Stage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, Faversham
Roof and windows
Stage money
£14,000
With the payment provider Paid to Carter & Sons when the list is done
3 things on the agreed list
Protect your money before the building work begins.
Before each stage starts, you pay its money into a separate account, where your builder can see it. It’s paid out when you’ve checked the finished stage and approved payment.
Has your builder already invited you? Open the invite in your email, or log in.
The money is paid in through a separate regulated payment provider, not to Assurr or the builder.
Stage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, Faversham
Roof and windows
Stage money
£14,000
With the payment provider Paid to Carter & Sons when the list is done
Agreed list
Roof watertight, tiles and flashings complete
Three windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed
Gutters and downpipes connected
Sarah · paid in, not yet paid out Carter & Sons · it’s there before we start
Your part · Nothing to do until the stage is ready to check
Illustrative project
Building work should not depend on crossed fingers.
Your part, at every stage.
You don’t need to become the project manager. At each stage you do four things, and Assurr keeps the record of all of them.
Sarah is having a rear extension built by Carter & Sons. Here is her part in their £14,000 roof stage.
Carter & Sons turn the quote into stages, each with a price, dates and a list of what will be finished. You read the plan and accept it. The list is what each payment depends on.
AgreedStage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, FavershamRoof and windowsStage money£14,000Not paid in yet. It goes in before work starts.Agreed listRoof watertight, tiles and flashings completeThree windows and the rooflight fitted and sealedGutters and downpipes connectedAgreed by Sarah and Carter & Sons, 12 OctYour part · Pay the £14,000 in before the stage startsBefore the roof stage begins, you pay its £14,000 into a separate account. Carter & Sons can see it’s there, so they can order materials with confidence. It isn’t theirs yet.
Money inStage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, FavershamRoof and windowsStage money£14,000With the payment providerPaid to Carter & Sons when the list is doneAgreed listRoof watertight, tiles and flashings completeThree windows and the rooflight fitted and sealedGutters and downpipes connectedSarah · paid in, not yet paid out Carter & Sons · it’s there before we startYour part · Nothing to do until the stage is ready to checkCarter & Sons add a photo as each item on the list is done. When the stage is ready, you look at the photos against the list. Where a stage needs a certificate, such as one from building control, it’s on the list too.
Assurr records each step. It doesn’t inspect the work or certify its quality.
Ready to checkStage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, FavershamRoof and windowsStage money£14,000With the payment providerPaid to Carter & Sons when the list is doneAgreed listRoof watertight, tiles and flashings complete Photo addedThree windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed Photo addedGutters and downpipes connected Photo addedYour part · Check the stage against the list by 7 NovApproving payment means you’re satisfied the agreed work for the stage is done. The £14,000 is then paid to Carter & Sons. You have the review time you both agreed to decide. If you don’t reply by then, you’ll get a final notice, then the payment goes ahead.
PaidStage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, FavershamRoof and windowsStage money£14,000Paid to Carter & SonsPaid out when Sarah approved paymentAgreed listRoof watertight, tiles and flashings complete Photo addedThree windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed Photo addedGutters and downpipes connected Photo addedNo reply by 7 Nov? Final notice, then paid.Your part · Nothing more to do on this stage
Every stage works the same way until the job is finished.
Stage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, Faversham
Roof and windows
Stage money
£14,000
Not paid in yet. It goes in before work starts.
Agreed list
Roof watertight, tiles and flashings complete
Three windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed
Gutters and downpipes connected
Agreed by Sarah and Carter & Sons, 12 Oct
Your part · Pay the £14,000 in before the stage starts
If one thing needs fixing, only that thing waits.
Sarah notices the new gutter drips at one corner. She approves payment for the rest of the stage and raises a query on the gutters, with a photo. The £13,250 for the roof and windows is paid out. The £750 for the gutters waits.
Carter & Sons reseal the joint and add a photo. Sarah approves payment, and the last £750 follows.
Stage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, Faversham
Roof and windows
Stage money
£14,000
£13,250 paid. £750 held until the gutters are fixed.
Agreed list
Roof watertight, tiles and flashings complete Photo added
Three windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed Photo added
Gutters and downpipes connected Drips at one corner · photo added
£13,250 paid to Carter & Sons £750 waits on a fix
Carter & Sons are resealing the joint
Your part · Approve payment once the fix is done
- Query
- Issue
- Dispute
Most things are settled at the query. If one can’t be, either of you can raise it as an issue and get help resolving it. If that doesn’t settle it, it becomes a dispute. Where the question is whether the work meets the standard you agreed, an independent expert decides, and the money follows their decision.
Changes should be agreed, not discovered on the invoice.
Building work changes. You might choose a different tile, or something might turn up behind a wall. Either way, the change is written down with its price and any effect on the dates, and you both accept it before the work goes ahead. Its money is paid in like any other stage.
That means a change during the project is less likely to become a surprise at the end.
