If you’ve had work done on your home that’s not up to scratch, it’s important to know your rights. If there’s a problem caused by the trader you should be able to get it fixed - or at least get some of the money back. Whatever the problem is, you’ll need to talk to the trader and come to an agreement. 

You can speak to your trader in person, or contact them in writing/over email. There are template letters on the Citizens Advice website you can use when contacting a trader. Either way, it’s important to make sure you have a written copy of anything agreed.

Before you contact them, it’s a good idea to take photographs to use as evidence of the problem. Make notes about what happened, including dates and times. You should also gather any paperwork and receipts you have received. 

If they haven’t done a good job 

The trader should have done the work with ‘reasonable care and skill’. This means they should have done a good job that’s worth the amount they’re charging you. If they haven’t done this, they’ve broken the law under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. 

You’re legally entitled to either:

• ask them to fix the problem - if they provided you with goods as well as the service (e.g. they bought the slabs and laid the patio), 

• get a refund and stop them doing any more work - if they just provided the service (e.g. you bought the slabs and they laid the patio). 

The trader should fix the problem or refund you in a reasonable amount of time, without causing too much inconvenience. 

If they haven’t done what was agreed 

When you gave the go-ahead to the trader, you technically made a contract with each other - even if it wasn’t written down. If they haven’t done what was agreed they’ve breached the contract and you can ask them to put things right. 

You should ask the trader to do whatever is necessary to get the work done properly. They should cover all costs, including any extra materials. If they can’t or won’t fix the problem, you can ask for a partial or full refund - depending on how bad the problem is. You’ll have to come to an agreement with them about this. 

If they haven’t done the work on time 

You have to give the trader a second chance to finish the work, unless you made it clear it was important that the work had to be finished by a certain date.

You should make it clear that this time, the work has to be finished by a certain date. It’s a good idea to put this in writing - this will help make it feel more urgent. 

If you already said the work had to be completed by a certain date you should tell the trader you don’t want them to carry on working for you. You should pay them for any work done so far, though you can ask for a discount to make up for any inconvenience caused. 

If you can’t reach an agreement 

If you’re struggling to come to an agreement with the trader, there are other steps you can take to solve your problem, these include using ‘alternative dispute resolution’, which is a way of solving disagreements without going to court. There are full details about how to do this on the Citizens Advice website.