31 Oct 2022
Refusing to pay for bad building work is a complex issue. Withholding payment for poor quality building work is not always allowed.
Carrying out home improvements can be stressful. Home renovations take time, cause upheaval, and come at a significant financial cost. When you decide to undertake any improvements on your home, you want to make sure that you choose the best person for the job. Unfortunately, building work doesn’t always meet the high standards you’d expect. In this situation, you may want to withhold payment as the work is not as described or does not reach the required standard. So, can you refuse to pay a builder for bad work? Let’s take a closer look.
Refusing to pay for bad building work is a complex issue. Legally, a customer cannot refuse to pay a builder for works completed. If they do so, the builder will be within their rights to take the customer to court. If this happens, a customer should seek legal advice to prepare to defend the claim by proving that the work was substandard.
In most cases, it should be possible to come to an agreement without going to court. Builders are responsible for putting right any jobs that are poorly done or were not part of the original agreement. The law also states that a customer can withhold a reasonable amount of money on a building job. For example, a customer can withhold payment for a poorly installed light fitting on a full property rewire. They cannot, however, refuse to pay for other associated works, only the cost to rectify the specific problem.
At The CPA, we want to ensure that both our trade members and our consumer customers are protected against unforeseen circumstances during building projects. This includes payment protection and dispute resolution schemes. For all our customers and members, we provide comprehensive services to avoid unnecessary court cases and payment disputes.
For consumers, our deposit protection and insurance backed guarantee schemes give homeowners peace of mind that their investment is protected, and they will receive support in the unlikely event that something is not to the required standard.
For builders and installers, we also offer deposit protection and insurance backed guarantee schemes alongside use of our alternative dispute resolution service. To avoid lengthy and costly court battles, our independent and impartial dispute resolution service helps installers and their customers to come to an agreement which is beneficial to both parties.
If you’d like to find out more about working with The CPA, get in touch today. For more information about any of our products or services call 01462 850 064 or send us a message online.