Rear extension, Faversham
Variation 01
Stage 2 · Drainage and slab
- What is changing?
- Reroute the existing foul drain around the extension and add an inspection chamber
- Why is it changing?
- The existing drain run sits under the new slab
- What will it cost?
- +£1,850, added to Stage 2
- Will it affect the programme?
- Adds one working day to Stage 2
- Has it been agreed?
- Yes. Accepted by you and your builder before the work went ahead
Illustrative project
What is a variation? The guide, from both sidesWhere your money sits while the work happens.
Each stage’s money is paid in through a separate regulated payment provider. It isn’t in Assurr’s account, and it isn’t the builder’s until it’s paid out.
HomeownerYouPay each stage in before it starts
paid in
Separate and regulatedPayment providerEach stage’s money waits here until it’s paid out
paid out
BuilderCarter & SonsPaid stage by stage, as agreed
Assurr sends the payment instruction when the agreed conditions are met
Keeps the agreed list, the photos and every decision
Your money is protected, stage by stage.
It’s committed before each stage starts, and paid out as the agreed work is completed.
Neither side can take it alone.
It’s paid out when you approve payment for the stage, or after the agreed review time and a final notice. It comes back to you only through the refund or dispute route you both agreed.
If the work stops, unpaid money isn’t the builder’s.
Anything not yet paid out follows the cancellation, refund or dispute route for your project.
Assurr Ltd is not an FCA-authorised payment institution and does not hold client money. Payments are made through a separate regulated payment provider.
Protected payments, with a cost you both agree upfront.
Your builder can include Assurr as part of their service, or you can agree to contribute towards the fee.
2.4%of each completed stage, including VAT
- When it’s charged
- Only when a stage is paid out
- Subscription or setup fee
- None
Your builder should benefit too.
The money for each stage is in place before they start. One snag doesn’t hold up the rest of the stage. And if you’re slow to reply, they’re still paid on the date you agreed. It’s a better way of working together, not a way of checking up on anyone.
Less ‘I thought we agreed…’
More ‘Here is what we agreed.’
Not every question is a query. Most just need explaining, and the answer stays with the stage.
Stage 5Answered
Rear extension, Faversham
Kitchen sockets
Stage 5 · First fix and plaster
The plan lists four double sockets in the kitchen. I can only find three on the wall. Is one still to go in?
You · 09:14I’ve checked against the plan. The fourth is on the end of the island, so its cable comes up through the floor. All four are marked below.Kitchen plan, sockets marked
Carter & Sons · 11:02Great, thank you for checking.
You · 11:20Answered. The question and its answer stay with Stage 5 on the project record.
Illustrative messages
Built for real building projects.
A bathroom refit might be two stages. An extension might be six. You and your builder decide how the work is split, from smaller improvements to whole renovations.
Bathroom refurbishment
2 stages- Stage 1Strip-out and first fix
- Stage 2Tiling and fit-out
Major extension
6 stages- Stage 1Groundworks
- Stage 2Drainage and slab
- Stage 3Walls
- Stage 4Roof and windows
- Stage 5First fix
- Stage 6Finishes
Questions
Something else? Email us at hello@assurr.co.uk.
Do I pay the whole job up front?
No. Each stage is paid in just before it starts.
Who decides when a stage is done?
You approve completion against the list you both agreed before it started. If you don’t reply in the agreed review time, you’ll get a final notice. Then the payment goes ahead.
What if I’m not happy with a stage?
Approve payment for what’s done and raise a query on the rest, with a reason. The builder can reply, put it right and add evidence. Most things are settled there.
What if the work stops?
Money not yet paid out isn’t the builder’s. It follows the cancellation, refund or dispute route for your project.
Can the builder be paid for materials before starting?
Yes, as its own stage with its own list, such as ‘materials delivered to site’. Never as a vague deposit.
Does Assurr check the quality of the work?
No. Assurr records what was agreed, what was done and what was decided. Building control, a surveyor or your architect check quality where a stage needs it. It doesn’t replace your building contract either.
Does Assurr check my builder?
Every builder who takes payments through Assurr has their business identity checked first, including against sanctions lists. That tells you who you’re paying. It isn’t a check on their work, insurance or qualifications, so ask about those as you normally would.
What if my builder isn’t on Assurr yet?
Invite them from your project, or send them this page.
What does it cost?
There’s no subscription or setup fee. The fee is 2.4% of each completed stage, including VAT. Your builder can include it in their price, or you can agree to contribute.
Want your next project Assurr’d?
Set up your first stage, or invite the builder you’re already talking to.
Stage 4 of 6 · Rear extension, Faversham
Roof and windows
Stage money
£14,000
Paid to Carter & Sons Paid out when Sarah approved payment
Agreed list
Roof watertight, tiles and flashings complete Photo added
Three windows and the rooflight fitted and sealed Photo added
Gutters and downpipes connected Photo added
No reply by 7 Nov? Final notice, then paid.
Your part · Nothing more to do on this stage