Who Do I Contact About Poor Workmanship?
Start with the builder. After that, the right contact depends on the problem: a scheme, consumer advice, building control or an independent expert.
The short answer
The builder first. Then the right body for the kind of problem you have.
Contact the builder who did the work first, in writing, and give them a fair chance to put it right. If that doesn't resolve it, who you contact next depends on the problem. For consumer advice, contact Citizens Advice, or Consumer Advice Scotland or Consumerline in Northern Ireland. If the builder belongs to a trade association or scheme, use its complaints process. If the work may not meet the building regulations, contact the building control body that dealt with it. To establish what went wrong, use an independent surveyor or other qualified expert. For a dispute you can't settle, consider mediation or other alternative dispute resolution before court.
Most problems don't need all of these. The table below helps you pick the right one. For how to write the first message, see how do I complain about a builder?
Who does what
Match the contact to the problem
The builder
Always first. They are responsible for their own work and most issues are fixed at this stage.
A scheme or trade body
If the builder is a member, check the organisation's own site for its complaints process. Membership is voluntary, so not every builder has one. See what is TrustMark?
Citizens Advice
Free consumer advice, and it can refer matters to Trading Standards. Trading Standards doesn't usually take up individual disputes itself, but uses reports to spot patterns.
Building control
For work covered by the building regulations, the local authority or other building control body that dealt with it can look at whether the rules were met.
A competent person scheme
Some notifiable work is self-certified by a registered installer. The scheme operator may have a complaints route. See what is a competent person scheme?
An independent expert
A chartered surveyor or other qualified professional can report on what went wrong and what fixing it involves.
Before you go further
Give the builder a proper chance first
Almost every route above will ask whether you have raised the problem with the builder and given them the opportunity to put it right. Schemes and mediators expect it, and so do the courts. It is also the quickest route to a repair: the builder knows the job, has the materials and is usually the cheapest person to fix it.
So before contacting anyone else, make sure you have a written complaint on record, with a clear description of the problem, photographs, what you want done and a reasonable date to respond. If the builder has gone quiet, our answer on what to do if your builder stops answering covers that first.
Building regulations
When building control is the right call
Building control is about whether work meets the building regulations, such as structural safety, fire safety and insulation. It isn't a general complaints service about finish or appearance. If your concern is that a structural alteration, a new roof or an extension may not meet the regulations, contact the building control body that dealt with the work. Local authorities have enforcement powers in some circumstances, subject to legal time limits. GOV.UK and the Planning Portal explain how building control works. This is general information, not legal advice.
Be ready
What to have in front of you when you get in touch
Whoever you contact, the same few documents make the conversation faster and more useful.
The builder's details
Their full business name as it appears on the quote, address, phone and email, and for a limited company its registered number.
What was agreed
The quote or contract, and any messages that changed the scope or the price.
What went wrong
A short description of the problem, with dated photographs.
What you have already done
Copies of your complaint to the builder and their replies, or a note that they didn't reply.
What you want
The outcome you are looking for: a return visit, a repair by a certain date, or money back for work not done properly. Advisers can help you much more quickly when they know the goal.
Choosing a route
Start with the lightest route that could work
It is tempting to contact every organisation at once. In practice it is better to work up from the lightest route that could solve the problem. A scheme complaint or mediation is often quicker and less demanding. Formal routes take longer and ask more of you. Our guide on keeping evidence and records will help whichever route you end up taking, and if you are unsure where you stand, Citizens Advice is a sensible first call.
If you use Mortaro
Contact us, and we contact your contractor
If your work was coordinated by Mortaro, you have one extra contact who is there for exactly this. Tell us what is wrong and send photographs if you can. We raise it with your contractor, who carried out the work and provides the workmanship warranty, press for a visit and a resolution, and keep you updated.
We coordinate the process; we don't inspect or sign off the work, so independent routes such as building control remain open to you. Contractors who fail to meet our standards are removed from the network. See putting things right.
Straight answers
Questions about who to contact
Can Trading Standards make my builder fix the work?
Generally not for an individual dispute. Trading Standards focuses on wider patterns of unfair or unlawful trading. Report through Citizens Advice, which can also advise you on your own options.
When should I speak to a solicitor?
If the sums are large, the builder disputes responsibility, or you are considering court. See when should I get legal advice?
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.