{"product_id":"vragen-74285-we-zijn-pas-verhuisd-naar-een-nieuwe-woning-deze-woning-is-in-2008-opgeleverd","title":"Legal advice regarding damage caused by a contractor","description":"\u003ch4\u003e Questioner\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n We recently moved into a new house, which was completed in 2008. We decided to have a brick wall installed against the living room wall by a contractor who seems experienced in this field and has good online reviews.\n\n The wall was installed at the end of last month in two days (the wall is approximately 3.5 meters high). Initially, we were very pleased with it.\n\n Last week, however, the entire wall came loose and fell into the room, causing considerable damage. It appears that the house's original plaster has come loose.\n \n- According to our comprehensive building insurance, the wall itself is not covered because a spontaneous collapse of a wall would be a construction defect.\n\n - The consequential damage to, among other things, the new wooden floor (laid floating) and furniture will hopefully be covered by our comprehensive home contents insurance (we are awaiting the assessment).\n\n The contractor who installed the wall claims he's not at fault. They tested the underlayment (scratch test) and point to the original construction of the house and the probable failure to properly prepare the wall for plastering. However, he finds it inconvenient and wants to accommodate us by covering the cost of reinstalling the wall, excluding the cost of the materials. However, this still amounts to 50% of the costs, which we would have to pay extra.\n\n The construction company that built the house in 2008 immediately rejected the complaint due to the expiration of the warranty period under Woningborg's warranty and guarantee scheme.\n \nWe believe that the contractor installing the wall, as a hired expert, is responsible for verifying the suitability of the substrate and, in the event of any doubt (claiming that you couldn't have checked this beforehand), taking measures such as anchoring above 2 meters or using fiberglass netting. However, we also have little interest in immediately taking a hard line and jeopardizing a previously excellent relationship with this contractor. What are sensible next steps or a reasonable response?\n\n Ultimately, the biggest blessing in disguise is that no one was in the room when the wall came down, because then I might not have been able to type this question.\n\u003ch4\u003e Questioner\u003c\/h4\u003e \nYes, your story and defense in the last part are correct: a professional should be able to protect you and themselves from this kind of damage and should have noticed unsuitable surfaces. You are entitled to consequential damages and free replacement\/repair. I think the insurers will handle the dispute. If not, you can contact me directly.\n","brand":"Rechtswinkel.nl","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301983662429,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.rechtswinkel.nl\/en\/products\/vragen-74285-we-zijn-pas-verhuisd-naar-een-nieuwe-woning-deze-woning-is-in-2008-opgeleverd","provider":"Rechtswinkel.nl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}