I to knock down the old one the weekend before so all would be ready for him. All ok so far and the builder (who came locally recommended) turned up the morning we were demolishing the old wall with his temp builder's fence to plug up the gap for the week (it's not his fence, it's his mate's, so he tells me).
The following week he didn't turn up because the weather was bad. Fair enough I though, I wouldn't want to build a wall in the pouring rain either.
7 weeks (and the entire summer holidays later, so my kids couldn't play in the paddling pool with any privacy) he still didn't turn up to build the wall despite much chasing, so I lost patience and got someone else in to do it instead (who did it less than a week after me contacting him). I haven't paid this original builder a penny, so there is no issue there.
I then phoned him to tell him it was now sorted he was ok about that, he always comes across as a reasonable man and I asked him to come and pick up his fence, which by now is propped up in my garden, again preventing the kids and my dogs doing much out the back.
It is now January and despite phoning ant texting him, he has never made arrangements to get it, so yesterday I texted him to say if he doesn't come and get it by Jan 20th (no significance of this date, I just added 20 days to my text to give him enough notice) I will "make arrangements" for it.
My question is, am I in my rights to effectively keep it or dispose of it after the 20th, or can he claim the cash for it if he or his mate turns up after the 20th to get it back? No cash has been lost or paid between us and what little contact we have had has been very amicable so far, but it's now half a year with this damn thing in my garden and I don't feel I can dispose of it, but I don't want it here any longer either (as it happens, if he doesn't claim it I can put it to good use and a "wall" between us and our neighbour, but I have put off doing that until now).