Builder Hasn't Started Work - When Should I Worry?

You've agreed the quote. You've paid the deposit. You've cleared out the back bedroom and told the neighbours about the skip. And now... nothing. The builder was supposed to start two weeks ago. Or three. Or it's been a month and they keep saying "next week."

Your stomach's churning. You're wondering whether you've just handed over two grand to someone who's never coming back.

Let's work out whether you should be worried - and what to do about it.

Before you hand over anything more, tie the next payment to work that has actually happened. This builds a staged schedule from your quote total that you can put to the builder in writing.

What's actually normal

First, some reassurance. A gap between signing the contract and work starting is completely standard. Most builders don't sit around waiting for the next job. They're finishing the current one.

2–4 weeks between agreement and start is normal and nothing to worry about - provided the builder has given you a specific start date and is communicating.

4–8 weeks isn't unusual for popular builders, especially if you agreed the job well in advance. Some of the best builders in the country are booked 3–4 months ahead. If they told you upfront that the wait would be six weeks and they're keeping you updated, that's fine.

8+ weeks with no clear date is where it gets concerning. At this point, you need a conversation.

The key factor isn't how long you've waited. It's whether the builder is communicating, whether you have a confirmed date, and whether they're sticking to what they said.

When to worry

Here are the signs that something's actually wrong.

They've gone quiet

This is the biggest red flag. You text, they don't reply for days. You call, it goes to voicemail. You email, nothing. When a builder stops communicating, it usually means one of three things: they've taken on too much work, they've got a problem on another job that's eating their time, or they've no intention of doing your job at all.

A builder who's genuinely just delayed will communicate that. "Sorry, the previous job overran by a week - I'll be with you on the 15th." That's honest. That's professional. Silence is not.

They've taken a large deposit

If you've paid 10–15% upfront, the financial risk is manageable. Annoying if they don't show, but recoverable.

If you've paid 25% or more before work starts, and now they've disappeared, the situation is more serious. Large deposits with no work to show for them are a hallmark of rogue traders. It doesn't mean your builder is one - but the risk is higher.

They keep giving vague dates

"Should be next week." Then: "Probably the week after." Then: "I'll let you know." If the start date keeps sliding and the excuses keep changing, the builder either can't manage their schedule or doesn't prioritise your job.

Either way, you're at the bottom of the list. And builders who put you at the bottom before the job starts won't put you at the top once it's underway.

There's no written start date

If you agreed everything verbally and there's no confirmed start date in writing - no email, no text, no contract clause - you've got a problem. Not just because you can't hold them to it, but because it suggests the agreement itself is loose. A professional builder confirms the start date in writing. Every time.

This is one of the reasons a proper written quote matters so much. Without one, you've got no documentation to fall back on.

What to do right now

Step 1: Call them

Not text. Not email. Call. Texts are easy to ignore. Emails get lost in inboxes. A phone call forces a conversation.

Be calm but direct. Don't apologise for chasing. You've paid money and you're waiting. That's not being difficult - that's being a customer.

Say something like: "Hi, just checking in. I was expecting work to start on [date]. Can you confirm when you'll be on site?"

Listen to the answer. If it's specific - "I'll be there next Monday at 8am" - that's good. If it's vague - "Yeah, should be soonish" - that's a problem.

Step 2: Confirm everything in writing

Whatever they tell you on the phone, follow it up with an email or text:

"Thanks for the call. Just confirming - you'll be starting on [date] at [time]. If anything changes, please let me know in advance."

This creates a paper trail. If the date comes and goes with no show, you've got evidence.

Step 3: Set a deadline

If the builder keeps missing dates, put a formal deadline in writing. Something like:

"I've been waiting [X weeks] since we agreed the job. I'd like work to start by [date - give them 14 days]. If I don't hear from you or work doesn't start by then, I'll consider our agreement cancelled and I'd like my deposit returned."

This isn't aggressive. It's proportionate. You're giving them a clear, reasonable deadline and telling them the consequence of missing it.

