Letting Agent Pays plumber for unfinished work

[Moriarty]

I have just had a tenant move out.
Before he left there was a problem with the shower with ensuing damage to downstairs flat (in nauseating and exhaustive detail on my other recent thread should anyone be interested).

I have since been in the property and there is still a small leak from the shower unit.

Today I got an email invoice from my (now EX) Letting Agents for the Annual Gas Safety Check they had done recently (fair enough) but also for the plumber's work.
Now, as far as I am concerned the plumber didn't complete his job (there is still a small leak), but not only that, by his not turning the water supply to the electric shower off, and not instructing the tenants to leave it off, he contributed to the ensuing flood damage to the flat downstairs.

The Letting Agent appears to have paid him £46 for his initial visit.
I wasn't going to pay him, since not only did he not finish the job he also contributed to flooding downstairs, but they have done so already, it appears.

Must I reimburse them? I wasn't informed that they had paid him, in fact when I saw him he told me that he was going to bill me direct.

The whole thing has been a mismanaged fiasco (both by Agents and by plumber), and nobody seems to want to accept any blame, yet muggins here will be expected to pay, presumably?

[jeffrey]

With whom did the plumber think that he was contracting? If he said that he was going to bill you direct, it must have been 'with you'.
That being so, Agents should not have paid him at all.

[Moriarty]

Normally they would pay him having informed me - it would be detracted from the monthly rent.

But since I was over to the UK and in the property, I spoke to the plumber myself and he said he would bill me direct.
Then this morning I see this in my inbox.
It's not so much the amount as the principal (plus the fact that he didn't solve the original problem and the woman downstairs had substantial flooding after he'd first put his hands on the shower unit).

However the last tenant has gone, and they are billing me, it appears, having already paid him for something. Quite what, I don't know, since the problem persists (quite apart from the damage).

[jeffrey]

Either way, plumber was duty-bound to you (directly or via your Agents) to do work in a proper and workmanlike manner.
He failed; so he's liable to make good his shortcomings- either by rectification or by repaying part of the £££.

[Moriarty]

That was what I was thinking.
Anyway I have informed the Letting Agents that I will be forwarding them a cheque for the Gas Safety thing, but that I had not planned to pay the plumber, since he didn't complete the job to any satisfactory level, and why didn't they contact me first?

I will await their reply, which should be lovely.

[Poppy]

I think you/agent should concentrate on bringing the plumber back to complete the job satisfactorily. Please do not merely refuse to pay, it doesn't produce a solution.

[islandgirl]

But it usually gets the issue noticed so that a solution can be found. If you pay a bill for shoddy work you have an almost zero chance of getting in rectified (in my humble opinion!)

[mind the gap]

But it usually gets the issue noticed so that a solution can be found. If you pay a bill for shoddy work you have an almost zero chance of getting in rectified (in my humble opinion!) A pretty realistic assessment of the situation; I agree! In fact, although it would be nice to think the plumber could be prevailed upon to come back and finish the job, I'm not sure I would want him to, given the pig's ear he seems to have made of it so far.