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The build has stalled. Now what?

A quiet site is not yet a legal problem; a quiet site plus silence is. The law expects work within a reasonable time (Consumer Rights Act 2015), and the route from here is short and businesslike: one written notice with a deadline, paying only for completed work, and no rash contract-ending. Checked against the legislation, August 2026.

The route, in order

  • 1. One written notice. What is outstanding, a 14-day deadline to confirm a return date, sent by email or letter. Keep the tone businesslike; this letter is evidence, not therapy.
  • 2. Pay only completed work. Hold instalments for work not done, and say in writing why. Never withhold payment for finished, undisputed work.
  • 3. Document the state of the site. Photos of where the work stands, dated. If someone else finishes the job later, this is how you prove what was and was not done.
  • 4. Only then: ending the contract. If the deadline passes without result you are on solid ground, but take advice first for anything substantial; ending a contract wrongly can turn the tables on you.

Sources

Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 49 and 52 and the remedies in sections 54 to 56 (legislation.gov.uk, checked August 2026). If the firm has actually stopped trading rather than stopped answering, that is a different route: builder gone bust. Getting quotes to finish the job? Know the fair range first with the cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

My contract has no completion date. Can the builder just take forever?

No. If no time was agreed, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (section 52) requires the service to be performed within a reasonable time. What is reasonable depends on the job: a bathroom is weeks, an extension is months. A build that has simply stopped without explanation is the clearest case of all.

What should I do first when the site goes quiet?

Put it in writing. A short, businesslike message: the work has stopped, here is what is outstanding, please confirm within 14 days when you will return and complete. That letter does three things: it restarts many stalled builds on its own, it creates the record you need if it does not, and it is the fair warning the law expects before harder steps.

Can I just hire another builder and send the bill?

Not as your first move. Ending the contract without proper grounds or warning can put you in breach instead of the builder. First the written notice with a deadline; only if that passes without result do you have solid ground, and for anything substantial it is worth a call with Citizens Advice or a solicitor before you formally end it.

What remedies does the law actually give me?

For work done without reasonable care and skill (section 49): the right to have it redone at the builder’s cost, or a price reduction if that fails or is impossible. For unreasonable delay (section 52): a price reduction. These sit on top of your normal contract rights; nothing in the small print can remove the care-and-skill duty.

Should I keep paying while the work is stopped?

Pay only for work that is actually done and undisputed, and say so in writing when you hold anything back. Paying ahead of the work removes your last leverage; refusing to pay for completed work puts you in the wrong. The stage-payment logic in how to pay for a renovation is exactly for this moment.