A tiled or wooden floor should last for years. Instead the tiles are lippy and uneven, the grout is already cracking, tiles are popping up or sounding hollow, or the new floor has lifted within months — and the fitter has been paid and moved on.
Laying a floor properly is a skilled job with a clear standard. When the work falls short, the cost of putting it right is recoverable.
Your Right: Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a tiler or flooring fitter must work with reasonable care and skill, and any materials they supply must be of satisfactory quality. Defective laying or preparation breaches that standard — and you can claim the cost of putting it right.
When You Have a Claim
- Lippage — tiles sitting at uneven heights
- Hollow, loose, lifting or cracked tiles
- Cracked, patchy or wrong-coloured grouting
- A subfloor that wasn't levelled, primed or allowed to move
- Wood or laminate that has buckled, gapped or lifted
Recover the cost of putting it right
JustClaim turns your story into a properly drafted court claim, with your particulars of claim written for you. File online in minutes.
Start Your Claim NowHow to Claim: Step by Step
Complain in writing. List the defects and give the fitter a fair chance to put them right by a clear deadline.
Get evidence. Photos of the defects plus a quote or report from another fitter showing the cost to strip out and re-lay — recoverable if you win.
Send a letter before action. Set out your claim and a deadline to pay before issuing proceedings.
File your claim. If they refuse, file an N1 at the county court for the cost of redoing the work, materials, interest and the court fee.
What You Can Claim
- The cost of stripping out and re-laying the floor or tiling properly
- Replacement tiles, flooring or materials
- Related losses caused by the failed work
- The cost of an independent report
- Interest and the court fee
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a tiler or flooring fitter for bad work?
Yes. A tiler or flooring fitter must work with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If the work is defective — lippage, uneven or lifting tiles, cracked grout, a poorly prepared subfloor — you can require them to put it right and, if they refuse, recover the cost of redoing it in the small claims court.
The tiles or flooring are lifting or cracking — what can I claim?
You can claim the cost of stripping out and re-laying the floor or tiling properly, the cost of replacement materials, and any related losses. A report or quote from another fitter showing the defects and the cost to put it right is your key evidence and is recoverable if you win.
Whose fault is it if the subfloor wasn't prepared?
Preparing the surface correctly — levelling, priming, allowing for movement — is part of the fitter's job. If they laid over an unsuitable or unprepared subfloor and the floor has failed as a result, that is defective workmanship and their responsibility.
Do I have to let them come back to fix it?
Usually yes for the defective work itself — the Consumer Rights Act gives the trader a chance to redo it. Complain in writing with a deadline. If they refuse, fail again, or you reasonably don't want them back, you can recover the cost of another fitter putting it right.
How much does it cost to take a tiler to court?
Court fees start at £35 for claims up to £300 and rise with the amount claimed. The fee is added to your claim and recovered from the fitter if you win. No solicitor is needed for a small claim.