What if there's no written contract?

A verbal contract for building work is still legally binding. Your evidence becomes text messages, emails, the original quote, witness statements, and the work itself. Less convenient, but not fatal to your claim.

The builder says the work is finished — but it is not. What now?

Get an independent professional to inspect and write a report listing what is incomplete or defective. This is your evidence. Don't accept their assessment — get your own.

Can I refuse to pay the final invoice if the work is bad?

You can withhold a reasonable amount to reflect the cost of putting it right (the right of set-off). But don't refuse to pay anything unless the work is so bad it is essentially worthless — that goes too far and they could sue you.

What standard does the law require?

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, services must be performed with reasonable care and skill (s.49) — the standard a competent professional in that trade would meet. Materials supplied as part of the service must be of satisfactory quality (s.55).

Limitation period for builder disputes?

Six years from the breach (Limitation Act 1980, s.5) for normal contract claims. Twelve years for claims under deeds. Personal injury caused by builder negligence has a 3-year limit.

Builder is no longer trading or has gone bust?

If you paid by credit card and the bill was over £100, claim under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act — the card provider is jointly liable. For debit cards, raise a chargeback within 120 days. Otherwise, recovery from an insolvent trader is unlikely.

Builder did a bad job? Here is your route.

How to claim against a builder, plumber, or tradesperson for shoddy work, abandoned jobs, overcharging, or property damage.

Work falls below the standard a competent builder in that trade would meet. Cracking, leaks, uneven finishes, materials wrong for the job.

Builder takes payment in stages, then disappears or refuses to return after a stage. Common where they took a deposit upfront.

Final invoice is far higher than the quote without justification. A quote is binding; an estimate is not — but a builder cannot inflate without good reason.

Builder damaged something existing while doing the work — flooring, plaster, plumbing. Their public liability insurance should cover this; if not, it is a contract claim.

Cheaper kitchen fitted instead of what you specified. Different tiles. Lower-spec boiler. Worth less than what you paid for.

How to claim against a builder or tradesperson through small claims court

Steps to take when a builder has done shoddy work, abandoned the job, or overcharged you.

Document the defects

Take dated photographs of all defective work. Get an independent quote from another trader for the cost of putting it right.

Write to the trader formally

Set out each defect or breach in writing, reference the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill), and give 14 days to remedy or respond.

Get an independent remedial quote

Obtain at least one written quote from a reputable alternative trader for the remedial works. This is your primary evidence of quantum.

Send a Letter Before Action

If unresolved, send a formal Letter Before Action giving a final 14 days before you issue court proceedings.

File via Money Claim Online

Issue the claim via MCOL. Claim the cost of remedial works, any damage to the property, and court fees. Attach your evidence bundle.

Give them the chance to put it right first

It is a natural instinct to sack the builder and bring someone else in. Done too quickly, it costs you money. Where a trader has performed a service badly, the first remedy is repeat performance — they get a reasonable opportunity to fix it at their own cost. Only if that fails, or they refuse, or it cannot be done within a reasonable time, does a price reduction come into play.

A court will ask whether you gave that opportunity. If you did not, expect an argument that your losses would have been lower had you allowed the original builder back. Write to them, set out the defects, and give a clear deadline to attend. Keep it civil and keep a copy: that letter becomes the backbone of the claim.

There are exceptions worth knowing. You do not have to let someone back who has been abusive or threatening, whose work has been so poor that you have lost all confidence, or where letting them continue would cause further damage. Say so explicitly in the letter rather than simply going silent.

Evidence that survives a building dispute

Building claims turn on the gap between what was agreed and what was delivered. Judges rarely see the work themselves, so the case is decided on documents:

The quote or specification
— the single most valuable document you have, because it defines what “done properly” meant for this job.
Photographs at each stage
, dated, including work that is now hidden behind plaster or under floors.
An independent report
from a surveyor or a builder with no connection to the dispute, setting out the defects and the cost to remedy them.
Two or three quotes to put it right
— the court works from the reasonable cost of remedial work, not the highest figure you were given.
, showing what you paid and when against what was completed.
, in full rather than screenshots of the convenient parts.

Two practical points. If the work needed building regulations approval, ask your local authority whether it was signed off — unapproved work is both a defect and a problem when you sell. And if the builder traded as a limited company that has since dissolved, check whether they belonged to a trade body with a warranty or insurance-backed guarantee before writing the money off.

Common builder disputes

Most claims fall into one of these patterns. Identify yours — it shapes your evidence and the remedy you should ask for.

Consumer Rights Act 2015

, building services to consumers must be performed with

reasonable care and skill

(section 49) — the standard expected of a competent professional in that trade. If the work falls short, you have three remedies:

— the trader puts it right at no extra cost
— partial refund reflecting the diminished value
Rejection and refund
— if the breach is so serious that repair is impossible or impractical

Materials supplied as part of the service must also be of satisfactory quality (s.55) — the same protection as goods you buy.