When something goes wrong · Guide · For homeowners
I am not sure this building work is right. What should I do?
You notice that a socket appears on the opposite side of a window from the drawing. The insulation looks thinner than you expected. A stage payment has arrived, but one part of the work is unclear.
Customers often feel forced between two extremes: say nothing or accuse the contractor of defective work and stop payment.
There is a more useful first step. Raise a query.
A query is a structured request for explanation, evidence or action about a defined part of the project. It does not require you to decide that somebody is at fault before the facts are clear.
Why the first wording matters
Compare:
“This is wrong. I am not paying.”
with:
“The accepted drawing shows the socket to the left of the window. The site photograph appears to show it on the right. Please confirm whether the position changed and where that was agreed.”
The second version is not weak. It is more precise. It tells the contractor what you expected, what you observed and what answer is needed.
That precision makes several outcomes possible:
- the contractor explains the work using the agreed record;
- more evidence is provided;
- a mistake is acknowledged and corrected;
- a change is identified and recorded as a variation;
- a technical professional is asked to advise;
- a genuine disagreement is defined for escalation.
Question, query, issue, dispute and complaint are different
A question asks for ordinary clarification. It can be answered without opening a formal project item.
A query asks for clarification, evidence or action.
A project issue needs active assisted resolution. The label does not decide fault. A defect allegation, a claim that work fails an applicable requirement, is raised as a query or an issue rather than as a separate step. That conclusion may need technical evidence or expert input.
A dispute is a defined disagreement that has not been resolved through the ordinary project process and enters a formal route.
A complaint is about Assurr or its service and follows a separate complaints process.
Treating every query as a dispute encourages defensiveness. Treating a serious defect allegation as a casual query can be equally inappropriate. The process should allow the matter to become more formal when the facts warrant it.
How to raise a useful query
Identify:
- 1the exact milestone, work item, requirement, evidence or payment;
- 2what you expected from the accepted project;
- 3what you observed;
- 4the question or action you need;
- 5photographs or documents that help;
- 6whether something is about to be covered or delayed;
- 7when a response is needed under the project.
Avoid bringing unrelated frustration into the same item. If communication has been poor for weeks but the present query concerns one window detail, record that query precisely. A wider project issue can be handled separately.
Raise queries early
Waiting until payment day increases pressure and may remove easy solutions. If waterproofing is about to be tiled over, ask while it is visible. If a product appears different from the specification, ask before more is installed.
Early questions protect contractors too. They create an opportunity to explain, correct or agree a change while cost and disruption remain limited.
What should the contractor do?
A reasonable response should address the point raised. It may:
- identify the accepted requirement;
- explain the apparent difference;
- attach relevant evidence;
- acknowledge an error;
- propose a correction and date;
- show that the request is outside scope;
- propose a variation;
- recommend professional inspection.
A factual acknowledgement is not automatically an admission of every legal consequence. Likewise, attaching a photograph does not settle a technical question merely because evidence exists.
Should work continue?
Some queries can remain open while unrelated work continues. Others affect safety, concealment or a dependency. Current platform behaviour may block a dependent next stage while a query remains open.
Link the query to the affected work. This makes the dependency visible, but it does not mean every other stage can continue.
The actual decision depends on the contract, risk and professional advice where needed.
Should payment stop?
A query should say whether it concerns evidence only, one work item, part of a milestone or the entire stage.
Do not turn a specific uncertainty into a general refusal of everything. Equally, do not approve payment without understanding a material unresolved issue.
Partial approval can create a release request for the approved amount. Its effect depends on the payment provider’s process and your agreement.
What if you cannot agree?
If clarification, evidence, correction or a variation does not resolve the matter, the project may move to professional input or its formal dispute route. The record should show the original expectation, observations, responses, evidence and attempted solutions.
Assurr can structure and export that record. It does not decide who is right.
The behavioural principle
A question is not a declaration of war. It is a tool for keeping the project aligned with the agreement.
Raise it early. Make it specific. Ask for the answer or action you actually need. Escalate only when the substance requires it.