What If the Builder Damaged My Property?
Record the damage, tell the builder in writing and ask how they will put it right. Here is how that usually works, including when insurance gets involved.
The short answer
Record it, report it the same day, and ask how the builder will put it right.
If a builder damages your property while working, make the area safe, photograph the damage before anything is moved or cleaned up, and tell the builder in writing the same day. Ask them how they intend to deal with it: by repairing it themselves, by paying for the repair, or by passing it to their insurer. A business carrying out work in your home is generally expected to take reasonable care, and damage caused by their carelessness is normally theirs to put right. This is exactly what public liability insurance is for.
Accidental damage is often sorted out quickly and without argument. A good builder will usually tell you before you notice. The steps below are about making sure it is recorded properly, so the conversation stays about the repair rather than about what happened.
The first 24 hours
What to do when you spot the damage
Make it safe
If there is water coming in, broken glass or anything unstable, deal with the immediate risk first. Ask the builder to cover or secure it, and keep receipts for anything you have to pay for yourself.
Photograph it as it is
Wide shots to show where it is, close-ups to show the detail, and the date. If there is video of the moment it happened, or a neighbour saw it, note that too.
Tell the builder in writing
A short message the same day: what is damaged, when you noticed it, photographs attached, and a request to know how they will deal with it.
Check your own policy
If the damage is significant, let your home insurer know. You don't have to claim on your own policy, but insurers usually prefer to hear early, and it keeps that route open.
Working out what it is
Damage, or part of the job?
Some disruption is an expected part of building work. The quote is the best guide to which is which.
Usually damage to raise
- A dented car, gate or fence from materials or equipment
- A cracked window or conservatory roof
- Water getting in because the work was left open
- Plants, paving or lawn damaged well beyond the work area
- Carpets or furniture marked where nothing was covered
Often part of the job
- Plaster disturbed around a new opening, if making good is quoted
- Worn grass where scaffolding stood
- Dust in the loft after roof work
- Existing faults uncovered by the work, such as rotten timber
- Anything the quote says you will put right yourself
When insurance gets involved
How a claim on the builder's insurance usually works
For small items, many builders simply repair or pay for the damage themselves rather than make a claim. For larger damage, they may notify their public liability insurer. The insurer may then contact you, and on bigger claims may send someone to assess the damage. Keep your photographs and any quotes for the repair ready, and deal with them in writing where you can.
Before you accept any offer, make sure you understand what it covers, and whether it settles the matter in full. If the builder does not respond, or says their insurer won't pay, ask them in writing for their insurer's details and the policy number. It helps to have checked their insurance before the work started. Our guides on what insurance a builder should have and checking a builder's insurance explain what to look for.
If the damage is to a neighbour's property, the neighbour should raise it with the builder directly, and you can pass on the builder's details. Keep a note of what was said, and when.
This is general information, not legal advice. Citizens Advice explains your rights when a business causes damage while working in your home.
If it isn't resolved
Keep it factual, and escalate in steps
If the builder disputes that they caused the damage, go back to your photographs, the dates and anything that shows what was there before the work started. A calm written account, sent once, is more persuasive than several heated calls. What records should I keep during building work? lists the evidence that tends to matter most.
If you still can't agree, raising a formal complaint is the next step, followed by the independent routes set out in the when building work goes wrong guide.
If you use Mortaro
Report it to us and we take it up
On a project Mortaro coordinates, tell us about any damage by phone or email, with your photographs. We raise it with your contractor straight away, ask how they will put it right, and keep chasing until it is dealt with, so you are not left trying to reach someone who is on the tools.
Your contractor carries out the work and holds the public liability insurance, which we check before they are introduced to any customer. Any claim for damage sits with them. Putting things right explains how we escalate.
Straight answers
Questions about damage during building work
Should I claim on my own home insurance?
It depends on the size of the damage and how the builder responds. Speak to your insurer first. If they pay out, they may try to recover the cost from the builder's insurer themselves.
Can I hold back money to cover the damage?
Holding back payment is a significant step. Agree how the damage will be handled in writing first, and read can I withhold payment for bad work? before deciding.
Start here
Tell us about the work you have in mind
We will confirm we cover your postcode, arrange a site visit with a contractor from our network and send you a written quotation. No charge, no obligation.