Contractor liability: Your rights at a glance

Questioner

In June 2011, a contractor renovated our bathroom. Now that it is so cold, we discover that the heating upstairs is not working. A heating engineer has been there and he thinks that the radiator pipe has been capped. Can I hold the contractor liable for this and what are my rights and obligations?

Lawyer

Under normal circumstances, you may expect your radiator to function without problems for some time. You may demand that your contractor repairs the defect. You do this by first putting him in default. You may not wait too long with your complaint. If your contractor does not respond to this within a reasonable period, you may recover the damage from repairs by someone else from your contractor.