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Guides › Home and Delivery › Home Improvements and Traders

Home Improvements and Traders

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must do work with reasonable care and skill, at a reasonable price and within a reasonable time if these are not fixed in the contract. Contracts agreed at your home or at a distance usually carry a 14-day cancellation right, and TrustMark, ombudsmen, Section 75 and the small claims court provide routes if things go wrong.

Last checked 2 October 2026 General information, not legal advice
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At a Glance

14 daysto cancel a contract agreed at your home, by phone or online
Up to 12 monthsextra cancellation time if the trader did not give you the required information
14 daysfor a refund once a cancellation is agreed
6 yearsto bring a legal claim about services (5 years in Scotland)

Your Rights

What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.

The Work Itself

  • Care and Skill

    Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015); if not, you can ask for the work to be redone or a price reduction, and go straight to a price reduction if redoing is impossible, takes too long or causes significant inconvenience. source

  • Price and Timing

    If the price was not agreed you only have to pay a reasonable price (s.51), and if no time was agreed the work must be done within a reasonable time (s.52). source

  • Time Limit for Problems

    You have up to 6 years in England, Wales and NI (5 in Scotland) to report problems with services, even if not immediately obvious. source

Cancelling

  • 14-Day Cancellation

    If you arranged work at your home, by phone or online you generally have 14 days to cancel from the day after you agree the contract; you pay a proportionate amount for work started during the period only where you asked for it to start. source

  • Missing Cancellation Information

    If the trader fails to give you the required cancellation information, the cancellation period can extend to 12 months plus 14 days (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 reg 31), and you bear no cost for services supplied during the cancellation period if the trader did not give the required cancellation information (reg 36). source

  • Exceptions

    Exceptions to the 14-day right include made-to-measure items and urgent repairs you ask for (for example emergency plumbing); work agreed at the trader's own premises is a normal contract. source

Extra Protection

  • TrustMark Businesses

    TrustMark registered businesses are vetted by scheme providers, must provide a minimum 2-year workmanship guarantee, carry insurance covering workmanship and defect rectification, and members can escalate unresolved disputes to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman; a 'Trusted Payments' option releases money as you sign off milestones. source

  • Section 75

    Section 75: if you paid part or all by credit card for an item costing 100 to 30,000 pounds you can claim against the card provider for breach of contract, but you usually cannot use it if you did not buy directly from the trader. source

Time Limits to Know

Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.

  • 14 days
    Cancel an at-home, phone or online contract for building or decorating work14 days starting the day after the contract is made
  • 12 months
    Extended cancellation period if the trader did not give required informationUp to 12 months plus 14 days
  • 14 days
    Refund after agreed cancellationWithin 14 days once agreed
  • 6 years
    Time limit for legal claims about services6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 5 years in Scotland
  • 2 weeks
    FHIO: business must reply once contactedWithin two weeks (FHIO states this for the response phase)

Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right

Free routes to escalate, and when each one applies.

TrustMark and Dispute Resolution Ombudsman

Trader is a TrustMark Registered Business and its complaints process has not resolved the problem.

Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO)

Trader is registered with FHIO or an affiliated trade association and you cannot settle directly.

Citizens Advice Consumer Service (0808 223 1133)

Free advice, template letters and reporting to Trading Standards.

County Court Small Claims

After other routes fail; usually up to 10,000 pounds, within 6 years.

Steps to Take

Step 1 of 7

Get at least three written quotes from established firms, verify them independently (Trading Standards approved schemes such as Buy with Confidence, TrustMark or a recognised trade body) and avoid unsolicited offers.

Step 2 of 7

Get a written contract covering price, start and finish dates, materials, payment schedule and what happens if things change, plus written cancellation information.

Step 3 of 7

Pay by credit card where you can, and keep any deposit small and tied to milestones; consider TrustMark's Trusted Payments or an insurance-backed warranty.

Step 4 of 7

If you want to cancel within 14 days, do so in writing straight away (Citizens Advice has template letters) and keep proof of sending.

Step 5 of 7

If work is poor or late, photograph everything, put the problem in writing to the trader, and give them a reasonable chance to put it right.

Step 6 of 7

If the trader will not resolve it, use the trader's ADR route (TrustMark's Dispute Resolution Ombudsman, FHIO or other ombudsman), a Section 75 claim, or report to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice.

Step 7 of 7

As a last resort start a small claims court case (usually up to 10,000 pounds) once other options have failed.

(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)

Evidence and Your Letter

Gather your evidence, then build a letter you can send in minutes.

Evidence Checklist

0 of 6 gathered

Tap each one when you have it.

CPUK

Letter Generator

How This Works

  1. 1

    Tick off the evidence you already have, and see what is still missing.

  2. 2

    Answer the letter questions. Your answers fill in the wording for you.

  3. 3

    Copy or download the letter, check every detail, and send it yourself.

A template, not legal advice.

Watch Out For

Common traps and scams to avoid.

Cold callers offering urgent roof, driveway or gutter repairs at inflated prices; decline all unexpected doorstep offers and use traders you have researched.

Starting work in the 14-day cooling-off period without your written agreement, or pressuring you to waive cancellation rights.

Demanding large upfront payments or cash; pay in stages and by credit card where possible.

Fake ID cards or 'council' badges: verify callers by phoning numbers you find yourself.

Recent or changing rules: tap to read

No specific recent change was verified for these rules. Note: legislation.gov.uk records pending amendments to the Consumer Rights Act from 2024 legislation (the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act) not yet in force; unfair commercial practices rules are now under that Act and are not covered in detail here. The cancellation exceptions and 14-day rule come from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (checked regs 29, 31, 36). The 42 pound doorstep threshold quoted by one council for off-premises contracts was not independently verified on legislation.gov.uk.

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