paying for extras upfront

Hi, has anyone who is purchasing a house and who requested extra tv points or elec sockets being forced to pay upfront ? Just seems strange to me.

Yeah - we bought a new house about eight years ago and had to do that. I remember the financial pain as if it was yesterday!

Hi,
Just a little tip. When I paid for my extras upfront 3 years ago, the plumber (I asked for the kitchen to be plumbed for a dishwasher) requested that I send the payment to his home address. I sent a cheque and assumed the work would be done. When I moved into the house and the dishwasher arrived I found out that the plumber had not done the work, I paid him €180 for nothing. Thankfully I managed to contact another plumber on the building site who did the job for €30, but the fact that I paid the other guy €180 to do the job had me livid. My advice would be if you are getting extras done in your house, maybe get a bank draft for the payment and send by registered post to whomever is going to do the work, that way you can prove you sent the payment and it has to be signed for upon receipt. You can then phone and keep tally on the work they are meant to be doing on your behalf. I'm not saying that what happened me will happen to you but its better to be safe than sorry and as you will be aware when buying your home every penny counts.

I have seen so many threads with similar stories. The advice was always the same. Never pay untill you are fully satisfied with the completed job. I would add that a small deposit might sweeten the guy to start the job. Never pay up-front!!!

cookiemon136 said:

My advice would be if you are getting extras done in your house, maybe get a bank draft for the payment and send by registered post to whomever is going to do the work, that way you can prove you sent the payment and it has to be signed for upon receipt.

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Why would you recommend a bank draft? The way you paid (by cheque) is actually easier to trace, just ring your bank and ask for a copy of the cancelled cheque (they will have at least a scan or microfiche copy of it).

You are right, bank draft, cheque, whatever. Just make sure you register it so you can prove it was received on the other end. I never registered mine so the guy said he never received it. The hassle I had tracing it back to him at the end of the day etc etc was a nightmare.

thanks guys, our builders has refused to install any extras unless paid in full in advance and we're rightly cheesed off ! Snag list is due shortly and we won't get the extras installed before this. Any tips??

cookiemon136 said:

You are right, bank draft, cheque, whatever. Just make sure you register it so you can prove it was received on the other end. I never registered mine so the guy said he never received it. The hassle I had tracing it back to him at the end of the day etc etc was a nightmare.

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Fair enough register it if you want especially if you send a draft, but if the cheque is cashed that is evidence in itself that the cheque was received. No real need to send a cheque by registered mail unless you think he will not cash it either.

dpcak said:

thanks guys, our builders has refused to install any extras unless paid in full in advance and we're rightly cheesed off ! Snag list is due shortly and we won't get the extras installed before this. Any tips??

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I think the reason is likely that if for any reason the sale falls through then while the builder can sell on the house they may not be able to charge for your extras as they are not necessarily what another buyer would choose.

Hi Everyone, just to let you know that with thanks to a letter from our solicitor, the problem has somewhat been rectified. Some of the extras have now been installed and they have been in contact seeking payment.

Many thanks for your input.