Remedial cost
£8,400
For homeowners · England & Wales · Small claims under £10,000
Sue a builder.
Without the £400/hr solicitor.
Builder abandoned the job, left poor-quality work, or breached the contract? CourtPilot drafts the Letter Before Action, the particulars and the bundle — pleaded to the standard the County Court expects.
We help you prepare the documents and file them yourself — you’re always the claimant on the record. Not a law firm, no legal advice given.
✓ Pre-Action Protocol letter
✓ Reasonable care & skill — s.49 CRA 2015
✓ s.69 interest at 8% recoverable
£2k–£10k typical claim ✓
£2k–£10k
Typical builder-dispute claim — inside the small-claims track where legal costs aren’t recoverable.
6 years
Limitation period for breach of contract under the Limitation Act 1980 — but evidence fades fast.
s.49
Consumer Rights Act 2015 — services must be performed with reasonable care and skill.
Can you take this to court?
Five checks.
If most are yes, you’ve got a claim.
Builder disputes are some of the most winnable small-claims cases — you usually have invoices, photos and messages. The court wants to see you tried to resolve it first.
1
You paid a builder who abandoned the job or left it unfinished.
2
The work is clearly below a reasonable standard — defects, snagging, or wrong spec.
3
The builder breached the terms of the contract or quote you agreed.
4
You have photos, messages, invoices, or a written quote as evidence.
5
The amount you’re claiming is under £10,000.
· Eligibility self-check
✓You paid a builder who abandoned the job or left it unfinished.
✓The work is clearly below a reasonable standard — defects, snagging, or wrong spec.
✓The builder breached the terms of the contract or quote you agreed.
✓You have photos, messages, invoices, or a written quote as evidence.
What CourtPilot drafts for you
Tuned to your job.
Not a template.
Generic LBAs fall over the moment the builder claims you signed off, varied the scope mid-job, or refused access. CourtPilot drafts from your facts — quote, payment history, photos, snag list.
1
Letter Before Action — Names the contract, the breaches, the remedial cost and the 14-day deadline required by the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct.
2
Schedule of defects — Itemised snag list with quotes from other trades to put the work right — the figure your claim is built on.
3
Particulars of Claim — Pleaded to CPR Part 16, citing s.49 CRA 2015 (reasonable care and skill) and the express terms of your quote.
4
Court bundle & witness statement — Hearing-ready bundle with your statement, photos, quotes and messages — indexed and paginated the way the judge expects.
9:415G
Re: Defective rear-extension works — 18 Larkfield Road
Dear Mr Hughes,
I write before issuing a claim in the County Court Money Claims Centre. Under the written quote dated 4 February 2026, you agreed to complete a single-storey rear extension for £28,500. The works were abandoned on 12 April 2026 with significant defects unremedied.
In accordance with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct, this letter affords you 14 days to respond with proposals to settle…
Defects
12
Interest 8%
£56/mo
Deadline
14 days
Download Word doc →
The cost of being heard
Solicitors don’t scale to small claims.
CourtPilot does.
In the small-claims track, legal costs aren’t recoverable beyond fixed costs. A solicitor’s fees on a £5,000 builder dispute would eat most of the money you’re trying to recover.
What a solicitor charges
£1,500–£3,000
Plus their hourly rate after that
Typical solicitor fee for a small-claims builder dispute — and that’s before counsel, expert reports, or hourly extras. Not recoverable on the small-claims track.
What CourtPilot charges
£97
One-off · the lot
LBA, schedule of defects, particulars, witness statement, MCOL walkthrough, hearing bundle and prep. One-off — credited against the £9.97 if you sent the letter first.
What changes
Nothing
You’re still the claimant
Same court, same forms, same procedure. You sign and file. We draft, walk you through MCOL, and produce the bundle.
Pricing, in one breath
£9.97 today. £97 if it goes the distance.
Send the letter first. Most disputes settle once a proper LBA lands. If yours doesn’t, the £9.97 comes off the toolkit — same total either way.
01 · Today
£9.97
Letter Before Action
Drafted from your quote and photos, names the breaches, the remedial figure and the 14-day deadline. Plenty of builders reply once a proper LBA lands.
02 · If they don’t settle
£97
£87.03
Upgrade to the full toolkit
MCOL walkthrough, particulars, schedule of defects, witness statement, court bundle, hearing script. £9.97 credited automatically.
03 · Included
Free
Snag-list builder
Built into every plan. Photograph each defect, drop in a remedial quote, and we produce the schedule the court expects.
The questions people ask
The bits people always ask.
Do I need a written contract to sue a builder?+
No. A verbal agreement is still a legally binding contract. If you agreed a price and a scope of work — even over the phone — you can bring a claim. Text messages, emails, quotes and bank transfers all evidence the agreement.
What if the builder isn’t a registered company?+
You can sue a sole trader personally. You’ll need their full name and address for the court forms. If they traded under a business name, you still sue them as an individual.
How much can I claim for poor building work?+
The remedial cost — get two or three quotes from other trades to fix or complete the job. You can also claim back any overpayment and s.69 interest at 8%. The small-claims track caps the route at £10,000.
Should I get an independent survey or report?+
It helps but isn’t essential for small claims. Photos of the defects, quotes to remedy the work and your own witness statement are usually enough. For larger or technical claims, a short expert report sharpens the case.
How long do I have to bring a claim?+
Six years from the date of the breach of contract under the Limitation Act 1980. Act sooner though — evidence fades, builders move on, and memories blur.
Two minutes · No card
Find out the cleanest route for your builder dispute.
Free case check tells you whether you’ve got a small-claims case, what to value it at, and the exact next step. No card required.