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Real estate: clients and craftsmen left in the lurch after the bankruptcy of a Breton builder
Real estate: clients and craftsmen left in the lurch after the bankruptcy of a Breton builder
(France 2)
In Finistère, dozens of customers and craftsmen find themselves without a solution after the bankruptcy of a construction company. These bankruptcies of new house developers have been increasing in recent months.
After a life as a fisherman, François Le Lay planned to build a house on the south coast of Finistère. It was supposed to be delivered soon, but the work stopped, barely started. He had advanced 270,000 euros, half the price of the house. “I have worked my whole life, since I was 14. We had a beautiful house in Quimper, we sold it. (…) We went to rent, and with the money from the house we put on this construction site”, he explains.
The manufacturer, the Woodz company, disappeared. François Le Lay today feels betrayed and angry. More than twenty people are believed to be victims. Among them, the artisans who worked for Woodz. Gérard Tanguy, carpenter, is awaiting 23,000 euros in unpaid debts. “Invoices (…) up to 10,000 euros, (…) we will easily understand that there was an abuse of management“, he said.
Woodz employees have not been paid since the summer. The company’s manager could not be reached, and the company’s lawyer declined to comment. According to Me Gérard Briec, the victims’ lawyer, the manager would have “tried to circumvent“regulations.
Watch the full report in the video above.