What If Building Work Overruns?
Ask why, get a revised date in writing, and check what was agreed about timing. Here is how to tell an ordinary delay from one that needs more.
The short answer
Ask why, get a new date in writing, and keep payments in step with progress.
If building work is running late, ask the contractor what has caused the delay and when they now expect to finish, and ask them to confirm the revised date in writing. Then check your quote or contract for what was agreed about timing. If a finish date was agreed, that is your reference point. If no date was agreed, consumer law generally expects a service to be carried out within a reasonable time, which depends on the kind of job.
Many overruns have an ordinary cause, such as weather, a delayed delivery or something uncovered once the work was opened up. What matters is that you are told, the reason makes sense and the new date holds. A delay that comes with silence, or keeps moving, needs a firmer approach.
Reading the delay
Ordinary delays, and delays that need attention
Usually ordinary
- Rain or wind stopping roof work for a few days
- A product arriving later than promised
- Extra work you asked for part way through
- A hidden problem uncovered once the work was opened up
- Waiting on building control or a specialist
Worth a firmer conversation
- No explanation, or a different one each time
- Days on site with nobody there and no word why
- Revised dates that keep slipping
- Calls and messages going unanswered
- Requests for more money to keep going
What to do
Handling an overrun, step by step
Check what was agreed
Look at the quote, contract and any messages about the start date and how long the work would take. Note whether it was a firm date or an estimate.
Ask for the reason and a new date
Put it in writing: what is causing the delay, what still needs to be done, and when they expect to finish.
Separate delays from changes
If you asked for extra work, some extra time is fair. Agree the new date alongside the price of the change. See variations and extra costs.
Keep a simple diary
Which days someone was on site, what was done and what you were told. It takes a minute a day and settles arguments later.
Follow up if the date slips again
Refer to the previous date and your earlier message. Ask what has changed, and ask for a realistic finish date rather than an optimistic one.
Money and timing
Keep payments tied to the work, not the calendar
An overrun is not a reason to pay ahead of progress. If your payments are staged, each one should follow a stage of work actually being completed, not a date passing. If the balance is due on completion, it stays due on completion, even if the job has taken longer than planned. Staged payments explained covers how this usually works.
Equally, a delay on its own does not usually entitle you to stop paying for work that has been properly done. If the overrun is causing you real cost, such as extra rent or storage, keep receipts and raise it in writing, but take advice before deducting anything from a payment.
When it becomes something more
If the job stops altogether
Sometimes an overrun turns into a job where nobody comes back. If the contractor stops replying, read when a builder stops responding. If the work has plainly been abandoned, what if the job was left unfinished? sets out the next steps, including making the property safe and weathertight.
Before it reaches that point, a face-to-face conversation often helps. Meet the contractor on site, walk through what is left, and agree a short written plan: what will be done, in what order and by when. A plan broken into a few dated steps is easier to hold to than a single finish date, and it shows early if things start slipping again. If they won't commit to any date at all, say in writing that you need one, and keep a copy of that message.
Whatever happens, your notes and messages are the record of what was agreed and when things changed. What records should I keep during building work? explains what to keep.
This is general information, not legal advice. Citizens Advice explains what consumer law expects of a business carrying out a service, including timing.
If you use Mortaro
We organise the dates and chase the delays
When Mortaro coordinates your project, we organise the start date with you and keep communication going while your contractor is on site and unable to answer the phone. If the work is running late, tell us. We get the reason and a revised date from your contractor and keep you updated, rather than leaving you to chase.
The build programme on site is your contractor's, as the company carrying out the work. How it works sets out each stage.
Straight answers
Questions about delays
Can I claim compensation if the work overruns?
Possibly, if a finish date was agreed and the delay caused you real loss, but it depends on the contract and the circumstances. Take advice before making a claim. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much delay is reasonable for roof work?
Weather affects roofing more than most work, so a few lost days are common. What matters is that you are told and the reason is genuine.
Should the contractor tell me about delays before I ask?
They should. A contractor who explains delays early is usually one who will finish the job properly.
Start here
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