Most renovation disputes are not about bad people; they are about things nobody wrote down. Nine points cover almost everything, and for what the contract does not say, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 fills the gaps with reasonable care, reasonable time and a reasonable price. Agreed beats reasonable, every time. Checked August 2026.
Tick every point that is already in writing in your contract or signed quote. What stays unticked, you get back below with what the law says when the contract is silent, and a short email to send the builder.
This does not read your contract and it is not legal advice. What you tick stays in your browser; nothing is saved or sent.
Still missing
Point 1. Parties and the company number
What to look for. The exact legal name you can look up on Companies House, not just a trading name on a van.
Point 2. Scope with drawings
What to look for. What is included and, as important, what is not: strip-out, waste, making good, scaffolding.
Point 3. The price, itemised
What to look for. Lines with quantities and unit prices, never one lump sum; and whether VAT is included.
If the contract is silent. If the contract neither fixes a price nor says how it is fixed, you owe a reasonable price for the work, and no more. What is reasonable is a question of fact, argued afterwards.
Point 4. Provisional sums, named
What to look for. Every uncertain item as an explicit sum with what happens if it is exceeded.
Point 5. Payment per completed stage
What to look for. Small deposit, stage payments after the work, a retention until after snagging.
Point 6. Start date and completion date
What to look for. With a simple delay arrangement.
If the contract is silent. If the contract does not fix the time, the builder must do the work within a reasonable time. What is reasonable is a question of fact, argued afterwards.
Point 7. Extras in writing, always
What to look for. One sentence in the contract: variations are only owed when agreed in writing beforehand.
Point 8. Insurance and guarantees
What to look for. Public liability insurance now, and whether the guarantee is insurance-backed or just a promise.
Point 9. Who arranges approvals
What to look for. Planning, building control, party wall: named per item, with the certificates listed as deliverables.
Here is an email you can send. It is a question, not a demand: you have not agreed yet, and a good builder simply writes this down.
Hello, Thank you for the quote. Before I agree, I would like a few things in writing. It is not about trust; it saves us both an argument if something changes along the way. - Parties and the company number - Scope with drawings - The price, itemised - Provisional sums, named - Payment per completed stage - Start date and completion date - Extras in writing, always - Insurance and guarantees - Who arranges approvals Could you add these points to the contract, or confirm them by email? Then I can give you my answer. Kind regards,
Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 49, 51 and 52 (legislation.gov.uk, checked August 2026). Judge the quotes first with why quotes differ and the quote check; set the payment rhythm with how to pay for a renovation. During the build, the extras log keeps point 7 honest.
Legally a verbal agreement binds, practically it protects nobody. For anything beyond a day job, insist on writing: it can be a signed quote with terms, it does not need to be a formal contract document. What matters is that scope, price, payment moments and timing are on paper before work starts.
The law fills the gaps. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 reads into every job: reasonable care and skill (section 49), a reasonable time if none was agreed (section 52) and a reasonable price if none was agreed (section 51). Useful as a safety net, but "reasonable" is argued afterwards; agreed is agreed up front. That is the whole case for the checklist.
Small, and with a reason: materials that must be ordered. Citizens Advice suggests offering to buy the materials yourself instead, and on a long job, where a deposit may be unavoidable, pushing it down as far as you can and never agreeing to more than 25% (citizensadvice.org.uk, Before you get work done on your home, read 27 September 2026).
A builder asking for half up front is asking you to finance their business. Southwark Council's advice on rogue traders puts it plainly: never pay large sums of money upfront before work starts, and agree a schedule of staged payments for large works (southwark.gov.uk, read 27 September 2026). Pay per completed stage instead.
A small slice of the final payment, often around 5 percent, held back for a short period after handover so snags actually get fixed. Agree it up front in the contract; it is much harder to invent at the final invoice.