What to do if you disagree with a milestone
If the work hasn't met the milestone, raise it through the platform during the seven-day window. The payment is paused while you and your builder sort it out.
If your builder has marked a milestone complete but you don't think it is, raise it through the platform during the seven-day window. The payment is paused while you and your builder sort it out.
Steps
- Raise it on the dashboard. When the milestone is presented for approval, you'll see options to approve, ask a question, or raise a snag. Pick the one that fits.
- Be specific. Describe what you think isn't done or isn't right. Photos help. The clearer the description, the faster the resolution.
- The payment is paused. While the milestone is in dispute, the payment doesn't release. Your builder is told what you've raised.
- Your builder responds. Most disagreements resolve here. The builder either does the work you've flagged, explains why they think the milestone is complete, or proposes a middle position — a specific snag to clear, a revised completion date, an agreed adjustment.
- Your build advisor steps in if needed. If you and your builder can't get to a position you're both happy with, that's when your build advisor gets involved. They review the evidence from both sides and help land a resolution — sometimes through a conversation, sometimes a site visit if the question is technical.
- Outcome. Three common ones: you're right and the builder finishes the work to your satisfaction; the builder is right and you approve the milestone; or you and the builder reach a middle position.
What if we can't agree
If you and your builder can't agree even with your build advisor mediating, the snag-dispute written process applies. The article Snag dispute — the written process describes the path. It's lightweight, evidence-led, and time-boxed — most snag disputes resolve at this stage.
If the disagreement is bigger than a single snag — for example, you're unhappy with the relationship more broadly — the article What to do if your relationship with your builder breaks down covers that path.
Why the work doesn't stop while a milestone is disputed
The milestone payment is paused, but the wider build doesn't have to stop. Your builder usually keeps progressing on parts of the project that aren't in dispute, while the disputed item is being sorted. This is by design — most projects can keep flowing around a single contested milestone.
What this means for you
Raise issues during the window, not after. If you've spotted something during the 7 days, that's the time to flag it. If you don't act, the payment auto-releases — and recovering ground after that is much harder than holding it during the window.
Related articles
- How construction payments work
- How to approve a milestone
- Snag dispute — the written process