Collecting what is owed.
WHY IT DESERVES ITS OWN ATTENTION
Contractors are routinely owed money they never collect.
WHAT CAUSES NON-PAYMENT
Disputes about quality Disputes about variations Client cash difficulty Retention never released Simple delay
WHAT PREVENTS MOST OF IT
Documentation.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT THROUGHOUT
The agreed scope Every variation, priced and approved Progress, with dated photographs Client instructions Delays and their causes Completion of each stage
WHY PHOTOGRAPHS
They answer quality disputes conclusively.
WHAT TO OBTAIN AT EACH STAGE
Acknowledgement that the stage is complete.
WHY
It removes the basis for later dispute.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT RETENTION
Calendar its release date, and claim it.
WHY
It is frequently forgotten and quietly kept.
WHAT TO DO WHEN PAYMENT IS LATE
Contact immediately, politely and factually.
WHAT TO ESCALATE TO
A formal demand referencing the contract.
WHAT TO AVOID
Threats you will not carry out Removing work already installed Abandoning site without notice
WHY THAT LAST POINT
It converts their breach into yours.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Follow the contract's suspension provisions, with advice.
WHAT TO ASSESS BEFORE PURSUING FORMALLY
Whether the client can pay What it costs against what is owed
WHAT TO LEARN
Which clients pay, and which to decline next time.
