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Customer won’t pay for work done? A guide for trades

Finished the job and the customer won’t pay? Here’s a calm, step-by-step plan for UK trades: work out why they haven’t paid, chase it properly, and know your options if they still refuse.

This is a guide, not legal advice. It covers England and Wales. Rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Check your contract, and take advice from a solicitor if you’re unsure or the amount is large.

Step 1: Work out why they haven’t paid

Most unpaid jobs fall into one of three groups. Each needs a different response.

Situation	What it sounds like	What to do
Forgotten or disorganised	No reply, “I’ll sort it this week”	Clear, polite reminders with your bank details. See the reminder templates.
Unhappy with the work	“It’s not finished”, “there’s a problem with…”	Treat it as a dispute. Go and look, put right anything genuinely wrong, and agree the rest in writing.
Disputing the price or extras	“I never agreed to that”	Go back to your quote and messages. Pay attention to anything added during the job.
Can’t or won’t pay	Excuses, then silence	Final demand, then a letter before action, then consider a court claim.

Step 2: Gather your evidence

Your quote or estimate, and the customer’s acceptance (a text or email counts).
Messages agreeing any extras or changes, with prices.
Your invoice, and every reminder with its date.
Photos of the finished work, any sign-off, and receipts for materials.

Keep everything. If it ever goes to court, a dated paper trail is what matters.

Step 3: If they say the work is faulty

Take it seriously. Where your customer is a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires services to be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If they weren’t, the customer may be entitled to have the work put right, or in some cases a price reduction. In practice:

Ask them to put the problem in writing, with photos.
Offer to inspect it, and offer to fix anything that genuinely needs fixing.
If only part is disputed, ask them to pay the undisputed amount now.
Confirm whatever you agree by email or text.

Step 4: Chase it in writing

Send a friendly reminder, then a firmer one, then a final demand with a deadline. Our payment reminder templates include short text and WhatsApp versions, which often work well for domestic customers.

If your customer is a business (a builder you subcontract for, a landlord’s company, a shop), you may be able to add statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100, depending on the debt. This doesn’t apply to ordinary homeowners. For them, you can only charge interest or late fees if your terms said so before the job.

Step 5: Send a letter before action

If the final demand is ignored, send a formal letter before action. For a homeowner or sole trader you must give at least 30 days and enclose the Information Sheet and Reply Form from the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims. For a company, 14 days is common.

Step 6: Small claims

If they still don’t pay, you can make a court claim for money online through GOV.UK. Claims up to £10,000 usually go to the small claims track, which is designed for people to use without a solicitor. There’s a court fee, which you can add to the claim. Getting a judgment isn’t the same as getting paid, so think about whether the customer can actually pay before you spend money on it.

What not to do

Don’t take back materials or undo work you’ve fitted without legal advice. It can leave you facing a claim yourself.
Don’t turn up repeatedly or send angry messages. Stay polite and keep it in writing. It reads well later.
Don’t post about the customer online. It can expose you to a defamation claim.
Don’t add charges you didn’t agree. Statutory interest applies only between businesses. Anything else needs to be in your terms.

Stop it happening next time

Written quote, written acceptance. Even a text saying “yes, go ahead at £X” helps.
Price extras before you do them. Send the price and get a yes in writing before you start.
Take a deposit or stage payments on bigger jobs, so you’re never owed the whole lot at the end.
Put payment terms on every quote and invoice: the due date, how to pay, and any late-payment terms.
Invoice on the day and send the first reminder as soon as it’s due.

Work out exactly what’s owed

Put in the invoice amount and due date, and the free invoice checker tells you how many days overdue it is and creates dated reminder letters you can copy.

Check an invoice – free

Let us send these for you

Overdue Chaser sends the friendly, firm and final reminders on schedule and stops the moment you mark the invoice paid. The letter before action only goes once you’ve approved it. 14-day free trial on every plan.

Start a free trial or check an invoice free