Your rights and paying safely
General information, not legal advice.
For free advice:
- England and Wales: Citizens Advice, 0808 223 1133 (Welsh 0808 223 1144).
- Scotland: Advice Direct Scotland, consumeradvice.scot, 0808 164 6000.
- Northern Ireland: Consumerline, nidirect.gov.uk.
See also GOV.UK: Consumer rights.
Your 14-day right to cancel
If you agree work with a firm at your home, over the phone or online (rather than at the firm's own premises), you usually have a 14-day cooling-off period. During it, you can cancel for any reason. This comes from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
- The 14 days usually start the day after you agree to the work (for example, when you accept the quote).
- The firm should give you information about how to cancel. If it doesn't, the cooling-off period can be extended, by up to 12 months.
- If you ask the firm to start within the 14 days and then cancel, you may have to pay for the work done up to that point.
- It usually doesn't apply to urgent repairs you call a firm out for, or to things made specially for you (made to measure).
- To cancel, tell the firm clearly, ideally in writing, and keep a copy. Citizens Advice has template letters you can use.
More detail: Citizens Advice: cancelling building or decorating work.
Paying safely
- Get a written quote that says what's included, before you agree anything.
- Don't pay large amounts in cash up front. Agree stage payments as the work progresses, where possible.
- Pay any deposit by card where you can, and pay the firm directly.
- Credit card: if a single item or job costs more than £100 and up to £30,000, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can make the card provider jointly responsible if something goes wrong. This can apply even if you only paid part of the cost (such as a deposit) on the card. It doesn't usually apply if you paid through a third party rather than directly to the firm.
- Debit card (or a credit card that doesn't qualify): you can ask your bank for a "chargeback". This isn't a legal right, so the bank may refuse, and there are time limits (often about 120 days). Act quickly.
- Keep receipts, the written quote and any messages with the firm.
- We never take payment for the work, and no firm should ask you to pay us.
More detail: MoneyHelper: Section 75 and chargeback.
If no firm covers your area
We tell you, and we don't keep your enquiry or pass it to anyone. If you ticked the separate box asking us to email you when a firm joins, you can ask us at any time to delete your email address, and we delete it anyway within 90 days at the latest, or as soon as we've told you. We never pass it to a firm or anyone else. See our privacy notice.
Information checked against Citizens Advice, GOV.UK and MoneyHelper pages on 1 November 2026. The Advice Direct Scotland number was checked on consumeradvice.scot on 2 November 2026.