Construction company halts work despite overpayment

The lawyer says that we can't prove it. I say: If we can prove it, then it's too late. The thing with moving forward doesn't work. I am not going to let someone like that steal €130,000 from me. He will not get away with it unscathed.

The house is one thing, the probably lost money is another. We really saved hard and hardly allowed ourselves and our 4 children anything to gather so much equity and then we fall victim to such a fraudster.

Pragmatic assistance:
1. Make sure you get out of the contract promptly
2. Familiarize yourselves with the subject of house construction, site management, and personal contribution
3. Search through relevant portals for craftsmen who will continue working for you (yes, I of course mean the Poles, Czechs, or other craftsmen who do not issue invoices or do not charge VAT for, e.g., Polish windows)
4. Sacrifice your free time and be very close to the construction site and all trades

Only in this way will you somewhat get out of the mess. Legally, you will fail, I have seen that too often.

Plan B: Play the lottery

The legal dispute can drag on for months and years, possibly there won't even be any money returned. Mentally separate this issue from the house, continue building the house on your own. Do not plan any money from this. Don't get your hopes up for television or anything like that, your case is too "boring" for that. Please don't take this the wrong way, but in the RTL2 houses there are additional private misfortunes like a suddenly deceased parent, disabled children, parents in wheelchairs or something similar involved. Also mentally strike out the hope for justice... That will break you if you don't get it. Stay factual, no matter how difficult that is with the number of problems and the amount of money.

Factually speaking, you now have to look at how to get the house finished. The alternative would be to pull the entire ripcord:

Since we haven't touched the loan yet, we could cancel it. Costs: €30,000.

The total costs for the exit are thus calculable.

But before you go personally bankrupt yourself, I would rather try to make the thing minimally habitable.

There has to be saving potential:
- no garage/carport anymore
- only one bathroom, no guest WC
- cheaper heating concept
- used kitchen instead of kitchen studio, no cooking island, etc.
- waiver of all outdoor facilities like terrace, driveway, etc.
- energy saving ordinance instead of KfW standard
- a lot of personal work
- if I remember correctly, there is still a granny flat? Completely cut out.
Besides these examples, there is much more... plan everything with minimal standard, no extras, etc.

Calculate how much money you really still need in addition to the loan. You still have the loan.
You should now rather focus on a single contract award.

I wanted to file a criminal complaint but did not do so on the urgent advice of my lawyer. HE says I must not do anything now that could jeopardize the settlement.

Calculate the settlement options and consider that in a settlement the lawyer's fees can double. Such a settlement is a great thing for courts and lawyers. How much could you get --> how much would you be "jeopardizing"?

Dear forum members, I know that I am in a house construction forum and the goal of all members is certainly the happy move into their own home, which would certainly be the case for us as well if everything had gone reasonably "normally". Unfortunately, that is not the case. Due to the aforementioned circumstances and the brazenness of our contractor, continuing construction of the house is currently secondary for me. Primary for me is to get my money back and to put a stop to this gentleman’s work. Therefore, thank you for the well-meaning advice regarding further financing, but for example, someone who has lost a lot of money in a banking crash wouldn’t take out a loan to invest that money in another bank. A stupid comparison, I know.