Cancelling your project or pausing your account
Pause your project, cancel before the HIC is signed, or terminate after — all are possible. The path depends on where you are in the journey.
Plans change. Whether you want to pause, cancel before signing the Home Improvement Contract (HIC), or terminate after, the path depends on where you are.
Pausing your project
If you've signed up to Beams but haven't yet committed to a build, you can pause. Tell your planner. We hold your project in your dashboard so you can come back to it later — same scope, same conversations, picked up where you left off.
There's no charge to pause and no time limit. Some customers pause for months; some for years. Come back when you're ready.
Cancelling before HIC is signed
If you've paid the £1,000 build deposit but haven't yet signed the Home Improvement Contract, the deposit is refundable. The article Cancelling a project before HIC covers the path. Quick version: tell your build advisor, the refund processes through the same payment route in a few business days.
Cancelling within the 14-day cooling-off period
If you've signed the HIC and you're inside the 14-day cooling-off period (and you haven't signed an express waiver), you can withdraw. The article Cooling-off — your 14-day right to change your mind covers it. The construction fund (if you've paid it) is refunded.
Terminating after the cooling-off period
If you want to end the project after the cooling-off period, the contract terms apply. Talk to your build advisor first. Most situations have a route that doesn't require contract termination — pausing the build, agreeing a partial completion, settling on terms with the builder. Termination is a last resort, not a first option.
If termination is genuinely the right call, the HIC describes the mechanics. Your build advisor will walk you through them.
Pausing your Beams account
If you want to step away from Beams entirely — no live project, no future use — tell us through the contact form. We'll close the active relationship while keeping your records intact for legal and tax reasons (you can always come back). Your data is held under our Privacy Policy.
What this means for you
The right cancellation or pause path depends on where you are. Don't try to decode it yourself — tell your build advisor or planner what you're trying to do, and they'll route you to the right one.
Related articles
- Cancelling a project before HIC
- Cooling-off — your 14-day right to change your mind
- What to do if your relationship with your builder breaks down
- The contracts behind your project