TOPIC: Client on roof

Guess what happened.  Actually don't bother guessing.  I'll tell you.  I finished the inspection and while gathering up my toys, the seller said to me: "I hope you got paid."  I said: "No not yet."  He said: "Good luck then.  Your client decided not to buy and he just left." 
Job done.  Client gone.  No money for me. 

What!!

Maybe he should of gone up on the roof with you so you could of pushed him off!!

I am really sorry that your client is a low life and skipped out on paying you your deserved fee.

Keep calling him and try to get your money!!

Pushing him off the roof does sound attractive.  I don't think I can get him on there again though.  Not going to get my money.  I emailed the invoice.  He said the seller had agreed to pay me.  (Yeah right.)  Told him that the agreement was between him and me.  If the seller decided to pay, it is still up to him to get that money to me.  Than he told me he wasn't happy with my inspection so he isn't paying.  (This is the same guy who praised me up and down at an inspection about 3 weeks ago.)
The previous inspection revealed a few defects that were serious enough that it allowed him to try and dicker the selling price.  In the end the deal fell through.  This house had the regular maintenance items but not a lot of serious issues.  I kind of think that disappointed him a bit. 
I don't think suing him for the fee is worth my while and I am not really the type of guy who wants to collect using a baseball bat.
I had some misgivings about him this time around because of the way he tried to get me to drop my price.  He wondered why I couldn't do it for less if he paid cash.
Then while doing the inspection, he told me that he was thinking of suing the Realtor he used last.  That I didn't like at all.  Oh well.  I guess that's called a tuition fee.  I would have been able to learn that from a text book.  No need to experience it. 

I don't know how it is in Canada but not paying for a service could be considered theft in mot areas and can be reported to the police which could at least shake him up. You can also send it to a collections company. Did you use a HIP contract with the fee on it and did he sign it?

Bert get them to secure payment with a credit card and then get paid if he backs out you still get paid.  I had a guy follow me in an attic once and put hi foot right through the  master bedroom trey ceiling.

In reality... the Property would likely be liable for the damages incurred by someone that climbed on the roof. If you told the buyer "sure, go on up" and even if you didn't, someone would likely want to drag you into it... ie the Homeowner's insurance

I say this as I was working on a property and received a dog bite. The wounds to my arm and leg warranted a trip to the doctors. Although I was OK and took no further action, my Health Insurance Co disagreed with my thinking and asked me by letter to assist them in their reimbursement of costs for my care. They indicated that the property was responsible for my damages and as long as I cooperated I would not be held responsible. Geesh. Anyway, I had talked to the legal department of the insurance co at a later date and candidly asked them "What would be the difference if was injured in a different fashion?" Their answer was that when you/we/us are allowed on a property, liability is assumed by a property and it's owners. Plain and simple. The "good hands" will reach out and collect too

I've had many a curious buyer poke their head into an attic and I'm not crazy about that, but climbing up my ladder and going on the roof is a bad idea. In general, allowing 3rd parties to use our equipment /ladders is not a good business practice, although I've given in myself.

Just a thought, where do we draw the line? If your client was a roofer and met you at the inspection, you have your ladder up. You know he's gonna want to go on the roof and going to ask to use your ladder. What would you say? This actually happened to me, but he was earlier than I was and offered  his. Lucky me.