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Complaint about poor work by a builder, garage or other trader (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for consumers
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For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose builder, decorator, garage, repairer or other service provider did the work badly or not as agreed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must perform a service with reasonable care and skill; the letter asks for the work to be put right at the trader's cost or, where that is not possible, for a price reduction (sections 49, 55 and 56), and is your final letter before a small claim in the county court, with 14 days to reply. Send it by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), with photos.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A builder in Northern Ireland left your extension unfinished and badly done.
- The garage charged you for a repair and the fault is still there.
- The decorator walked off the job and will not come back to put it right.
- You want a trader to fix poor work or give you money off the price.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Trader
- Trader's postal address
- Description of the work
- Date of the contract
- Price
- What the complaint is about
- Work put right, or price reduction
- Amount claimed
Common questions
- What remedies does the law give for a job done badly by a tradesperson?
- First, repeat performance: the trader puts the work right properly, at its own cost and within a reasonable time (section 55 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK). If that is impossible, or is not done in a reasonable time, a price reduction of up to the full price (section 56). Damage the poor work caused, for example to your home or car, can be claimed too.
- Can another firm be brought in to finish the job at the first trader's expense?
- Usually only after the first trader has had a fair chance to put it right, which this letter gives. If it refuses or fails, get written quotes from other firms and keep their invoices: a court may award the reasonable cost of the repair as part of a price reduction or as damages. Consumerline can advise before you go ahead.
- What if the builder never finished, or took far longer than agreed?
- Where no time was agreed, a service must be carried out within a reasonable time (section 52). Describe the delays and what is left undone, and claim the extra costs this caused. A trade association the trader belongs to may offer free or low-cost dispute resolution; otherwise a small claim in the county court covers claims of up to £5,000.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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