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Builders help

Customer rights you should understand

Customers have a 14-day cooling-off period under UK consumer law. They can request repeat performance or a price reduction if defects occur. Don't start work before the cooling-off has cleared.

UK consumer law gives customers a set of statutory protections that apply to every Beams project. The binding detail sits in the Home Improvement Contract (HIC) and the underlying legislation. This article describes the ones that affect your work day to day, and how the platform handles them.

Cooling-off

There's a 14-day window after the customer signs the HIC during which they can change their mind. Operationally:

  • The window starts the day after the customer signs.
  • If a customer wants to start work sooner, they sign an express waiver on the platform foregoing the right. Don't start until that waiver is recorded and Milestone 1 is funded.
  • If you start before the waiver is in place and the customer changes their mind, you've done unfunded work. You're not protected by the contract.

If the work doesn't meet the spec

If a defect arises and the work doesn't match what was agreed, the customer has statutory rights — typically the right to ask you to fix the issue, or in some cases the right to a price reduction. These rights sit alongside the HIC's snagging and warranty mechanics. In practice on Beams projects, defects are worked through the snagging process and the 12-month workmanship warranty; the underlying statutory framework is what makes those mechanics enforceable.

What this means for you

  • Wait for cooling-off to clear or be waived before starting work.
  • Match the spec. You're the one who defines the spec — converting the design intent into project scope and specifications, which are then appended to the HIC. Work that meets the contract is the safest position; work that drifts from your own spec can trigger remedies.
  • Document everything through the platform. If a question arises, the platform record is the cleanest evidence for both sides.

For the binding terms, the HIC and the underlying legislation are the source of truth. Your build advisor can walk you through how a specific situation maps onto them.

  • Before you break ground — the four gates
  • The contracts behind working with Beams

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