Free, verified resources for homeowners in a building dispute
Something has gone wrong with building work. Money is at stake, the builder has stopped answering, and you need to know what to do next — in plain English, with sources you can check. Everything on this site links to official public data: government guidance, legislation, council Trading Standards pages, and approved trade registers.
Start here
1. Know your rights — the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you statutory rights to work done with reasonable care and skill.
2. Complain formally — send a letter before action. Most disputes settle here.
3. Report it — the Citizens Advice consumer service passes complaints to your local Trading Standards (you cannot report most consumer issues to Trading Standards directly yourself).
4. Court — for claims up to £10,000 in England & Wales, the small claims track is designed for people without a solicitor.
Council Trading Standards directory
Verified contact routes for reporting a rogue builder, council by council. More councils are added after each verification wave — only councils whose official pages we have checked are listed.
- Birmingham City Council
- Manchester City Council
- Sheffield City Council
- Liverpool City Council
- Bristol City Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Glasgow City Council
- The City of Edinburgh Council
- Westminster City Council
- London Borough of Croydon
- Royal Borough of Greenwich
- London Borough of Hackney
- London Borough of Islington
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- London Borough of Wandsworth
- London Borough of Haringey
- London Borough of Hillingdon
- London Borough of Newham
- London Borough of Merton
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
- Wolverhampton City Council
- Coventry City Council
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Derby City Council
- Leicester City Council
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Shropshire Council
- Herefordshire Council
- Worcestershire County Council
- Warwick District Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Portsmouth City Council
- Brighton and Hove City Council
- Medway Council
- Leeds City Council
- Nottingham City Council
- Walsall Council
- Surrey County Council
- Ealing Council
- Redbridge Council
- London Borough of Bromley
- Havering Council
- Brent Council
- Harrow Council
- Richmond upon Thames Council
- Lewisham Council
- Hammersmith and Fulham Council
- Sefton Council
- Knowsley Council
- Doncaster Council
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
- Rochdale Borough Council
- Salford City Council
- Bolton Council
- Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
- Trafford Council
- Wigan Council
- Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Halton Borough Council
- Barking and Dagenham Council
- Hounslow Council
- Sutton Council
- Hertfordshire County Council
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Thurrock Council
- West Northamptonshire Council
- Lincolnshire County Council
- North East Lincolnshire Council
- North Lincolnshire Council
- Derbyshire County Council
- Staffordshire County Council
- Cheshire East Council
- Blackpool Council
- East Sussex County Council
- West Sussex County Council
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council
- Somerset Council
- Devon County Council
- Plymouth City Council
- Torbay Council
- Milton Keynes City Council
- West Berkshire Council
- Southampton City Council
- Central Bedfordshire Council
- Durham County Council
- Cumbria County Council
- Lancashire County Council
- North Yorkshire Council
- Hull City Council
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council
- Hartlepool Borough Council
- Northumberland County Council
- Gloucestershire County Council
- Telford and Wrekin Council
- Caerphilly Council
- Wrexham Council
- Pembrokeshire Council
- Slough Borough Council
- Leicestershire County Council
- Rutland County Council
- Carmarthenshire County Council
- Gwynedd Council
- Flintshire County Council
- Conwy County Borough Council
- Powys County Council
- Monmouthshire County Council
- Torfaen County Borough Council
- Bridgend County Borough Council
- Neath Port Talbot Council
- The Highland Council
- Aberdeen City Council
- Aberdeenshire Council
- Perth and Kinross Council
- Stirling Council
- Falkirk Council
- North Lanarkshire Council
- Renfrewshire Council
- East Dunbartonshire Council
- West Lothian Council
- Midlothian Council
- Dumfries and Galloway Council
- Scottish Borders Council
- Moray Council
- City of London Corporation
- York Council
- Darlington Borough Council
- Redcar and Cleveland Council
- Calderdale Council
- Bradford Council
Before you hire: check the builder
The cheapest dispute is the one you never have. Every trade register below is free to search.
- TrustMark
Government-endorsed quality scheme — find registered tradespeople - Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
Trade association — vetted builder search - Gas Safe Register
Check an engineer is legally registered for gas work - FENSA
Check an installer / order a glazing certificate - RICS Find a Surveyor
Chartered surveyors, including expert witnesses for disputes - HMCTS Find a Court or Tribunal
Official court finder for England & Wales
County court claim fees (England & Wales)
From the official GOV.UK court fees page (verified 2026-09-03).
| Claim amount | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 |
| £10,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the claim |
| More than £200,000 | £10,000 |
You may be able to get help with fees (form EX160) if you have a low income, and you can usually claim the fee back from the defendant if you win.
Independent & not legal advice. BuildingDisputeHelp is an independent consumer information directory. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to HMCTS, gov.uk, Trading Standards, any council, or any trade body. We do not provide legal advice or legal representation. For complex disputes (especially over £25,000), consult an SRA-regulated solicitor.