ᐅ Heating contractor has not completed the work

Hello,

we are in the final stages of preparing to lay the screed, and now our heating installer has simply told us he will not finish our heating system. Does anyone have an idea whom I can contact in such a situation? I have already searched for expert consultants but unfortunately found nothing.

If the heating system issue causes delays, we won’t be able to install the screed this year and will have to wait until next spring... financially not an ideal situation, as you can probably imagine.

Best regards,
Baufrau2013

P.S. We are located in the district of Ingolstadt / Neuburg a.D.

Did he say why he doesn’t want to finish building the heating system? Does he not have time, or are there other issues?

Yes, he did. It’s not a matter of time; there are other issues—personal ones involving us.

To explain: Throughout the entire construction phase, there were repeated disagreements. We did not want plastic water pipes but stainless steel instead... he didn’t like that but did it anyway. He installed a different (cheap) central heating unit than the one he had offered, but charged us for the offered (expensive) one. We didn’t find that acceptable since we wanted the unit he originally offered (which we now have). We want the underfloor heating with pipes that have an aluminum core inside, but for him that is excessive and complicated to work with. And so on, and so forth.

Now he is leaving us stranded, claiming that he “can’t do that” anymore.

Hello,

Baufrau2013 schrieb:

We are in the final preparations to lay the screed, and now our heating installer simply told us he will not finish our heating system.

Regardless of whether it’s a direct contract, a general contractor, or an architect - all are based on a work contract, which cannot be terminated easily... only for a special, important reason.

Baufrau2013 schrieb:

It’s not about the timing; there are other issues. Personal ones towards us. To explain: Throughout the entire construction phase, there were repeated disagreements. We didn’t want plastic water pipes, but stainless steel… he didn’t like that but did it anyway. He installed a different (cheaper) hot water storage tank than he had offered but charged us for the offered (more expensive) one. We were not happy about that since we wanted the one he initially offered (now we have the correct one, though). We want underfloor heating with pipes that have an aluminum core, which he considers excessive and complicated to install. And so on, etc. And now he’s abandoning us, saying he “can’t do it” anymore.

Were all these changes agreed upon in a timely manner and documented in writing, or did you decide during the ongoing work; except for the hot water storage tank – whatever that may be?

Without further details on the contract and the background, your question cannot be answered. Besides, legal advice in Germany is exclusively reserved for professional legal consultants.

Regards, Bauexperte

As the building expert already mentioned, there must be a contract. The fact that you had special requests is not a valid reason, since he could have rejected them if there was a different original offer.

The only real solution is to set a deadline, threatening that he will be responsible for covering all costs caused by any delays resulting from this. To ensure this is solid and effective, I would immediately consult a construction law lawyer!