Guides: your rights, your evidence, your claim

• How to take a builder to the small claims court (England & Wales)
• Letter before action to a builder — what it must contain
• Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for building work
• Builder walked off the job — your options
• Evidence for a building dispute — what to gather and how
• The schedule of loss — pricing your building claim
• Section 75 and chargebacks — recovering money when the builder's company has folded
• Adjudication or small claims — which route fits a building dispute?
• The builder blames you — responding to the counter-attack
• A builder on your property without permission
• Builder's quote vs estimate — the difference that decides who pays for overruns
• Builder refusing to refund a deposit — the recovery sequence
• The chargeback letter — what to write to your bank
• Defect or snag? What counts as a breach and what doesn't
• Getting money back from a builder — the complete route map
• Does home insurance cover a building dispute? (Legal expenses cover)
• How to check a builder before you hire (free official registers)
• The JCT Home Owner Contract — the plain-English read
• Is there an ombudsman for builders? (ADR, explained honestly)
• Party wall problems in a building dispute — the basics
• Retention money — holding back payment until the work is proven
• Building disputes in Scotland & Northern Ireland — the different rules
• Small claims hearing day — what actually happens
• Reporting a builder to Trading Standards — how it actually works
• Writing a witness statement for a building dispute

Reviewed by Sean McNamara · 2026-09-03 · Independent information directory — not legal advice.