United Kingdom

Retention on UK construction

Retention is your money held back against defects, part of it at practical completion and the balance at the end of the defects period, and both dates go by quietly unless somebody is counting them. These guides cover the mechanism, the dates, and getting the balance out.

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Practical guidesGetting retention releasedRetention is deducted at 5% and comes back in two halves, at practical completion and at the certificate of making good. This is how each release date works, why a subcontractor's clock runs off the main contract, and how to turn a retention application into a notified sum the payer has to pay.Practical guidesThe Retentions BanThe Commercial Payments Bill proposes to end cash retentions in construction. What clauses 11 to 16 actually say, the three dates they set running, the 50% penalty in section 113E, and how to price and paper a job while retention is still being taken.Practical guidesWhich contract to signPick a named contract for the job in front of you, priced: JCT Home Owner at £40, Minor Works 2024 at £100, Intermediate at £178, or your own written terms. Includes the five clauses that decide whether you get paid, and the 14 day cancellation right that can turn a finished job into an invoice you cannot send.

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The Construction Industry SchemeVAT for UK constructionGetting paid on UK constructionStarting a construction business in the UKCSCS cards and site ticketsFinding construction work in the UKPayment notices and adjudication
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