What action can I take against a builder?
Reviewed by Sean McNamara, 2026-10-07
The right action depends on three facts: the builder's trade affiliations, the money at stake, and the strength of your documents. This page is the decision ladder in order of cost and speed.
Check their affiliations BEFORE the ladder
Five minutes of searching: are they in FMB / TrustMark / a scheme with an ombudsman? Those routes are free or cheap and builders comply more readily because membership is their livelihood. Court is the fallback, not the opener - the letter citing the ombudsman route is often enough to move a member builder.,
The money-map before issuing
Before ANY formal action: what did you pay, by what method (card -> chargeback window; bank -> harder), what does completion cost (builder quote), and what can the builder pay from (they're a company with assets, or a man with a van?). Claims strategy is assets strategy - the action you choose should be the one that reaches money you can actually recover.,
Questions this page answers
- What action can I take against a builder?
- The ladder: 1) Written complaint citing your Consumer Rights Act rights (reasonable care and skill) with a completion deadline. 2) Trade-body redress - FMB, TrustMark, Which? Trusted Trader members carry ombudsman or guarantee schemes. 3) Letter before action. 4) Adjudication (construction contracts - weeks not years). 5) County court small claims / fast track by value. 6) Insurance routes (legal-expenses cover, card chargeback within rules).
- Can I take legal action against my builder?
- Yes - breach of contract and/or CRA 2015 service standards. Issue from the county court (small claims for lower values). Keep the claim quantified: cost of remedial work, consequential losses, expert fees. Courts want numbers on paper, not adjectives.
- What should I do if my builder is refusing to complete the work?
- Written notice requiring completion within a reasonable, stated period; document the incomplete state; obtain a quote for completion by another builder (your damages measure). If the notice passes: letter before action, then the ladder.
- What should you not say to a builder?
- In dispute correspondence: no threats of extra-legal action, no admission of your own failures without checking liability, no acceptance of 'cash to sort it', no verbal-only variations. Everything written - every text is an exhibit either way.
- What to do if a builder walks off a job?
- Same-day: dated photos/video of site state. Then: written notice of repudiatory breach (leaving unfinished work can be one), quantified completion quotes, and - if money was paid ahead - the refund demand. Adjudication handles walk-offs well because the paperwork is usually stark.
Sources and further reading