How to approve a milestone

When your builder marks a milestone complete, two things happen. We review the evidence they've uploaded, and you decide whether to approve. The approval is what releases the payment.

Step 1: Open your dashboard

The milestone in question will be flagged for review.

Step 2: Look at the evidence

Your builder uploads photos, certificates, and any documentation tied to the milestone — for example, electrical certificates, gas certificates, building control sign-off where relevant. We review it too, and we'll flag anything that looks thin or missing. Have a proper look yourself as well, and ask your build advisor if you'd like to talk any of it through.

Step 3: Ask for a closer look if you want one

Photos show what the camera was pointed at. Some milestones — practical completion in particular — are easier to judge from the property than from your dashboard. Visit yourself if you can. If you'd rather someone from Beams looked at the work in person before you approve, ask your build advisor and we'll arrange an inspection.

Step 4: Make a call

Three options:

• Approve. The platform releases the milestone payment to your builder, and it's paid out through our standard payment cycle. From your end this is automatic — once you've approved, you don't need to do anything else.
• Ask a question. If something isn't clear, send a message through the platform. Your builder gets it; the payment is held while you talk it through.
• Decline the approval. If something isn't right, you can decline. Share a reason — what you think hasn't been done, or what needs to change — so your builder can fix it. The article What to do if you disagree with a milestone covers the path. (Note that we use "snagging" specifically for the last round of small fixes between practical completion and sign-off — declining a milestone earlier in the build isn't snagging, it's pausing the payment while a specific issue gets sorted.)

If you don't act

If the seven-day window passes without you approving, asking a question, or declining, the platform releases the payment automatically. This avoids holding up builders over an unread inbox, but it does mean silence counts as a yes. If you're away, busy, or not sure, use the window: ask a question or decline, and the payment is held while you sort it out.

What the milestone evidence should show

Different milestones need different evidence. As a rough guide:

• Break ground: site set-up photos, demolition complete (where relevant).
• First fix: structure complete, electrical and plumbing first fix in place, photos of work that will be hidden by plasterboard or finishes.
• Second fix / practical completion: the space is usable, all fixtures installed, finishes complete, snags listed (where any).
• Sign off: snags cleared, final certificates in place.

What this means for you

Approve promptly when work has been done. Builders rely on these payments to keep the project moving, and a delay at your end can compound into a delay at theirs. If you can't get to the dashboard or the site during the window, tell your build advisor — they can hold the payment while you sort yourself out.