Step 4: Know your rights

What the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you turns first on whether your contract fixed a date. If it did, missing it is a breach of that term. If it did not, section 52 treats the contract as including a term that the builder must perform the service within a reasonable time, and what counts as reasonable is a question of fact.

Either way, the Act does not simply hand you a refund, and it is worth knowing what it does hand you, because that is what you quote in the letter. Section 54(5) gives you the right to a price reduction where the builder is in breach of the reasonable-time term. Section 56(1) defines that as the right to require the builder to reduce the price by an appropriate amount, including a refund of anything already paid above the reduced amount, and section 56(2) says the reduction may, where appropriate, be the full amount of the price. On a deposit taken for work that never began, the full amount is the obvious answer.

Two deadlines in section 56 are worth putting in writing. A refund must be given without undue delay and in any event within 14 days beginning with the day the builder agrees you are entitled to it (section 56(4)). It must come back by the same means you paid unless you expressly agree otherwise (section 56(5)), and the builder must not charge you a fee for it (section 56(6)).

Section 54(7) keeps your other routes open alongside that one, including claiming damages, recovering money paid where the consideration for it has failed, and treating the contract as at an end. Our guide to consumer rights in building disputes covers this in detail, including how to escalate if needed.

If you paid any part by credit card, and the price of the whole job is more than £100 and no more than £30,000, you have additional protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Your card company is jointly and severally liable with the trader, so you can claim the deposit back from the card company directly. It is the job price that counts, not the amount you put on the card.

If you paid by debit card, or the job is outside those limits, your bank may help through the chargeback process, though that is a card scheme rule rather than a legal right, and it has time limits.

The ladder below writes the letter for whichever point you have reached: the deadline letter, the chaser when it is ignored, or the Section 75 claim to your card provider.

The nuclear options

If you've been patient, communicated clearly, set deadlines, and the builder has still ghosted you - it's time to escalate.

Citizens Advice

Contact Citizens Advice (0800 144 8848, free). They can advise on your rights, help you draft a formal complaint, and refer the case to Trading Standards if appropriate. Trading Standards can investigate rogue traders and, in serious cases, prosecute.

Small claims court

If the builder has taken your money and won't return it, you can make a claim through the county court's small claims track. For claims up to £10,000, you don't need a solicitor. The court fee is £35–£455 depending on the amount. The process is straightforward and designed for exactly this kind of dispute.

Report them

If you believe the builder is operating fraudulently - taking deposits with no intention of doing the work - report them to Action Fraud (the national fraud reporting centre) and Trading Standards via Citizens Advice.

How to protect yourself next time

Whether this builder eventually shows up or not, here's how to avoid this situation in the future.

Get everything in writing. Quote, scope, payment terms, start date, estimated completion date. Here's what a proper quote should include. If it's not written down, it doesn't exist.

Keep deposits small. 10–15% is normal. Enough to secure materials and commit the builder's time. Anything more than that should ring alarm bells. Never pay more than 20% before a spade hits the ground.

Use stage payments. Tie payments to milestones, not dates. Pay for foundations when foundations are done. Pay for the roof when the roof is on. Don't pay for work that hasn't happened yet. This is exactly the approach that protects against builders who change the price after starting.

Check references. Before you hire, ask for references from recent jobs. Not just "can I see your portfolio?" but "can I speak to someone whose job you finished last month?" A builder who delivers will happily provide names.

Get a baseline estimate. Use MyBuildAlly's cost calculator before you hire so you know whether the quote is realistic. If a builder quotes significantly under market rate, they might be planning to make up the difference through delays, variations, and extras.

Reasonable delays vs red flags - a quick guide

The bottom line

Some waiting is normal. Good builders are busy. What's not normal is silence, missed dates, and excuses that keep shifting.

If your builder is communicating, has given you a firm date, and is keeping you in the loop - relax. If they've taken your money and gone quiet - act. Call, write, set a deadline. Don't wait and hope. Hope is not a project management strategy.

And next time, protect yourself from the start. Create a free MyBuildAlly account, get a cost estimate before you hire, and make sure everything is documented before a penny changes hands.