Your Rights When a Builder or Tradesperson Does Poor Work (UK)

A kitchen fitted badly, a roof that still leaks, a job abandoned half-finished — poor workmanship is one of the most stressful consumer problems, and one of the most winnable. UK law is firmly on your side. Here is how to use it.

What the law says about workmanship

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, any service you pay a trader for must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If it is not — the work is defective, unsafe, or not what you agreed — the trader is legally obliged to put it right. Materials supplied as part of the job must also be of satisfactory quality.

This applies whether or not you signed a written contract. A verbal agreement and your payment are enough to create your rights.

Your remedies, in order

1. Repeat performance. Your first right is to require the trader to redo or fix the defective work at no extra cost, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you.
2. Price reduction. If they cannot or will not fix it — or repair is impossible — you can claim back an appropriate amount of what you paid, up to the full price.
3. Compensation for consequential loss. If the bad work caused further damage (e.g. a botched pipe that flooded a room), you can claim those costs too.

Before you write: protect your position

• Stop further payments if work is incomplete or defective — but do not withhold money you clearly owe without making your reasons clear in writing.
• Photograph everything with dates. Get an independent quote or report on what is wrong and what it will cost to fix.
• Give the trader the chance to fix it. The law expects this, and a court will too.
• If you paid a deposit or part of the cost by credit card over £100, remember Section 75 may let you claim from the card provider as well.

A complaint letter you can adapt

Dear [Trader name],

Re: [Job address and description, e.g. "kitchen installation at 1 High St"]

I am writing about the work you carried out on [dates]. Under the Consumer Rights
Act 2015 this work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The following is
defective or incomplete: [list the specific problems].

I require you to return and put this right at no further cost, within [14] days.
Please contact me to arrange access. If the work is not completed to a reasonable
standard by then, I will obtain an independent quote and claim the cost of
remedial work as a price reduction and/or damages.

Please respond in writing within 14 days.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name and contact details]

If they ignore you

Many trades belong to a body with a free dispute-resolution or insurance-backed scheme (for example TrustMark, FMB, or a Competent Person Scheme) — check your paperwork. Failing that, the small claims court handles building disputes routinely; clear photos, an independent report and your written complaint make a strong case. For unsafe gas or electrical work, also report the trader to the relevant safety regulator.