28/08/2026
🏗️ “Crackdown on cowboy builders” — but are we overlooking something that already exists?
There’s been plenty in the news about the Government’s new plans to protect homeowners from so-called “cowboy builders”, including an Approved Code, milestone payments and improved safeguards when things go wrong.
The intention is difficult to argue with.
But there is an important point missing from much of the discussion:
The construction industry already has well-established mechanisms for doing much of this.
They are called building contracts.
A surprising number of homeowners still undertake extensions, renovations and other projects worth tens — sometimes hundreds — of thousands of pounds with little more than a builder’s quotation, a few emails and a handshake.
That might feel sufficient when everyone is getting along.
But what happens when something changes?
Who decides when payments are due?
How are additional works agreed, instructed and valued?
What happens if the project runs late?
Who determines when the works are actually complete?
How are defects dealt with?
What happens if either party fails to meet their obligations or wants to bring the arrangement to an end?
These aren’t new problems — and the construction industry already has recognised contractual frameworks designed to deal with them.
For decades, JCT Building Contracts have set out the rights, responsibilities and procedures of both the homeowner and the contractor.
The Government’s proposed “Trusted Payments” system seeks to introduce milestone-based payments and prevent homeowners handing over large sums of money without adequate protection.
Under a properly administered JCT contract, structured interim payments based upon the value of work properly executed are already established practice.
The Government also wants to provide greater clarity and protection when projects go wrong.
Again, a properly prepared building contract already establishes how changes, delays, payments, completion, defects and disputes should be dealt with.
Perhaps, therefore, the problem isn’t that domestic construction needs another voluntary scheme.
Perhaps the bigger problem is that homeowners simply aren’t routinely being encouraged to use the professional protections that already exist.
And importantly, a good building contract isn’t about protecting the homeowner from the builder.
It protects both parties.
The homeowner gets clarity over cost, payments, changes, progress, completion and defects.
The contractor gets clarity over exactly what they are being asked to build, when they are entitled to payment, how additional work will be valued and what happens when the client changes the scope.
And when a Contract Administrator is appointed, there is a professional administering that process — assessing progress, certifying payments, dealing with variations and administering completion in accordance with the contract.
At David Bullen Surveyors, we can advise on the appropriate JCT contract, prepare the contract documentation and, where required, act as Contract Administrator throughout the construction phase.
So before relying on the latest Government initiative to protect your building project, consider something rather less new:
A clear specification.
A reputable contractor.
A recognised building contract.
Professional contract administration.
Good builders shouldn’t be afraid of a proper contract.
It protects them too.
