Contract and deposit
The contracts behind your project, the £1,000 deposit, and your cooling-off rights.
- Cancelling a project before HICIf you change your mind before the Home Improvement Contract is signed, your build deposit is fully refundable. Tell your build advisor or planner; we process the refund within a few days.
- Cooling-off — your 14-day right to change your mindUK consumer law gives you 14 days from signing the HIC to change your mind. The HIC is signed four weeks before break ground, so the cooling-off period runs in the first two weeks of that window. If you'd like work to start sooner, you can make an express written request to commence services — with cost-liability acknowledged.
- From choosing a builder to break ground — the four weeksAfter you accept a quote, the next four weeks have a clear shape — sign the HIC, the 14-day cooling-off period runs, your builder uses the following two weeks to mobilise, and you fund the first milestone along the way. Here's how it sequences.
- Liquidated damages — when and how to ask for themLiquidated damages are a contractual mechanism that holds your builder to account on the project timeline. They're available on larger projects if your builder agrees.
- The contracts behind your projectThe agreements that apply to your project, with one line on what each covers and a link to the current version.
- What is the refundable build deposit?The build deposit is a £1,000 payment that secures your builder's time and schedule slot. It's refundable, and it nets off against the construction fee.