The contractor's gone. The job isn't.
Stage payments paid on time. Work that stopped somewhere in the middle. A contractor who abandons a job is in breach; a letter before action sets a date to return and finish, or the cost of someone else doing so. Written free, today.
Said vs got
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary. The letter sets this out so the other side can see what ignoring it costs.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when a contractor lets you down
In England and Wales a trade you pay must do the work with reasonable care and skill and, where no time was fixed, within a reasonable time — terms the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies into the contract whether or not anything was written down. The usual remedy is to have it done properly, or a price reduction, and damages for the cost of putting it right.
ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.49A paid-for service must generally be performed with reasonable care and skill.
Where a consumer pays a trader for a service, section 49 usually implies a term that it will be performed with reasonable care and skill. Work that fails, has to be redone, or is left in a worse state than before may be treated as a breach, depending on the facts.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.52A service must usually be performed within a reasonable time if no time was agreed.
Where the contract does not fix a time for the service, section 52 generally implies a term that the trader will perform it within a reasonable time. What is reasonable is a question of fact — a job that stalls for months with no good explanation may be treated as a breach.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.54If a service isn't done properly, the usual remedies are repeat performance or a price reduction.
Section 54 generally sets out the consumer's remedies where a service breaches the statutory terms: the right to require repeat performance, and, where that is impossible or not done in a reasonable time, the right to a price reduction. Courts may also consider damages for loss caused, depending on the circumstances.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to do what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A job, a purchase or a loan is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — work not done, money not repaid, goods not handed over — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
The letter fixes the week. Finish by a date, or the cost of someone else finishing becomes the claim. Missed dates are the evidence.
Not more than the quote, without an agreed variation. The letter sets out what was quoted, what was paid, what was done.
Then the letter asks for the order. A merchant reference and a date. Not producing one says a lot.
Walking away mid-job is the breach. The claim is the cost of finishing to the agreed standard, less what you haven't paid.
Five things worth gathering now
The letter first. Court only if they ignore it.
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask, so the letter says what a court would need to hear.
Written for you, free
A formal letter before action with a 14-day deadline, setting out what is owed and why. You see it at no charge. Posting it by tracked mail and watching the deadline is £15.
Court claim, prepared
If the deadline passes: one tap turns the letter into a small claim, drafted, checked and filed. The £15 comes off our fee. The decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I claim against a contractor who did a bad job?
Yes. The law implies that the work is done with reasonable care and skill; if it wasn't, you can usually require it to be redone or claim a price reduction, and recover the cost of having someone else put it right. The letter asks for that by a date.
They say they won't come back until I pay 'extras'.
Extras need an agreed variation — a price you accepted before the work was done. The letter sets out the quote, the payments and the work done, and asks them to finish the agreed scope by a date.
There was no written contract.
A quote, a start date and a payment is a contract. Messages and bank transfers are the paperwork; the law doesn't require a signed document.
Should I let them come back and fix it?
Usually offer them one chance in writing, with a date — the letter does this. If they don't take it, the cost of someone else fixing it becomes the claim, and you've shown you were reasonable.
How much does it cost if it goes further?
If the letter is ignored, a court claim has a court fee set by the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Is the letter really free?
Yes. Tell us what happened and the letter before action is written and shown to you at no charge. If you want us to post it by tracked mail and watch the 14-day deadline, that is £15, shown before you pay — and it comes off our fee if it later becomes a court claim.
Job gone wrong?
Tell us what happened. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →