The best contractor dispute resolution tool is a dated, room by room photo record made before the argument starts, because most disputes are actually arguments about what happened and when.
This is general information, not legal advice
This post sets out what a handful of UK statutes actually say, so you can see where you stand before a disagreement escalates. It is general information, not legal advice, and nothing here tells you what a court, an adjudicator or any builder will decide or do. Where court process is mentioned, it is the process for England and Wales.
Why the record matters more than the argument
Most contractor disputes are not really about the law. They are about two different accounts of the same job: what was agreed, what was done, what state it was left in, and when. If you have no record beyond memory and a few text messages, the dispute becomes a matter of whose word is taken. A dated photo record, taken as you worked or as you handed over, closes most of that gap before it opens.
This is not about proving you were right in some abstract sense. It is about having something concrete to put in front of a customer, or later in front of an adjudicator or a court, that shows the condition of the work at a specific point in time.
What the law actually requires of you
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49, every contract to supply a service is treated as including a term that you perform the service with reasonable care and skill. That is the standard you are held to. It is not perfection, and it is not a guarantee of a particular result.
Section 55 gives the consumer the right to require you to complete the service properly, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to them, and you bear the necessary cost including labour or materials. That right does not apply if completing performance in conformity with the contract is impossible.
Section 56 gives the consumer the right to a price reduction where they cannot require repeat performance, or you have not done it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience. Any refund due under this must be paid without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of the day you agree they are entitled to it, using the same payment method they used, with no fee charged for making it.
A record of the work at handover, and of any return visit to fix something, is what lets you show whether you met that standard and whether a further visit was reasonable and without significant inconvenience.
Adjudication: who can actually use it
The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, section 108, gives a party to a construction contract the right to refer a dispute to adjudication at any time. The timetable secures the adjudicator’s appointment and referral within 7 days of notice, and the adjudicator must decide within 28 days of referral, extendable by up to 14 days with the referring party’s consent, or longer if both parties agree after the dispute is referred. The decision is binding until finally settled by legal proceedings, arbitration or agreement.
The small claims track, if it gets that far
Under Civil Procedure Rules Part 27, claims not exceeding £10,000 generally go through the small claims track. No expert may give evidence at a hearing without the court’s permission. Standard directions require each party, at least 14 days before the final hearing, to file and serve copies of all documents they intend to rely on. The strict rules of evidence do not apply and the court need not take evidence on oath.
This is where a photo record earns its keep. A set of dated photographs, organised by room and by the specific issue raised, is exactly the kind of document you would be filing and serving. It is far stronger than a recollection typed up after the argument has already started.
The Limitation Act 1980, section 5, sets a six year limit on bringing an action founded on simple contract, running from the date the cause of action accrued. That is a long time for a dispute to resurface, which is another reason a record made at the time is worth more than one reconstructed years later.
Building the record without it becoming another job
The practical problem is time. Photographing every stage of every job, labelling it by room, and keeping it somewhere retrievable is a task most contractors do not have spare hours for. SayScope was built for the walk-and-photograph part of this: you photograph each item, circle what matters on the photo, hold a button and say what it is, and the report comes out grouped by room and by trade. Visits are free and unlimited, and each account gets one report a week free, which covers a straightforward handover record.
- Photograph the work at handover, not just when something goes wrong
- Keep photos grouped by room so a customer’s complaint about one room does not become a dispute about the whole job
- Note the date on every set, since that is what section 55 and section 56 timing turns on
- Keep the record even after the job is signed off, given the six year limitation window